In the last episode of our highlands tour
we have more wonderful places to take you on Skye, so be ready to add them to your bucket list! Driving around the Isle of Skye is an absolute joy
whatever the weather. The views and the terrain are ever-changing and we have fallen in love with
this little isle and we suspect you will too. If you miss part one do go back and check out all the
exciting things to do that we've already covered. We're on our way to the most westerly point on
skye and as we drive the windy single track roads we can show you a really great example of how
the weather can differ quickly across the isle. Right now we're driving in quite grey cloudy
conditions, just 10 minutes later the clouds break as we head towards the coast and
the blue sky makes all the views pop! The drive to neist point lighthouse
is full of wonderful scenery, hills, dales and livestock as
well as some fun roads to drive. The parking is free and along the
side of the road and it has to be one of the most amazing car parks to stop at. Neist Point Lighthouse is one
of the most famous in Scotland with this incredible view, I can see why. You have the option to walk down to the
lighthouse on a fairly demanding hike particularly on the way back with steep steps
to climb. It's about a 2.2-kilometre walk, we chose to stay up top and
enjoy the experience from afar. This is where you can get some fantastic shots,
it's sort of up to the right of the car park. You can't really miss it lots of other people
heading up here to take photographs. Pretty busy today the weather has suddenly taken a
turn, it's quite incredible we were driving through rain and low cloud and we really thought
it wasn't going to be a good time to come but you know that just goes to show how
unpredictable the weather can be and here is just blue sky out to the sea and nice
and warm and really good spots take some photos. The lighthouse was built in 1900, back
then it was manned all year round. Since then the lighting system has been updated
to be automatic and so it's managed remotely. The light is 43 meters above the sea and can
be seen up to 16 nautical miles offshore. Well, that was fantastic, you really don't want
to miss heading out the lighthouse if you kind of think the weather's going to be any good there and
definitely head up there the drive is in the last few miles it's really windy as we've shown you
and just when you get there the view is amazing. I think if we're doing it again we probably would
have taken a bit of food and a picnic up there, and you know on this nice day really is lovely to
sit there. There's no wind, it's nice and warm, so yeah another good thing to do
whilst you're here in the Isle of Skye. So we're at the Oyster Shed, loads of
places seem to recommend coming here, so we've got here at 11 o'clock to grab something
it's kind of no-frills seafood place. The guy that runs it started farming oysters back in
2008 and then in 2012 he started this little shack. You can get all sorts of stuff here from
langoustine to half lobsters to dressed crab, and we've gone for scallops and chips. We're
going to share it, I mean it's still early in the morning so it's a bit early to have a
full-on meal but as I say it's no thrills, you just grab it at the side, eat it with
a bit of a view which we'll see in a minute and avoid the midges if you can. They're
quite rampant today but yeah we'll try it out. There's no wind yeah quite a nice view. You can hear them sizzling away. Umm nice and hot. Really soft, it's hard to get hold of it, its so soft. Steaming hot. Is that good? Looks really good. Really quickly
cooked so it's still really soft and yeah very delicate flavour very good. So good, really, really delicious, very fresh.
We're lucky we're under the shelter here as it started to really pour down with rain. I
hope it will take the midges away for five minutes. but definitely recommend coming
here, really really nice food. So the parking situation here at the coral
beach is pretty fraught! There are not that many spaces and because it's so sunny today
there are lots of people here. We were lucky to just grab a space as somebody was
leaving, but be aware you could do the drive, which is a beautiful drive and get here
and find that there's nowhere to park. This is a delightful coastal walk with
pretty easy terrain that takes in the most gorgeous waters and scenery, as you head towards the beach. its location is about 10 minutes north of
Dunvegan Castle that's where we'll be heading next. It's a very relaxed 25-minute walk, truly
a place to bring some food and your swimwear. As you approach the beach you could
be forgiven for thinking you're in a tropical resort somewhere else in the world.
