July 17: Our first day on the Isle of Skye, Scotland
Our journey to the Isle of Skye took close to nine hours, partly due to an accident that had occurred on the road up ahead of us. We enjoyed some spectacular scenery along the way, and we stopped to take photographs when we reached Glencoe. Glencoe is one of Scotland’s most famous glens (valleys). It’s named after the river Coe, which runs through the valley, and it’s surrounded by a dramatic backdrop of precipitous mountains. Glencoe is both breathtaking and haunting. It is perhaps most commonly associated with a conflict between two clans: the MacDonalds and the Campbells, which culminated in one of the most infamous massacres in Scottish history.
In spite of the traffic and congestion, we made good time and arrived unscathed at our Bunkhouse in the village of Carbost a little before 6 p.m. This gave us plenty of time to settle in, soak up some of the scenery, and visit the Old Inn next door. The bunkhouse where we are staying is located on the south west side of the island on the banks of Loch Harport, which is known to be inhabited by wildlife of all sorts, including a variety of species of otter and grey seal.
It’s difficult to find words to describe the Isle of Skye. It seems to be one of those places that must be felt and experienced rather than labeled or described. It is undoubtedly a mystical place with dramatic, other worldly landscapes and hidden depths. This may account for the variety of names that have been attributed to the island over the years: the Isle of Enchantment, the Isle of Mystery, and the Isle of Fantasy to name just a few. The actual origin of the island’s name is unknown—although “Skye” is believed to be derived from either the Nordic word for “wing” or “mist," resulting in "Winged Isle" or "Misty Isle."
Although our first day began with considerable cloud cover, the sky soon cleared after our morning class. Later in the afternoon, we embarked on our first hike in and around the village of Carbost, which acquainted us with the community, took us past a number of scenic waterfalls, and gave us spectacular views of Loch Harport below.
