9/17/2019 Scottish Highlands to Isle of Skye to Cullodan

(9-17) Day 9 Scottish Highlands Isle of Skye, Culloden, and Scenic Highland Excursion 59 high  48 low  52% rain

The Highlander Hotel Newtonmore  Kingussie Rd PH20 1AY, Newtonmore, UK  Phone 44-154-0673341 3*   85 en-suite rooms.  Coffee/tea.  Free Wi-Fi.  Varied menus in restaurant.  Bar/lounge.  15 min. walk to Highland Folk Museum. Six miles from geographic center of Scotland.  Reviews - great staff,  spacious rooms, clean, great breakfast, cute small town.  Phone says 8,885 steps, 3.8 miles, seven flights climbed.

NOT Hotel = Laggan Gaskmore/Carrbridge  (an Authentic Accommodation)  (Full Breakfast, Dinner)
Nice views, walking path, conservatory, make tea in the room,  Bottled water available for drinking and brushing teeth, Sheep nearby, low water pressure, great internet

TOUR INFO "We travel to the coast this morning, boarding a ferry over the sea to the Isle of Skye. Against the backdrop of heather-clad mountains, we stop at the ancient settlement of Kyleakin. Later, we cross the road bridge to view scenic Eilean Donan Castle on the mainland. Travel through the Scottish Highlands past its picturesque lochs and glens, keeping your camera at the ready to capture 'Nessie' if you can. Pass Culloden battlefield on the way back to your Highland hotel." 

Today we left the hotel at 8:00. Luckily, we did not have to have our bags out an hour before as we are staying a second night in the same hotel for the first time since we started with Andrew as our guide.  Interestingly, there is nothing to see or do where we are spending two nights.  I did find a grocery store near this hotel and when I get back today I’m going to buy some alcohol.  This never ending bus ride is wearing me out.  

MY INFO - The Isle of Skye is located off the coast of the west of Scotland.  At fifty miles long, it is the largest of the Inner Hebrides.  It is best known for the scenic landscapes due to the mountainous interior landforms, quaint fishing villages, medieval castles and was home to clans.  The coastline has many indentations among the peninsulas and narrow lochs.  It is home to plenty of wildlife; corncrake, red-throated diver, kittiwake, tystie, Atlantic puffin, goldeneye, golden eagle, white-tailed sea eagle, Mountain hare, rabbit, wild cat, pine marten, trout, Atlantic salmon, water shrew, edible crabs and oysters, horse mussel, brittlestar, flame shells, and grey seals.  I haven’t seen any wildlife.  I didn’t see any scenic landscape either. We ate lunch at the first restaurant by the bridge and left 45 minutes later.  

We were supposed to take a ferry from Mallaig to the Isle of Skye today.  Our guide gave us a story about tides not allowing the ferry to operate.  I went on the ferry website and I found some dates there will be issues, 9/14 is a date the ferry can't run due to low tide but not today, 9/17.  I really think this guide is a shyster and I don’t like him.    

Around 10:00, we stopped at Loch Ness for pictures, food and shopping for 45 minutes.  I wish we had cruised Loch Ness as it is far more scenic than the lochs we were offered with Trafalgar.  Speaking of locks, there is a lock system in this area that allows boat travel from east to west as locks connect the lochs.  

I think there is a ripple in the water on the left side of the picture.  Maybe it’s Nessie.  

Scottish Highlands is a mountainous region located in the northwest.  Loch Ness is at the center.  This is a sparsely populated area.  Clans were the major social unit and have an interesting history.  

On our drive to the Isle of Skye, we passed lochs and mountains.  Some mountains were rocky, some covered with pine trees and some with heather.  The pine forests are not indigenous.  They are called plantations and the trees are clear cut for pulp.  

Kyleakin is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Skye. It is at a very narrow point along the strait of Kyle Akin.  The Castle Moll, a fortress ruin from the 15th century has an interesting legend.  It is said to have been built for a Norwegian princess known as “Saucy Mary”.  She hung a chain across the narrow channel to force vessels to pay a toll.  To thank the crew for paying the toll,  Saucy Mary would flash her breasts.  We ate lunch in Kyleakin for 45 minutes.  

Ruins of Saucy Mary’s Castle and Toll Booth.  

Kyleakin residents honor their dead from two World Wars.




Isle of Skye Bridge, lighthouse and harbor.

Eilean Donan is a small tidal island in Loch Duich. The picturesque 13th-century,  Eilean Donan castle is frequently photographed and seen in films and television shows. It was a stronghold of Clan Mackenzie and Clan MacRae.  It was destroyed at one time in an effort to keep the people under control.  Destroying it took some effort.  They tried cannonballs but found the castle impenetrable.  Then they attacked and blew up the castle which was easy as it was full of gun powder.   A 20th-century reconstruction created its present buildings.   We took pictures there about 15 minutes before lunch.  

Western ? ? Trail over a mountain to kill time I suppose since we need to fill up the day with bus riding.  We stopped once for 10 minutes to take pictures and after we were back on normal roads we stopped for 15 minutes for a bathroom break.  

Culloden Battlefield is near Inverness.  The battlefield is under the auspices of the National Trust of Scotland.   This was the site of the final confrontation during the Jacobite Uprising in 1745.  The battle only lasted an hour and the Scottish lost against the well-armed British forces. Almost 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded.  This loss resulted in civil penalties designed to weaken Gaelic culture and the Scottish clan system.  Kilts, tartans, bagpipes and Gaelic language were outlawed.  This was our last stop.  We were allowed 45 minutes here to eat, shop and if you wanted to pay you could enter a display.  I choose to go out and walk the battlefield and read the available markers.  There are stone markers to honor each clan involved.  Some Highland clans sided with King Charlie and Hanoverians sided with the British.  The losers were hunted down and murdered.  The goal was to eliminate the Jacobites.  The Highlanders who sided with the British were rewarded by being given land.  Many of the losers immigrated to other countries.  

 I am able to work on my blog offline while I am on the bus. Thank God for this distraction. I am actually tired of looking at green countryside,  Today, three hours OFF the bus during my ten-hour day ON the bus.  I am walking to the store and putting some HAPPY into my 90 minutes before dinner.  Dinner at 7:30.  

I saw some wildlife when I was walking to the store.  They stopped traffic as they crossed the road.  Make way for ducklings.