This is the second part of my road trip around Scotland. You can find Part 1 here...
Map for visual reference (I am now inside he red circle):
Day 7. Lower Diabaig to Loch Dughail (near Shieldaig)
I woke up in a spectacular location only 5 miles away from the Torridon Village. Or I remembered it so from the night before. Looking from high altitude, mountains and the road covered in thick fog, I could barely see a few meters in front of me. I waited until it cleared and made a cup of tea in the meantime. Couldn’t leave a beautiful place before I saw it. Also, I was again afraid to drive.
1.5 hours later, I was back in the village. One street, two cafes, one store, one lake, a mountain range. This morning, I didn't want to rush anywhere, so I decided to get a cup of coffee and stay here for a while. After I ordered a cappuccino in a quiet cafe, I started talking to a woman working there. I shared my last night’s adventures, feeling a little embarrassed. But the woman made me feel much better when she confided in me that this road brought terror for her as well! When she went there last time, she could not continue and left her motorbike somewhere beside the road.
I also learned that she just moved here during the pandemic and opened this cafe. She was an auditor before, but so much happier now. Life is tranquil, nothing much happens, they’re taking care of the house, chicken, want to get some sheep. A lovely, quiet life. I never got her name but she answered all my questions about the local life in Torridon village (and probably all other villages nearby).
The trail to Beinn Damh was the worst. Puddle on a puddle. My shoes got wet, rivers of water running down the barely visible trail. I kept looking at the GPS map on my phone to make sure I am still following the trail, but with every step I wanted to give up and turn back.
Where was all this water coming from? Climbing was torture. I was trying not to step into the water, but the grass looked deceiving. I was not only trying not to soak my feet in each pool of cold water but also to keep myself from falling or twisting my ankles. I had to watch every step. I wanted to turn back, but the top of this hill appeared to be so close and the stubborn me carried on. Torridon Village and full mountain panorama were behind me, sun was shining, wind was blowing.
However, after my hour and a half long walk I still didn’t want to leave this town (it's comforting to know where the nearest toilet is). So I parked a few minutes away from the town, next to another lake and a tent. I will be back in the morning.
Day 8. Shieldaig to a quiet place between Portree and Broadford.
The morning was no longer sunny, however, I loved the quiet misty bay views. My body ached from hiking. I returned to Shieldaig, made a good old cup of tea and had a little breakfast snack, which was the last of my no-cook options. The Lithuanian woman walking her dog was the only other person in the street. I wandered around for an hour or so, roamed the back streets, which weren’t as tidy and dreamy as the main (only) street.
After Lochcarron, I searched for a nice viewpoint or a quiet parking lot for breakfast. I found a viewpoint, but it was not quiet. Nevertheless, I still made coffee and porridge on camping tables. Moments like this make me happy. I love eating and drinking outside and even preparing this food in a much different way than I do at home.
Reading about this fishermen town and walking around the beach made me hungry for some excellent fish & chips. Oddly, all three restaurants closed down for two hours, rain began and all people disappeared. Rain, gloom, hunger. I googled what’s the best fish & chips place on my way. And that was in Skye… This was another place that's been on my mind for what feels like forever. Two cancelled trips and I had many expectations, hoping to meet them all. As if this was the best place, if not on the planet, then definitely in Europe.
Entering Skye through the bridge felt special. Big. Like I was entering the promised land. Unfortunately, the road there was a motorway so I couldn’t slow down and enjoy the views. The fish & chips takeaway was located right at the start of the Skye adventures, in Broadford. I got a humongous fish with a pile of chips. Delicious, fatty, so hot. Perfect for the doom and gloom of the afternoon and my sore muscles.
I took it easy for the rest of the day. I used Coop's WiFi to download a few more Travels by Narrowboat episodes to follow the person exploring the UK, got some snacks and food for later and drove a little outside the town to a secluded spot near the lake right underneath the mountains. I could see the car lights going up and down the road, glued to the wall of the mountains like a ribbon.
I hoped to feel much more elated than this. It’s Skye, after all! And yet, I felt a little uncomfortable, out of place. Maybe because I just came from quiet empty lands and suddenly I was somewhere with life, a lot of people and the main road that never gets quiet (even though I was far away from it to guarantee a peaceful night).
Day 9. A place near Broadford to Portree.