Although it's referred to as the coral beach, it is, in fact, the remains of dried
coralline seaweed bleached by the sun. The little hill that Will is walking up now
is known as Ghrobain, I think that's how you say it. You have a wonderful panoramic
view from up here it's just incredible. As you drive back from the beach you
will see the impressive Dunvegan Castle sited on the banks of Loch Dunvegan. It's
the ancestral home of the Macleod Clan staying in the family for over 800 years and on
one of the best Hebridean castles, you can visit. Adult tickets cost £14 each so you'll
probably want to spend a number of hours touring the castle grounds and finding out
all about its history with a tour inside. A fortress has stood here since the 1200s and
seen multiple building alterations right up to the 1850s with what we see today from the victorian
era, designed by the 25th clan chief. Under this skin are five separate buildings and you can get
a feel for the historic structural changes as you walk around inside. The castle underwent extensive
renovations from 2008 to bring it back to the exquisite standard that we can all enjoy today.
The rooms are stunning and beautifully presented. In the drawing-room is a vast
array of historical treasures. You will want to take your time looking at
these fascinating and beautiful objects, photographs and paintings, delving
into the history of the MacLeod Clan. A couple of heirlooms highlighted in the
collection are, a waistcoat owned by Bonnie Prince Charles, a lock of his hair and the
tattered remains of the magical fairy flag. The gardens and woodland grounds are a delight to
explore and only really became part of the castle in the late 1700s when the first woodlands
were planted. Over the centuries the gardens have developed and adapted being cultivated for
food during the potato famine as one example, this helped feed the family and local
people. In 1978 John Macleod, 29th chief invested heavily in bringing the gardens back
to their former glory and this continues today. We highly recommend you visit this wonderful
castle as part of your visit to the isle of Skye. Portree is the largest town and
capital of the Isle of Skye. It's a bustling port and somewhere you
can go to get provisions from the larger supermarkets if you're self-catering during
your visit. I have to say that personally, we found it a bit of a shock to the senses from
all the peace and quiet in the surrounding areas and not somewhere we wanted to spend much of our
time but it is still a nice place to visit with pretty harbour buildings and plenty
of food outlets and restaurants. On the main road from Portree to Broadford is
Sligachan, I think that's how you pronounce it. It's where the Sligachan Hotel has stood since the
1830s at the start of some demanding hiking routes over the Cullen. A popular place for hikers
to rest and shelter back then and still today not just in the hotel but at the more basic
bunkhouses nearby. There is an enchanting stone bridge crossing the river, it's probably the most
photographed on Skye. Built by engineer Thomas Telford between 1810 and 1888. It's protected
and only for pedestrians and cyclists now. If you have good weather, and we didn't, then this
is a superb spot for some amazing photography. There is also a sculpture memorial to two
famous mountain explorers who created many mountain hiking routes on Skye and worldwide.
John McKenzie and Norman Collie. The midges were so bad at this location we couldn't handle
walking around for more than a few minutes. For a magical and unusual place to visit head to
the Fairy Glen. Skye has long been associated with fairies due mainly to the fairy flag at Dunvegan.
There are no real legends or stories related to them, it's just an unusual place that might be
where you could find them. The glen was formed by a mini landslip, just like the huge one
at the Quiraing. The colours, different mini hills and pools of water make you feel like
you're in a magical land not of this earth. It's that time of the evening again when we go and feed the piggies. They are just up there. hopefully, they'll hear us in a minute and then
they'll start coming for their food. Piggies! So Linus and Lucy live on the farm next to our
Airbnb, if you didn't see our last episode, and love to get some attention
and food from visitors. They really are friendly and Will manage
to give Linus such a great belly rub that he was so relaxed he fell asleep! Over the last eight weeks, we've taken you on a
fantastic tour around just some of the amazing places in the Scottish Highlands. We have
truly enjoyed bringing this series to you. Let us know in the comments what your favourite
episode or location was during our travels, we'd love to hear from you. Remember as well, we
have lots of additional photos and information on our social media and website so please do
follow us on those as well. It's been great having you all watching, as always and if you're
not subscribed then hit that button now and join us for the future. Until the next time from
Simon and Will, happy, safe travels everyone!
