If you could sum up what the Scottish Highlands means in a single day, this might just be it. Craggy peaks, pristine waters. Blue skies, dark rain clouds. Castles and villages, shaggy cows and friendly people. Winding, meandering roads all seeming to lead somewhere beautiful and magical.
I set out from Inverness, at 50,000 the largest city in the Highlands, early on a drizzly morning. The small bus is comfortable, holding sixteen guests and Duncan, our driver and guide for the day. Rabbie’s offers a ton of day tours, as well as multi-day, all in small groups like this. This is my second trip with them (click here to read about the first, visiting Hadrian’s Wall from Edinburgh) so I know what to expect: good stories, safe driving, and some fun unexpected stops along the way.
The drizzle turns into downright rain as we drive past Loch Ness, though it lets up for us to stop and stare at that most famous of lakes in the hope of seeing its most famous of denizens. (Click here to read more about Loch Ness.) And then it is back onto the bus for the long drive to our destination: the Isle of Skye.
Skye is the largest of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides islands, as well as possibly the easiest to reach, being connected to the mainland by a bridge since the 1990s. At 640 square miles, it is big, not really possible to fully see on a day trip, though it seems that a lot of people give it a shot anyway. The island is crowded. During the summer months, the population can more than double from around 10,000 full time residents to more than 25,000, and I doubt that even includes day trippers like me.
It isn’t known where the name Skye comes from. We do know that the name is old, and that this is one of those corners of the Highlands that has hung on to those old and traditional things. There is more Gaelic spoken here than elsewhere in Scotland, and more traditional agriculture and crafts. Between those and the natural beauty of the island, it is no wonder it has become so popular.
The tour includes a few specific stops, with plenty of flexibility for Duncan to fill in the rest of the day as he sees fit based on crowds, weather, luck, or just pure feel. He errs on the side of more, but shorter, excursions, and I am grateful for that, as it allows us to see more things, escape the crowding at the most popular places, and gives him more things to talk about. That last point is key, as Duncan is quite a terrific storyteller, filling in time between stops with folk tales, historic stories, interesting facts, and local music. It becomes a pleasant way to pass what would otherwise have the potential to be a tedious day, roughly twelve hours by the time we return to Inverness.
The longest stop we make is in Portree for lunch. The largest town on the Isle of Skye, Portree is still a small village by most standards, with a population of around 3,000. Built going up a cliff from a lovely harbor full of boats, Portree is home to several good-looking restaurants, most of which seem to serve seafood, unsurprising given where we are. I opt for a bowl of local mussels, then get out to walk.
The town is beautiful, with green spaces along the small rocky beach by the harbor, fronted by colorful buildings, most of which cater to tourists, at least in the summer season. The sun is out – it is a hallmark of a day in the Highlands that we have both sun and rain – so I join the queues for an ice cream cone as well.
The island isn’t home to what I would really call a world-class sight. So why is Skye so popular? It is because everywhere you go, you will be surrounded by beauty. No, it isn’t as in-your-face as some places, but rather a subtle feeling that each curve will bring something else that will make you smile. And smile I do, at the coastlines and mountains, and at the Highland cattle Duncan is an expert at spotting when they venture from their free-reign pastures near to a road he can drive down. (The same goes for red deer and a golden eagle; the man is a wizard at wildlife.)
The rest of our stops are fairly short, a half hour or less, allowing for some dynamite photo ops, some nice walks/short hikes, or a snack. Though low clouds remain over much of the island and prevent us from seeing the Old Man of Storr rock pinnacles, I don’t feel we missed much given how amazing the rest was. Take Kilt Rock, for instance, a stunning cliff with a waterfall in the foreground.
Skye is incredibly mountainous, with narrow roads that wind into and over some of the crags. We drive part way up the rocky Quiraing, Duncan deciding – brilliantly, it turns out – to park early and allow us more time with the mountains before the mists roll in, also not adding our bus to the traffic jam one lane roads can, and do here, cause. Some of the rock formations here rise a hundred or so feet up, presenting a beautiful contrast to the seas below.
We swing past an old stone bridge, and the ruins of a castle that dates to clan times – Skye was the dominion of the MacDonald and MacLeod clans, along with at least one smaller one I don’t recall – with Duncan telling stories of the structures. As we sit and stare at the ruins of Maol Castle, he even pulls out a recorder and plays Highland tunes. (I realize I’m speaking about our guide an awful lot, but he was truly brilliant, and I couldn’t imagine this experience without his additions.)
The tour offers one additional highlight, one not even on Skye itself. We stop at Eilean Donan Castle, perhaps the most beautiful I’ve seen in Scotland. While there is the option for a quick visit inside, I instead choose a tea on a bench staring at the reconstructed manor on its little tidal island.
I’m tired by the time we return to Inverness. Tired, but fulfilled. The Isle of Skye is an incredible place, beautiful, magical, bewitching, and representative of what the Scottish Highlands are. Add to that a truly amazing driver and guide, and this was the perfect Highlands day.
Note: thank you so much to Rabbie’s for inviting me for this wonderful experience. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
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