The Tease of the Black Cuillins

sunrise over Portree

July 30, 2010

Rain, rain, rain. Wind, wind, and more wind. And occasionally some mist. Oh, wait, I'm getting ahead of myself here...

Today's hike was to take us from Glen Brittle to Coire Lagan, where we would encounter a smidgen of the Black Cuillins and see some amazing rocks, mountains, and lochs. http://www.walkingenglishman.com/scotland08.htm Not that we'd been disappointed at all with the scenery we'd seen already, but this was supposed to be a bit more rugged. When we pulled up to the side of the road at the path we realized that we were going to get wet, and we hit the trail cocooned in our waterproof everything. Little did we know...

Eas Mor waterfall

A little bit past the waterfall the mist turned to drizzle which soon turned to rain which soon turned to horizontal sheets at times. The wind blew our pants against our legs, effectively providing a nice, cool compress on my very sore knees - this actually made the walk much easier for me! But I finally realized that there were bandaids floating around inside my left sock, and how on Earth did it get wet in there...? The path was clear cut and as we all had different speeds we decided to meet at the junction where we would decide whether it was worth it or not to continue up the very steep part to Coire Lagan.

a soggy lot

a soggier lot at the junction

It was raining pretty steadily at the junction and, although none of us were allergic to rain, it was going to make the route a little more iffy as far as being slippery - and we would have very limited views at the top. A unanimous vote for a visit to the Talisker Distillery aimed us down the other path back to the car where, in between downpours, we could see some beautiful scenery.

pretty little lachan on the way down

Unfortunately there was an hour and a half wait at the Talisker Distillery, but we found a lovely little pub for tea and coffee in Waternish. Just down the street was store that sold local crafts, beautiful knitwear and jewelry, and we did indulge ourselves in purchasing some fruits of their talents! Then Angela took us to SkyeSkins, a premier tannery where we were shown the tanning process for sheepskins http://www.skyeskyns.co.uk/

Back to the guesthouses to prepare for dinner. I was amused at the wishful thinking of the laundry hung out to dry with the dark rain coming across the harbor any minute!

Our hostess brilliantly suggested that after we empty all the rain out of our boots, we stuff them with newspapers to help absorb the water. She then took them and our wrung-out-as-much-as-possible socks to their drying room.

Off to dinner where we discussed future travel plans - staying Scotland to visit relatives previously sight-unseen, hiking in Vermont, meeting up with family in DC, to Croatia with friends, slogging it across the Atlantic and then all the way across the US to spittin' distance from the Pacific with one of us having to turn right around and go to DC. Angela was meeting another tour and we could imagine the excitement of those participants. We also got to see a photo of The Moine Thrust in a kilt playing his harmonica!

We packed and prepared for the return trip to Inverness in the morning. And ate shortbread.

Trotternish Ridge and The Quiraing

July 29, 2010

We woke up to grey skies, cool temps. It didn't look windy, at least not in Portree, or in Scots Gaelic Port Righ, Port of the King. The large picture window in our room framed the harbor and all the weather-related and celestial sights beautifully, but the lure of yet another Scottish breakfast pulled me away from it.

Fran, Jessie, and I stayed at the Almondbank Guesthouse and it was lovely. As was our experience everywhere, our hostess was so friendly and curious about what we were going to see and where we were from in the US. I think that travelers in every country do expect a little adventure when it comes to the amenities and how to access them, though, and this guesthouse taught us something new.

It was my turn to shower first so I went to the shower and pushed the buttons to turn it on, but nothing. I called out to Fran to see if she was familiar with this type of shower and she wasn't, and we pushed every button to no avail. So she went into the hallway and knocked on a door marked "Private", thinking that the hostess would be there. No, but Jessie was in there, taking a shower! Her shower set-up was different, so Fran came back and fortunately she was able to think outside the box - and bathroom - and she located a switch on the wall that was labeled "Shower". Aha! She pressed that, it activated the power to the shower, and a hot shower was born! We also had the hottest towel rack in the universe (a lesson that only had to be learned once) which was really nice. On particularly messy days we would wash out clothes and drape them wherever we could, hopefully in a drying room. But it was nice when we had a heated towel rack because hiking shirts and pants could dry in a jiffy.

Portree from the guesthouse, Black Cuillins in the distance

Angela drove up and we embarked on the drive north to Trotternish Ridge, a 20 mile ridge that runs north/south and allows you amazing views of the hills of Wester Ross, the Cuillins, and the western isles http://website.lineone.net/~trotternish/walking.html We learned from her also that we would have "good weather", which translated meant that we would have no rain and the clouds would be above the hills! The car park had quite a few cars already, but we poured out of the van, put on the gaiters and waterproofs, loaded up on lunch goodies (hurray for Cadbury!), extended the poles, and off we went. I had to take a picture of this snack bar, though - in Washington State we used to have a public health insurance called "Healthy Options". Perhaps if we'd offered haggis, neeps, and tatties with the program it would have been more successful.



