Tuši's blog: 16523

Scotland: Day 10 - Isle of Skye, Part 1

Nestled off Scotland's rugged northwest coast, the Isle of Skye is a land of dramatic landscapes, misty moors, and enchanting legends. Among its most iconic sights stands the Old Man of Storr - a towering rock pinnacle shrouded in myth, said to be the remains of a giant turned to stone. On our first day on the isle we explored the eastern part.

Previous days of our trip to Scotland: Day 9 - 16522, Day 8 - 16521, Day 7 - 16520, Day 6 - 16519, Day 5 - 16518, Day 4 - 16517, Day 3 - 16516, Day 2 - 16515, Day 1 - 16514.

Waking up in Balmacara, just before we crossed the Sky Bridge.

When the rain stopped and the sky cleared a bit, we stopped near Loch Ainort for breakfast and we also dried some of our clothes.

Jogging with Bronco.

The A87 is a major road in the Highland region of Scotland. It terminates at Uig in the north of the Isle of Skye.

Gothic-inspired architecture in Somerled Square in Portree.

St Columba’s Episcopal Church in Portree welcomed us and Bronco almost got baptised.

We sang a song and went to the seaside.

Portree has a harbour, fringed by cliffs, with a pier designed by Thomas Telford.

The row of pastel-painted buildings along the pier is one of Skye's most iconic views - originally functional merchants' and fishermen's premises, now housing cafés, seafood restaurants, and guesthouses.

We followed the rabbit to the place where we could drink something without getting a fine.

Rising over The Lump, the Apothecary's Tower - built in 1857 to honour local doctor Alexander MacLeod - stands as a stone sentinel, offering panoramic views across Portree Harbour and the Cuillin peaks beyond.

View from the tower.

Bronco and the stairs.

Trotternish is the northernmost peninsula of the Isle of Skye and here I decided to conquer The Storr.

Catching my breath on my way up and photographing Loch Leathan and Loch Fada.

My destination, The Storr is in the middle of the photo, while the attraction Old Man of Storr and the needle rock are on the right. Somewhere there, my plan is to meet Nada and Bronco.

The area is one of Scotland's most photographed landscapes, especially at sunrise and sunset due to its dramatic silhouettes.

The Storr itself reaches about 719 meters at its highest point.

While I was on the summit, Nada and Bronco were admiring the rocks from another perspective.

Nada was looking up, while I was looking down. Well, we didn't see each other.

Rocks that have a soul.

Both pictures taken at the same time, still a different perspective, since I was on the upper path and Nada on lower.

Nada spotted me.

And I spotted them.

The Trotternish landslip is the largest continuous landslide in the UK, running along the Trotternish Ridge on the Isle of Skye. It stretches for about 30 km and was formed by millions of years of rock movement and erosion, where softer rocks slid beneath harder basalt layers. This created dramatic cliffs, pinnacles, and terraces, including the famous Old Man of Storr and Quiraing.

Ridley Scott and the cinematographers wanted otherworldly, rugged terrain to represent the alien planets visited in the film Prometheus. The jagged rock pinnacles, rolling cliffs, and misty surroundings of the Old Man of Storr were perfect.

Happy hikers.

Legend says a giant lived on the Trotternish Ridge. When he was buried or died, his finger remained above the ground, forming the tall pinnacle we now call the Old Man of Storr.

Tuši and Bronco.

And Nada joined Bronco on the photo.

Nada and Needle rock.

Some sheep on the way were confusing Bronco, but we managed to return back safely - Garmin Connect.

After a little bit of driving, we found the Lealt Falls.

Carved by the River Lealt, the eponymous falls plunge 90 metres down a narrow, tree-lined gorge into the Sound of Raasay.

Further up North, we found Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls, that fall around 55 meters directly into the sea below.

On An Corran Beach, we searched for dinosaurs footprints. The footprints are believed to belong to theropod dinosaurs, probably a megalosaur-type carnivore that walked the area in the Middle Jurassic, around 165 million years ago.

Staffin Island is thought to be one of the last places in Scotland where the old tradition of swimming cattle between grazing areas is still practiced.

Our footprints will not last that long.

I think we even scared the dino's footprint.

Back in Karla, leaving the coast and driving towards Quiraing.

The Quiraing was formed when a thick layer of flood basalt spread over the peninsula and destabilized the weak sedimentary rocks below, causing a succession of landslides.

Quiraing isn't just visually dramatic - it's a landscape alive with stories, from giants and witches to hidden fairy worlds.

Trio consisting of fairy, monster and a giant.

Where stone meets sky, the Quiraing stands as a testament to nature’s raw, untamed artistry.

Next time, we'll do some hiking here.

Tourist on the curve, geocacher in the rock.

A855 took us to our northern point of Isle of Skye, the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides.

The Skye Museum of Island Life is a museum in Kilmuir, which is dedicated to preserving a township of thatched cottages as they would have been on Skye at the end of the 18th century.