Scotland's Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye is one of the Scotland's must see places, and no wonder why. The views are very beautiful. There are lots of mountains, waterfalls, canyons, and cliffs on the isle. The Isle of Skye is the largest island of Scotland. According to history it was once ruled by Vikings and after that ruled by the clan MacLeod and the Clan Donald. But in the 18th century the clan system was destroyed due to the Jacobite risings. Nowadays on the island, there lives around 10,000 persons. Most of them in the bigger settlements, such as Portree.

Skye Bridge

 Kyleakin was very very pretty small Scottish village just after the Skye Bridge. There were only couple houses and a few hostels. Isle of Skye is very accessible because of the bridge that connects the Isle to the mainland. By car it will take around 5 minutes to cross the bridge. Before people had to pay for crossing the bridge, but luckily nowadays it is free of charge. Ferry also goes to the Isle of Skye but it costs. 

Views from the Skye Bridge

 The views from the Skye Bridge were breathtaking during the sunset! 

Sligachan Old Bridge

 From the river that runs under Sligachan Old Bridge you can gain eternal beauty. How is that? By dipping your face into the river for 7 seconds the magical river will turn you into a beauty, which will last for your lifetime. How did this "myth" start? There's an old folk story behind this. Back in the days, two clans were fighting. To stop it the other clan promised their most beautiful girl to the other clan's boy. The girl started her journey with her servant riding through Isle of Skye. Unfortunately on the way the girl fell of the horse and got her face disfigured. The girl did not know what to do and was so scared of her future. The servant advised her to hid her face until the wedding was over. The girl followed his advice. After the wedding was over, it was time for the girl to show her face. The husband got so angry. He felt betrayed because he was promised the most beautiful girl but he got a girl whose face was completely disfigured. In anger the husband threw both the servant and the girl to jail, without letting them explain. After awhile the girl was able to explain why her face was ruined. The husband then said, she needs to go to the river that flows under Sligachan river and keep her face in the river for 7 seconds. After that she will be beautiful again. The girl and the servant rode to the bridge. The girl put her face into the river together with the servant. The girl became beautiful again and the servant turned into a handsome man. The two of them fell in love. The horse also dipped his head into the water and turned into a beautiful unicorn.

Although I would like to gain eternal beauty, I did not dip my face into the river. The water was freezing and I did not want my brain to freeze. My choice was brains over beauty. Hopefully I don't regret that decision in the future though. I did saw other exchange students dipping their faces into the water. Nothing happened after that. Maybe we all are so beautiful already?


If you were interested in this Scottish folk tale here are some websites about Scottish myths, folklore and legends:
Scottish Myths, Folklore and Legends
Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales
Scottish Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and Fables

The Cuillin

 This is the view from Sligachan Old Bridge. In the distance, there are the Cuillin mountains. The mountains remind of a giant's head. If you look closely you can see the giant's forehead, nose and mouth in this picture.

Old Man of Storr

The Old Man of Storr is probably the most famous place in the Isle of Skye. It is located in the Trotternish Peninsula. The views were just breathtaking! Where else could you see views like this?

Old Man of Storr

Because of its popularity among tourists, the trees were cut down and a path was made to get up the hill. The climb to the first viewpoint took around 15 minutes and the sandy path was in a good condition. The path to the second viewpoint would have taken around 15-20 minutes as well. The second viewpoint was very close to the Storr hill. The views from the first viewpoint were breathtaking enough! Many artists have shoot their music videos in the Isle of Skye. One of them is Harry Styles. He shoot his entire music video called Sign of the Times in the Old Man of Storr. In the music video you can see him flying in this beautiful scenery. Although I must admit the views in the video are nothing compared to those you can actually see in real life.

Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls

The Kilt rock is a sea cliff. It got its name because it reminds of a kilt. In the Kilt rock viewpoint you can also see Mealt falls. When I was in Isle of Skye in the end of February, the waterfalls were quite small due to the low amount of rain during the time. When it has rained, the waterfalls are much more impressive.

Lealt Falls Canyon

Another absolutely stunning place to see is Lealt Falls and the Lealt Canyon. There was a path that lead to the edges of the cliff. It is not a place for a person who is scared of height. There were no fences surrounding the place and if someone happened to fall, it would be a long fall down.

Lealt Falls

Like I said previously it hadn't rained in the Isle of Skye when I was visiting there, so the Lealt Falls were quite small just like the Mealt Falls. Kanye West was filming here in the Lealt Falls for his music video Waves.

Portree

 Portree is the capital town of the Isle. The town is surrounded by mountains, Ben Tianavaig and Suidh Finn. The town started as a fishing village but has grown after that and is popular among tourists who decide to visit the Isle of Skye. One attraction in the village is the colorful houses you can see on the picture above.

Portree Bay

The view from the bay. Portree was very idyllic and it had everything a tourist needs to make a stop there. It is a must see town in the Isle of Skye.

There are lot more to see in the Isle than what I've presented here. The best would be to spent couple days in the Isle of Skye exploring all the places worth of visiting. Isle Of Skye is truly a must see place in Scotland.

If you liked to hear about my travels in the Isle of Skye, check out my post about the villages in town in Scotland! Link is here:

Bits 'n Pieces of Scotland's Cities