At 7:15 am it was still foggy and dark. It's been raining and windy all night through. I was far away from people, and still felt exposed, like if I slept at the edge of Edinburgh. I skipped the morning tea, drove away to a rest area overlooking the spot where I spent the night. I made hot porridge with almond butter, a cup of tea, and enjoyed breakfast watching mountains and Loch Ainort. I booked a hotel for tonight, so even if the weather is not the greatest, I could now get all my clothes wet without a worry. I will dry everything out in a few hours.
In Skye, everyone takes more or less the same route, then ends up visiting the same places and from time to time you see familiar faces. This day will be spent in the northern part of the isle, in the Trotternish peninsula. There were a couple of places of interest: The Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing and the Fairy Glen.
The hike to the Man of Storr was tiring, but people in front and behind me motivated to keep the pace. Everything was covered in fog, not much of a view but I was glad I came here anyway. The experience there was strange. This massive vertical leaking rock with a thin base. It looked like if someone pushed it, it would fall. Leaking from the fog made it even creepier. I touched it, walked around, looked at it, hoping for some clear view, but I was unlucky today. However, even in a fog with not much to see, it was worth the time.
After the hike, I stopped at every parking spot because each one has a spectacular viewpoint. I didn’t plan on visiting Kilt Rock, but I am so glad I did! The wind literally blew me away. I nearly spilt my tea and my hair was mostly in a vertical position. Nature here reminds you about its unbelievable power.
I was left with mixed feelings about the Skye. The high expectations I had diminished the moments of awe. The crowds of people were not helping. Nature to me is a place of rest and peace. Here, I felt like I had a mission, the same mission everyone else had. The rain and fog were not helping.
An Corran Beach.
The Fairy Glen was more of an “I came, I saw, I left” kind of place. The rain got stronger, my shoes I've just changed into soaked through in a few seconds, water drops on my camera made this place look mystical in photographs. The glen looked alright but not as beautiful as I thought it would be. Water underneath the grassy surface I walked on did not make the experience any more pleasant.
All I wanted now was to just be indoors. It was nearly 5 pm. So happy to be done with all points of interest. The hotel implemented a self-check-in system: keys were left in an envelope with a name. The hotel was small but warm and snug. I didn’t expect to have breakfast foods there. Besides coffee, tea, banana and porridge, I threw the rest into my backpack: a granola bar, cookies and orange juice.
The view outside the window was the classic Portree port. I couldn’t have had a better view here. I sat, drank coffee and ate hummus with naan bread, watched property shows on TV, but also looked at the port. It was all so beautiful, warm, dry (!), relaxing after such a cold and rainy day. Although my room was meant to stay pretty, I soon covered it with wet clothes and shoes like a homeless person, which I was for these two weeks. I brought everything and hung it all over the bedroom and the bathroom. Everything will be dry in the morning.
Day 10. Portree to Talisker Bay.
I loved the view to the Portree harbour through the window!
I woke up very well-rested, happy to be in this beautiful room.
It took me an hour to slowly walk around the town, discover an apothecary tower, climb up, enjoy the views, wish for more coffee, get back to the car and drive off. And it was not even 10 am.
Yesterday due to the growing rain I skipped the Quiraing hike, which is an iconic walk for Skye. If you want to see the heart of Skye, that is the place. I really didn't want to make the same drive back, but also this was one of those places I don't want to miss.
I parked, what seems, a mile away from the trailhead, just to avoid paid parking. That's a true Lithuanian soul there. The sun was high and the sky was nearly cloudless, lands green and soft looking. Well, that was true, the landscape here is like nowhere else.
Small tip: choose the right side path and come back on the same trail. The shoes I just dried out ended up completely soaked and the walk back was just no fun. If only I knew better...
The hike took me about 3 hours, but the first thing to do was to get out of there and get over with yet another steep hill and an immediate turn I had to make (and I do stall there, with cars behind me, of course). Soon after that I stopped to take a rest, made a cup of tea, gathered my thoughts about what places are worth visiting after spending nearly 2 days in this tiny part of the island. Although I thought about the iconic camping spot on Neist Point, I decided it was too touristy; I've seen enough cliffs and I didn't have any reason to go there, other than that people been there and posted about it online.
Instead, I went to Talisker bay, which was not on the tourist path but might be a great place to spend a night in a tent.
