BILLOW & BREEZE, ISLAND & SEAS

For someone who enjoys being around water so much you would think I would learn to sail. Or even swim properly. But I just don't want to get wet. So I settle for being around it as much as possible. Not the easiest thing to do when you live in the middle of the central belt. However there was lots of water during my recent long weekend to the Isle of Skye. Enough to keep me satiated for another month or so at least. Until the need for the soothing of the sea and the lapping of the waves takes over again.

Not simply content with water, I also have this thing about castles and I am on a one woman quest to say I have seen every castle in Scotland. From the outside at the very least. The journey up to Skye was a long one (5 hours) although happily punctuated with tunes, large lattes & lunch stops. But the highlight of this journey had to be Eilean Donan castle. This was a castle I had wanted to tick off for a long time. And it did not disappoint.

The castle wasn't the only thing on my bucket list I got to tick off during our trip. I finally made it to The Three Chimneys where I got to sit at The Kitchen Table, meet like minded folks from across the Atlantic, sample 9 delicious courses of exquisite food and drink one of the nicest bottles of red I've ever had.  Rounded off with a dram and an interesting taxi ride back to an empty and beautiful guest house, it was a perfect evening and something I will remember and cherish for as long as my memory will allow it.

I could try and tell you everything we got up to but I would almost certainly forget something. There was so much to see and to do on this beautiful island. We saw as much as we could which I'm quietly confident was almost everything. We drove almost every single track road, ate & supped beer in as many quaint and old inns as we could and probably pictured every single boat (big or small) that happened to creep into our view. The Fairy Pools were a highlight. Even the long walk to get to them in the biting cold wind ended up being more enjoyable than I was willing to let on. The drives up to Neist Point and over The Quiraing were as spectacular as they were scary and the views unlikely ever to leave my mind.

Everything about this amazing island was special. The fish was as fresh as you will ever taste, the local beer one of the smoothest pints I've had in a long time. The locals are friendly and nothing is too much trouble. The hotels are quaint and the service relaxed. There's no need for stress on the Isle of Skye. Even the charming little fishing village of Plockton on the mainland that we detoured to on the way home was special. Despite the lashing rain and gale force winds.

Thanks for the memories Skye. You stole my heart on Valentine's weekend.

The title of this post is taken from a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson and occasionally used as an alternative to the original lyrics of The Skye Boat Song. I kinda prefer it.