Tags
cliffs, getting lost, hiking, humor, isle of skye, photography, Portree, Scarlet Pimpernel, sea, travel
It has been a busy week of researching, writing, and scurrying around Edinburgh in a frenzy of errands. But I am finally finishing my Isle of Skye posts! Yay! I like checking things off lists.
My last day on Skye dawned sunny and bright, just like every other day on Skye. Really, I don’t think I can ever go back. Skye will always been that bright, warm island where magical things happened. I’m not sure it will be like that if I go again.
We decided to enjoy a more relaxing day by going down to the bustling town of Portree. After some hot drinks, we walked down to the water. The harbor with its bright row of buildings is iconic.
We weren’t interested in much hardcore hiking, so we asked the tourist info people if there was a nice, nearby walk. “Oh, sure,” said they. “Just up the road!”
The views were nice, but the walk was a little more rigorous than Hannah and Lluvia were prepared for. Their shoes protested. I, in my unfashionable, clunky traveling shoes, was fine.
But at the top, we were rewarded with a gorgeous panorama of the water, the cliffs, the town… It was splendid.
We had plenty of time to linger on the cliffs. Much of that time, we spent quoting from the Andrews/Seymour version of The Scarlet Pimpernel, which I had just introduced my traveling companions to the night before.
Nothing beats sitting on a cliff and laughing maniacally at our attempts at imitating Percy’s foppish drawl.
When we finally decided to return to the town, we learned that it’s possible to get lost even in the most open, seemingly clear places. The path just ended and we found ourselves scrambling through mushy, brushy landscape in a frustrating attempt to rediscover the trail that would take us downwards again.
It was definitely an adventure, but not our favorite one.
But then it was time to go back. Another bus ride, another sunset.
And, in the morning, I said goodbye to Skye and boarded a train for home. Of course, that was the day it started to rain. Skye really was fond of me.
I didn’t have time to rest, though, because the very next day I was boarding a flight for Europe. More on that later!