After an hour-long drive, Skye disappointed me once more. Camping was not permitted in Talisker Bay due to animals, so at 5:40 pm I was walking to the beach without a tent or a sleeping bag. The parking was crappy and very limited too. The road there was horrendous, I thought I am going to lose car wheels. By the end of the day, I was unhappy and I felt like Skye just wants me out. Unlike in the rest of Scotland, I didn’t feel welcome, good, present or relaxed. This prompted a thought that the next day I would visit one last place - the famous Fairy Pools, another very familiar spot. It must be gorgeous if it's on every must-see list out there! After that, I am done with Skye. The more time I spent here, the less I liked it.
When I reached my car, I had another 30 minutes of light left. The last stop of the day had to be a place where I would sleep. The road back didn’t seem as bad now. Maybe because I already knew what to expect and was more careful this time. I was starting my next day at Fairy Pools so I headed in that direction when I found a rest area overlooking mountains at 7:20 pm. I was disappointed, frustrated, nothing was going right in Skye. By this time I was ready to eat my emotions and watch "Travels by Narrowboat".
Day 11. Somewhere near Fairy Pools to Elgol Village.
7.30 am. Drinking tea in the back of the car. Raining again.
I was thinking about spending another day in Skye. I didn’t enjoy Skye as much as I hoped to, but I wanted to give it another chance. Everyone loves these places and I wanted to at least like them too. Last 4 days of my holidays. There was much less time and flexibility than I thought I would have on a 2-week trip. Time flies.
By 9 am I parked in a secluded parking area close to the Fairy Pools, where I made hot porridge perfect for such gloomy and rainy morning. After looking around I noticed that people were sleeping in their cars here too.
At 9:30 I found out that to get to the Fairy Pools I would need to walk in water to cross the river. The path was flooded, stepping stones covered with water, the river looked too strong to walk on those few slippery looking stones. I was afraid to go in… I walked around thinking what to do. My map showed another path and I decided to try approaching the hike from another side. Which turned out to be even worse. The river sounded angry. At this point I am seriously disappointed once again but no longer surprised about it.
I noticed a group of twenty-somethings tripping on flat ground, catching stones and barely holding themselves together Japanese guy and girls. I followed them: if they cross the river, then I could cross too. One girl started making her way across. Slowly carefully she stepped. Doesn’t look that bad... Then a rock moved and she fell! One leg got completely soaked in water. She got out and ran for the other side of the river anyway. Then others followed. Daaaamn… I didn’t believe they could do it, but they did. Then a couple of middle-aged women with the wrong kind of shoes just walked across too.
Turned out the river was just making a lot of noise, but you didn't feel swept away as you put your feet down on the stone. There were now little ponds in my shoes, but I could handle that for a few hours. It's not like my shoes will ever be dry anyway.
The Cuillin Mountains behind the pools were fantastic. And the famous Fairy Pools? I am probably not a fan of running and falling water, however clear and famous it is. It was a few pools underneath a few very small waterfalls. And no fairies in sight. Maybe too crowded for them.
People flooded towards the pools and I headed deeper into the mountains. A few minutes walking and there was barely anyone. When I reached a spot that was completely blocked by rocks, I turned back, returned to the car and continued my journey towards Elgol.
At 2 pm I stopped for a tea break and a quick lunch wrap in front of the most beautiful view in Skye I’ve seen so far. Must be the Cuillin Mountains range.
For my last night in Skye I chose a little Elgol village, for a few reasons: highland cows (which I indeed met on my way and this was the highlight of these few days in Skye), a beautiful beach, possibly camping. I reached the town at 5 pm, early enough, but the sky was already a little darker. The road here was fine, except the very last steep downhill at the top of which I knew was a mistake. Yet another crazy downhill. But this was not the worst. Going back this will be a crazy uphill. This uphill haunted me until the next morning when it was the time to conquer it.
Elgol did not look like something that would end up on a tourist guide cover, but it had every convenience I needed - even free WiFi from a local store, which was open only for 4 hours, and for the rest of the day there was a feeling of absolute peace and quiet. The beach was rocky and the grass tall and wet. I walked down to the beach, soaked in the views and felt happy to wake up to them the next morning.
Day 12. Elgol to Glenfinnan.