The path started off on a gentle, grassy slope. It was quite green with truly remarkable basalt structures along the path. These structures were caused by rapidly-cooling lava which erodes quickly, leaving behind incredible shapes. There were some sheep and Tom and I saw a bunch of cottontail bunnies running on the rocks below us.









This is the route we took up the Quiraing. It's probably about 100' elevation gain and we had to zigzag our way to the top. Every now and then I'd catch my foot on some unstable earth and would slip backwards a bit, but that didn't happen too often. It was a scramble at the top which I greatly enjoyed! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiraing


We entered a little space that was a great hiding place, one of many for the Scots in the 17th and 18th centuries when keeping their cattle safe from the English. From here one could look down on the coast and see the community where Flora MacDonald lived out her final days and is buried http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_MacDonald_(Scottish_Jacobite)

We exited this space via a narrow, steep passageway between large rocks, and it was the most fun scramble of all! Too short, I have to say. We wound around and up and and down and around many rock formations to finally climb up a short bit to The Table. This was a football field-sized flat area that held a commanding view of the area. This was also where many head of cattle were hidden for days at a time. I can only imagine the racket coming from the heavens as heard by the searching opposing forces. We had a nice lunch here and took several pictures, some goofy and fun.


There was one more leg to the hike, and that was to the closest summit at about 2500'. We were tired at this point. Making our way up some of the steep off-trail areas used alot of energy! Several of our group plopped down, put their hats over their eyes, and took a nap. We could see the Isles of Harris and Lewis clearly as well as the area near Gairloch where we'd been earlier.

the summit, Harris and Lewis in distance

at the top

We started the return to the van and it actually took longer than I thought it would take. Part of the reason was because the path was so muddy in places that you had to forge your own trail, and Rachel and I ended up going on our own expedition during the descent! Good conversation is a wonderful distraction. The hills look like they're covered with green velvet and the grass is actually quite soft, but heather is a little different story. We were very careful as we placed our poles and found our way down the hill. It's not like you could get lost on this treeless hillside, so it was easy to pay more attention to not wiping out!

Angela wanted us to see a beautiful rock of basalt columns and colorful sandstone, Kilt Rock. The columns look like pleats on a kilt. We were treated to a bagpiper busking at the entrance of the car park. Ah, Scotland! You do know how to keep the brain on vacation!

happy hikers
Portree Harbor from the main road - loved the orange boat

a bit of "family"Portree Harbor and Black Cuillins at sunset from the Cuillin Hotel

After yet another feast at the Cuillin Hotel - oh, the Fruits du Mer was the most amazing platter of seafood I've ever seen! - some of us went to a guesthouse to see Angela's amazing pictures of the Faroe Islands. I think that all of us wanted to pop on over for a view ourselves. It was fun to see what our guide liked to see and where she hiked, and they were great photos!

Then a walk down the quiet driveway and as we got to our guesthouse the moon started to rise over the harbor. Very pretty sight.

sunset from The Gables Guesthouse

moonrise over the harbor

Beinn Eighe

July 28, 2010


To the Isle of Skye, the Winged Isle. All one has to do is look at a map and see how it got this very descriptive name. There just aren't too many places on Earth as beautiful as Skye.



Before arriving there, though, we stopped at Eilean Donan Castle, which is quite striking in its placement out in a loch with a commanding view of the area.

our little red van - that wasn't so little until between these behemoths!

We set off from the car park towards the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, the top we couldn't see because of fog, but we were soon on a path that was beautifully designed, built, and maintained http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beinn_Eighe The lower part was quite green with tall heather and other plants that weren't grazed by sheep, thus adding a lushness to the hike.

magpie moth

sphagnum moss

starting the hike - I liked all the little footrests on this rock

steps were hand-cut out of the granite

This trail was truly a work of art. Pink quartz and granite juxtaposed with grey, steps carved out of the rocks where it was too slick to hoist oneself up and over - really nice. Naturally crushed quartz covered the path and the ground was so saturated that there were puddles, even on the hills. Some of the granite was very slippery, pink in places, opalescent grey with labradorite overtones.

The mist came down into the loch and was quite dramatically present in varying concentrations along the valleys.

Cairns indicating elevation greeted us every so often and my mad math skills could have sworn that the signs were underestimating the climb by say, a factor of 10... But we made it to the top and relaxed for lunch, watching the clouds go in and out of glens, covering part of Loch Maree and then exposing parts of the summit area around us. You are constantly teased by the weather when hiking in Scotland.

traipsing down from the summit


summit of Beinn Eigheview of Loch Maree from the summit (in between cloud cover and clearing)

There was a slight traverse at the top, and we crossed a stream at Lunar Loch. It was misting heavily now and I was happy for my waterproof pants. Lovely waterfalls accompanied us on the descent and we stopped for water at one of them.

