After a fitful nights sleep in the all male and me dorm woke up in Mallaig and thought well I'm here I might as well get the afternoon ferry and started to head towards Arsaig on my bike, not sure of the distance I turned off and ended up on a glorious beach, and if hadn't been for the fact I didn't have my passport
Mallaig at Night in Summer
with me and the temperature could have easily have been anywhere in the world but Scotland .
The Silver Sands of Morar
After meeting some Lambs and visiting the Village and Loch of Morar it was time to finally go over the sea to Skye, not that going over the sea to Skye was ever part of the plan but you know I was still in the completely the wrong place too get over that flipping bridge so might as well do it the way they sang about it.
After a short ferry crossing, I finally arrived in Skye , 24 hours after I left home. After a breathtaking drive and my first views of the Skye Cullins which by the end of the week would seem like old friends I finally arrived in Kyleleakin. At the cozy Dun Caan hostel, which has now sadly closed. Being me and arriving in Skye almost a day later than I anticipated the first thing I did after arriving in Skye
Over the Sea to Skye
was leave. I got on my bike and found that bridge that evaded me the day before .
Once over the bridge back on the mainland of gods own country, the A87 was calling after a quick stock up in the co-op in Kyle of Lochalsh I was on the go. Down past the villages of Balmacara, Reraig, Kirkton, Auchetryre and on towards my destination. Of course being Scotland what started of as a nice, cycle in the sun, turned to a complete downpour when I was two thirds of the way to my destination , too near to my
Kyleakin and Skye bridge from A87
destination to quit but only Scottish hardiness forces you to continue. However arrive at my destination I did and in retrospect it was the only way to arrive through the mist
and fog to the much heralded Eilean Donan:
and fog to the much heralded Eilean Donan:
Being after six on a Sunday it was too late too visit but the grounds were open for a nosy round and then back on the bike back towards Kyleakin. By now I was absolutely drookit, so a very quick visit to the village to the pub in Dornie for a reviving warming cup of tea. I am sure any cyclist will appreciate the joint joy/humiliation of arriving in some remote drinking establishment, leaving pools of water in your wake but getting
Eilean Donan through the Mist and Fog
that warming cuppa you desperately need.
The last drag and I've got to admit it was a wet thankless ride home, through the rain, on a road which although the cars were infrequent were fast and scary. I was relieved to find a lovely piece of, off road to get away from the road and treacherous driving conditions. Naturally I got lost and it added about an hour to my journey. Finally
y arrived at the Skye bridge and took some time to linger at the views from this structure that had so evaded me the night before.
y arrived at the Skye bridge and took some time to linger at the views from this structure that had so evaded me the night before.
Finally arrived back at Dun Caan , after a shower, a scran and a few glasses of the white stuff I was fully ready for a night of undisturbed sleep and a good thing too as the following day was one of the highlights of my Skye holiday (and again I spent the lions share not actually on Skye)
View from Skye Bridge
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