It was still dark when I walked to the beach to drink my morning tea. While I was looking at the triangle-shaped mountain, I decided to hike a mountain nearby, give Skye another go to show her best to me, because so far it hasn't been super.
The hardest part of the day was that steep uphill when leaving the Elgol village. Nobody arrived or left the whole time I was wandering around the harbour, but I didn't want to take more risks. It was getting bright and people would start moving. I could do this. I had done so many already. However, in my mind, this hill looked like a steep mountain. Arthur’s seat. I even doubted my car was capable of going this vertically.
I started making my way up, unfortunately, I stalled, so I pulled a handbrake and while I was trying to collect myself and figure out my moves, a bus came in front of me! There was not enough room for us both and now I had to get moving! The bus stopped and waited while I struggled. The damn handbrake barely held the car from rolling backwards. Eventually, I was able to start the engine and it screaming rolled up the hill; I waved to the driver, he gave me an angry look. I finally reached the top of the hill, my heart in my stomach, my brain exploding.
The hill of my choice was Bla Bheinn. The blue mountain. I promised myself, that if there were any more rivers to cross, then bye-bye Skye.
Stubborn me did not let me do that. I suspected there might be some river crossing. The location on the GPS map was uncrossable. It looked as scary as Fairy Pools yesterday times two. So I started looking for another entry. While I walked alongside the river to find a narrowing, I filled my shoes with water as I walked onto what looks like grass. It's never grass. It’s always lakes covered with grass. Fake grass. Every step into that lake brought another cold pour into my shoes. Every step into that water was uncomfortable and cold. Wet shoes heated up quickly so soon I didn’t notice that they were wet until I stepped into the cold water once again. Sucks sucks sucks.
Eventually, I found a narrow area, where I was able to cross the river and continue... or more like begin the hike. The view into the mountains brought shivers down my spine. They looked powerful, even dangerous. But that’s why I wanted to take a closer look.
After 10 minutes I reached the area where it looked like it was about to be a beautiful sunny day as if the mountain top storm never happened. The tops of the mountains, just where I've been, were still covered in a cloud, and now I knew, in rain and wind too.
At 12 am I was back at the rivers. Wet, tired, crossing the river now wouldn't do any more damage. I couldn’t find the dryer path in the fake grass, so my feet drowned 5000 times. A few groups of people just began their walk. Cold and exhausted I was ready to leave. I felt like Skye was kicking me out and hoped Glencoe will be more welcoming.
For the next night I chose to camp near Glenfinnan Viaduct. I was excited about my long drive there in a warm car. The road was beautiful, I stopped here and there to take in the view, but it was raining all the way. I drove way too fast by the Dornie castle, which looked fantastic in the afternoon sunlight.
At 18 o’clock I reached the place for my rest. The drive was long but enjoyable. There was another tent already pitched, a few campervans and plenty of space for me and my car.
I picked up some soup and this was perfect comfort food for the day. It seemed like there was too much time left to spend it all in the tent but it got dark pretty soon. At 7 pm I was in a tent, listening to a river, reading and watching videos. It didn’t take long to fall asleep.
Day 13. Glenfinnan to Glen Coe
The morning was frosty but in the best way. Fresh, quiet, promising. I was excited to finally go and see the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which I had to skip on my earlier, Harry Potter themed trip because last time I did everything by bus, so the trip to Glenfinnan was too expensive.
At 10.10 am I was at the perfect spot for viewing. Now I had another 30 minutes to wait. What was I waiting for? The Jacobite train. It’s not part of Harry Potter, but it looks a lot like the Hogwarts Express. More and more people were coming in with each minute. It also rained a little, then the sun shined, then rained.
Finally, at 10:52 I heard the train. People got silent, started recording and photographing, others were just standing. Moments later I saw the gorgeous Jacobite train. I don’t know why but I teared up, maybe it was the moment of relief having everything done I wanted to do on the trip, maybe I was overwhelmed with beauty, or maybe simply something fell into my eye. It was a perfect moment. As soon as I left Skye, things got so much better and I felt more at peace.
I took another path down, through the train museum. Which was closed, but some carriages were left out with information for everyone to see. Did I tell you I love trains?
The next stop was the last place I wanted to visit on this trip. When I was there the first time I completely fell in love with the Glencoe village and surrounding areas. I can't call it expectations, but I did think what if my memory will not match the reality, or maybe a person from 2 years ago just seen things differently.