Caledonian Pine Forest

This is the location of the remains of the great Caledonian pine forest, and these trees are very beautiful. There was something bonsai-esque about them, and their bark vividly contrasted with their needles. I really like these trees!

bog asphodel along one of the streams

view from less wooded to woods to loch
halfway down

The mist let up on the way down and I stopped to take pictures of the trees. I listened to waterfalls and the occasional bird song. It was very peaceful.

Back to Portree where we ate dinner at the Cuillen Hills Hotel overlooking the charming harbor. Everyone sampled the local whiskey, Talisker, and after dinner went back to our B&B that had another view of the harbor. Just gorgeous!

Rua Reidh

July 27, 2010



Today's walk of about 8 miles started off near Gairloch, on the high coast of Rua Reidh. We started off high and walked across the moor, descended to the beach, then ascended to the moor again to finish at the lighthouse. It looked as though the sun was interested in making an appearance early on, but then the clouds returned. Then the sun came back out. Then it poured - but we'd found shelter at the lighthouse at that point, just by a minute or so!


I think I could have stood on the top of that moor listening to the wind blow through the grasses, taking in the changing horizons for the entire trip. It was magical, perhaps finally providing my literary memories with the physical backdrop for the many heroines running bravely (or brashly) across the moors in driving thunderstorms, escaping from horrendous conditions or running from marauding soldiers. Such were the episodes in some of the books of my youth, and now even though with short hair, standing in my hiking pants and boots and with a pack on my back and a decidedly 21st century attitude, I could briefly envision life in the 18th century. What a trip down an imaginary memory lane! But that's what this place did to me in an instant.

little lachan on top of moor


lily-like bean plants that had already bloomed

view north

We had to follow Angela's footsteps as nearly as possible because the ground was so soggy and she didn't want us sinking in the muck. There was still plenty of "shplick! shplock!" to be heard as our boots strove to disconnect from some puddles. Soon we could see down to the shore with the striking cerulean blue of the shallow water highlighting the coastal rocks.

Camas Mor

Halfway down the slope the hill leveled out a bit, and as it had just started raining, we found shelter in a stone bothy for lunch. It was a cozy little place that suited our group size well, and had places for up to 6 to sleep. A big fireplace and several wine bottle candelabras added to the warm atmosphere of the bothy.

the bothy - note rocks anchoring roof

Refreshed, we continued in a zigzag manner down the very steep hill. Angela showed us examples of solifluction, which creates a look of mini-terracing as one of the first stages in erosion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solifluction

down the hill

and up again

We hung out on the beach for a short time. Angela told us that up until a couple of years ago it had been an all sand beach. Now there were 12-20' deep ridges of rocks that had been brought to the surface during wild winter storms. They undulated along the entire beach, mimicking the wave action.

As we prepared to climb up the hill, someone saw a juvenile golden eagle and I think I was the only one who never saw it. But I heard it was stately!

The walk southward gave us such beautiful views of the coastline, which had some splendid arches and colors. Erosion has provided Scotland with quite the creative pallette! I could see where many of the colors in fashion had their start in natural settings such as this.

Camas Beag

Common Hawker dragonfly on the heather

The lighthouse came into view and Angela ran on to get the van. We explored the rocks that jutted out from the water, a seal was seen, and I watched a large, dark cloud approach us steadily. We all reached the lighthouse just as the next downpour happened and then Angela drove off to take us to our next adventure!

Rua Reidh lighthouse designed by David Stevenson,

the uncle of Robert Louis Stevenson

Next we drove to Inverewe Gardens where the gulfstream provides enough warmth for a large assortment of plants to grow. They had huge flower beds of crocosmia, chocolate cosmos, asters, dahlias, roses, and many others. The large pond had both white and magenta water lilies, and a smaller pond had a collection of jack-in-the-pulpits and other carnivorous plants. This garden was created in the mid 1800s http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/land/inverewe.html

Inverewe Gardens


magenta water lily

a very large-leafed plant!

It was back to the hunting lodge at Gairloch for dinner. After hanging up wet clothing in the drying room, we met for wine in the bar where I had a nice conversation with an older couple visiting the area from Edinburgh. They were very interested in the places we had hiked and where we were still planning to go. Soon enough we were taken to the dining room, past numerous hunting pictures and a few sets of large antlers mounted above fireplaces and on walls.

This was the dinner of the trail names. In no certain order and with limited identification - that's up to each of us, I think - here's the cast of this hiking trip:

Twix Queen

The Moine Thrust

Aquavit

Twix

Craghopper

Walter Wall (a great story!)

Green Shovel

Alpen

Bog Asphodel