Inverie to Kyle of Lochalsh
A quiet, overcast morning greeted us at Inverie when we woke this morning. During breakfast we made our way, on Lord of the Glens, out of Loch Nevis and headed across the Sound of Sleat to Armadale, our first destination of the day.
By the time we arrived the cloud had lifted and a calm, bright morning promised ideal conditions for our visit to the gardens and history centre at Armadale Castle. Gardens on the west coast of Scotland tend to be past their best by this time of year, but this was not the case today. The extensive perennial flower borders were looking exceptionally fine as were the gardens around the pond area. Inside the new visitor centre we were able to trace the history of the Clan Donald, Lords of the Isles, back through the past 1,300 years.
Once we were all back on Lord of the Glens we were on our way once again, heading north up the Sound of Sleat, the body of water that separates the Isle of Skye from the mainland. Just as we were passing the lighthouse at Ornsay Island opposite Loch Hourn we became aware that a marine salvage operation was taking place beside our ship. A sailing catamaran had capsized and a rescue tug was attempting to right it; apparently with little success.
As we continued along our journey we passed many other interesting landmarks including the Sandaig Islands, where Gavin Maxwell wrote “Ring of Bright Water,” the book about the otters. At the north end of the Sound of Sleat is a very narrow passage of water known as Kyle Rhea that we had to pass through to reach Loch Alsh. The current flowing through this channel reaches seven knots or more at mid tide and unfortunately the tide was against us as we headed into the channel. It was slow progress for a while. Safely across at Kyle of Lochalsh, we tied up alongside the pier for lunch.
Our afternoon excursion included a visit to one of the most-photographed and recognizable of the Scottish castles, Eilean Donan. The location of the castle sets it apart; sitting prominently out on the north shore of Loch Duich, you can’t miss this castle as you pass along the road that takes you to Skye. This castle had become a Jacobite stronghold but was destroyed in 1719 by English warships. It has now been restored to all its former glory and holds many historic relics from the Jacobite cause.
From Eliean Donan Castle we drove along the coastal road out to the village of Plockton, passing through the village of Duirinish, where we came across the very charming, docile herd of highland cattle that are allowed to roam freely through the village. The tide was out when we reached Plockton and all the small boats at anchor along the shore were left high and dry. We were able to wander along the front street and enjoyed looking over the fences of the small garden plots belonging to the cottages on the other side of the street.
All too soon we were heading back to our ship at the end of our last excursion of the trip.
Back on Lord of the Glens we enjoyed the extravagant captain’s farewell cocktail party and the effusive dressing of the haggis by Brian, the hotel manager, to say nothing of the wonderful roast dinner. All too soon the past week’s journey had come to an end.