Last time I was there I didn’t spend much time wandering in the village itself. I went past it on the first day straight to the hostel quite far away from the town and spent my two days there in the mountains instead. That road made me feel nostalgic. Two years ago on the last day here I ran straight to the bus stop. It was raining and I was running late. No time to see the village I’ve been in love with ever since. So I wandered around. Beautiful. Lovely. Cozy. Clean. Mountains. One creepy guy who talks to himself. Nevermind.
There was one hike I could still accomplish that day. The Lost Valley. It’s beautiful, easy, can be done in 2 hours. Could have been a perfect spot for camping, if I had even thought about it. Glencoe was so welcoming, so beautiful. I felt much better there, more relaxed, the weather improved, hiking was dryer and much more pleasant and I still loved this place.
For the night at 6:45 pm I accidentally parked in the iconic location. I didn’t know it was there and didn't even see it in the dark. My goal was to find a convenient place for the next morning hike using the app's suggestion. However, I parked and slept in front of Altnafeadh house.
Day 14. Glen Coe to Edinburgh
This was the last day of the trip. Did I miss home? Did I miss being in one place, using a familiar bathroom, shower at anytime, a full kitchen and having all my stuff dry? Yeah, that would have been nice. Yet, I loved living in the car and waking up to the spectacular locations, eating outside and spending all day appreciating the natural beauty we take for granted.
The night was tortuous. Heavy winds and rain swung my car throughout the night and I had familiar fears of rolling into the river. At some point at night I even moved my car away from the edge, hoping that I am not half asleep and would actually put my car into the river myself... At 6 am I jumped up when another car came and parked right next to me. I thought they would soon come knocking on my window. They didn’t. I watched them get ready, pack, laugh. It was still pitch black outside. I was still very sleepy and tired, so I waited for them to go away and allow me to sleep some more. Soon they did, they went towards one of the tallest mountains in the area. The Devil’s Staircase.
At around 7 am more cars started coming. No longer rained, no longer as windy, but pretty cold. I had the best spot though. Other cars had to park in a really shitty part of the lot crawling over the huge potholes. Some came to hike, some came to take photos and left. I had a hike in mind too.
But first, tea (it was nearly 8 am). Drizzling. Not the nicest weather, but I still hoped for the best. My hike was no more than 5 hours long, so I was in no rush. I took my time to walk around, take in the views, drink tea, eat porridge.
My shoes were still wet from the previous days. And there was no reason to look for dry socks anymore. Today was one of those days when everything was just so damn cold.
Yet again, I thought this would be a dryer hike, but there was a lot of misleading grass and I soaked my legs in the pools underneath it numerous times. The path was almost non-existent. I followed the trail only with the help of the GPS map and some footprints I saw here and there. The views were incredible, however, at a point, I started thinking that if I kept going, the view was not going to change much. I had now a full view into the Devil's Staircase, its snowy peak, into the whole Glen Coe valley, I could see the clear blue sky on the left and dark stormy clouds on the right. The weather was getting worse, clouds covered the peaks of the mountains, rain began. The trail was miserable.
The ultimate sign to go down was my phone (which contained maps) dying. It simply turned off. Probably from water, wind, cold. Although this was the last hike of the year and it pained to leave, I started making my way down, returned to the car, changed into dryer clothes, and headed down towards Trossachs.
The last place I fit into my route to avoid going straight home was Luss. It’s said to be the most beautiful village in the UK and I can admit, that even in the rain, it is amazing. This was the only place where I paid for parking because it was not allowed for non-residents to park anywhere outside the big main parking lot.
The shore of Loch Lomond.
The Fairy Trail.
When leaving Luss I made one wrong turn and instead of visiting another town near Loch Lomond, I end up in the motor river that took me from Luss, through Glasgow and to Edinburgh during the rush hour.
It was a little strange to come back home. Looked like my bedroom walls shrunk. For the next week or so I experienced mild sadness due to the trip being over. I even got attached to the car, however strange this sounds. The best thing stayed with me: I am no longer afraid of driving. I enjoy it now and this unlocked new possibilities in life.
I ended the first day home with a long hot shower, a hot meal and a few episodes of the show I was watching on the trip just to keep the spirit alive for one last evening.
