Scotland - Day 2

We started out driving through Kyle of Lochalsh, and over the Skye Bridge to the Isle of Skye. Stopped in Broadford for petrol and to have a nosey in the little gas station tourist shop (we bought fudge and a celtic pendant), before making our way to the ruins of Cill Chrisod (“Christ’s Church”).

This 16th century church was abandoned in 1840. Fiona showed us an example of a Celtic cross, which combines the Christian cross with solar symbology, as previously worshipped by the Celts. We explored the ruins (Anna found a giant slug, and I stepped in poo) and searched the gravestones for our Scottish ancestors (not that the names Beaumont or Travis jump out as being Scottish – although we did actually find Beaumont in a book about tartans).

Next stop Sligachan, where we walked deep into the rainswept heathers to gaze at the Cuillin Mountains (once active volcanos) while Fee recounted the battle between Scathach (Ski-han), warrior giantess of Skye, and Cuchulainn (Coo-cool-in), the giant of Ireland. [Mikey note: Cuchulainn was the inspiration for Slaine, comic fans!]

According to Fiona, they fell in love. According to Tiffany and the internet, they only trained together. On our way back to the bus, we could hear bag pipes echoing through the valley as a young boy played them on the bridge below. How authentic.

We then drove to Portree, capital of Skye, where we had lunch with Tiff and Alli at “The Isles Inn”. All four of us braved the Scottish culinary test of courahe – haggis.

Haggis is made with sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs) minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt – boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately an hour – and served with "neeps and tatties" (turnip and potatoes). And actually, it’s quite tasty. Ramirez needn’t have been so judgmental.

As we drove further on, Fiona pointed out the Old Man of Storr (it's the finger of rock sticking out in the photo). She explained that it was carved by a grateful brownie (brunny) as a monument for a man who had saved his life. Rather it is part of the Trotternish Ridge, a huge landslip, since eroded by climatic variation and anthropogenic disturbance during the mid-late Holocene.

She also told us that brownies live in the hills at the foot of the mountains, and that it if we were to meet a brownie and be invited back to the brownie world, to make sure that we didn’t eat or drink anything as time runs more slowly in brownie world. This is borne out by the special theory of relativity

We also learned about kelpies, half horse and half water-creature, who live in the Storr Loch and kidnap children into the depths. Brr. No mention of selkies though.

Photo ops at Lealt Falls and Kilt Rock (it's the textured bit of rock in the background - squint a little), then to the cursed ruins of Duntulm Castle. Lots of bad things went down here. For example - Hugh MacDonald was imprisoned here. He was given salty meat and fish in order to drive him mad. However, he only ate as much meat as was balanced out by the amount of water he was brought. So… they filled his tankard with sand. The resulting thirst caused him to eat his own hands.

The castle was abandoned in 1730 after a nursemaid accidentally dropped a baby out of a window and into the rocks below. It is now closed off to the public, as of two weeks ago, because a wall fell on someone. We all clambered all over it anyway.

We continued through the town of Uig, back over the Skye Bridge, and to the Plockton Inn for supper and beer. I had a veggie haggis, and learned some card tricks from a ‘friendly’ local.