Day 27 Wick to Isle of Skye 13 May 2018

Today we left in heavy Scottish mist and visited the Emigration Memorial for those Scots dispossessed and forced to emigrate to Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

 Here was a famous red telephone box, literally in the middle of nowhere.

The heather currently is a dark brownish red, being called the Hill on Fire. This is just before it turns lavender.

The crofter houses would have looked like this before the clearances.

Passing along Loch Carron we arrived at the island of Skye. Just before you pass over the new Skye bridge there is a secret torpedo testing base. (Perhaps not that secret.)

Skye is called the isle of mist and ironically we had fantastic weather as it had cleared from such an unpromising start to the day. It’s volcanic, moon like and rugged appearance means that it used in films, like Transformers and Prometheus and many others, especially the Old Man of Storr, the highest and most rugged peak on the island.

Being a crofter, farming is a hobby as you can’t make money out of it. The sheep up here produce wool that is too scratchy and itchy, and clothing is more likely to be made of merino wool from Australia. The Skye sheep are better adapted to boggy conditions and they don't get foot rot.

The town Portree, is Gaelic for King’s Harbour. There were a couple of smaller cruise ships in.  It must be incredibly busy in summer, given how busy it was today.