Today was a Fairytale

The weather definitely turned for our final full day on Skye.  Today we headed south to view the the two Cuillin ranges (which we couldn't) and search for the Fairy Pools.

Located on the northern slopes of the Black Cuillin range, the Fairy Pools are beautiful crystal-clear blue pools on the Allt Coire a'Mhadaidh (Burn of the Dog), which can be seen snaking down the hillside of Coire na Creiche into Glen Brittle.

Although a spectacular and tranquil Highland vista, in 1601 the area was the scene of the last of Scotland's clan battles, and one of the bloddiest ever recorded in clan history. It is here the MacDonalds of Sleat and the MacLeods of Dunvegan saw the end of the long and brutal campaign of the Wars of the One-Eyed Woman.

Though it doesn't really come across in the photos, these pools were stunningly clear. You could really imagine spending an afternoon swimming and jumping and splashing in these pools, were the sun shining and temperature up by at least 20 degrees!  Even then I imagine the water would still be freezing...

From Glen Brittle we headed to nearby Talisker, not to taste thier wares sadly as there was still an awful lot of driving to be done, but to enjoy being called 'a local'. Apparently 95% of visitors are foreigners (not sure if that included English people?!), and local or not, we did come away with a bottle or two, as well as a (slightly) greater understanding of how expensive whisky can be, and what makes each one so unique.

One our way round to Portree we stopped at the Collie and MacKenzie monument in Sligachan.

Like many tourists, Normal Collie first visited Skye to go fishing in 1886. After seeing other climbers, he set out to try the sport. He met Mackenzie when - after several days - he admitted that he needed some expert help. Over the years, Collie and Mackenzie completed ten first ascents in the Cuillin and opened a number of new routes.  Collies passion for mountaineering took him around the world, and he made pioneering climbs in the Alps, the Lofoten Islands in Norway, the Canadian Rockies and the Himalayas.  By some accounts, this included nearly 80 first ascents. In Scotland he played a big part in the beginning of rock climbing.

The Black Cuillins on the left, and The Red Cuillins on
the right

Portree itself was a little bit disappointing, mostly because we couldn't actually find anywhere open that had coffee and cake available. It was a pretty little harbour, and I picked up some cool new earrings from a wee boutique, but ultimately we didn't stay long.

Final stop on our way home was at Skye Skyns, where we did end up staying a while! We learned all about the traditional way of tanning sheep skins and why they started the business over 40 years ago, and spent an age in their shop admiring, stroking, wishing for one or more of their luxury local and British sheepskins and home accessories.  We did come away with one, of course - not quite as soft as Violetta, but gorgeous none the less - and all wished we had the money for one each!