Twixt Pier and Church

PROGRESS
Andrew and Hilary Clark
Sat 4 Jul 2009 19:25
57:26.28N 06:35.25W
 
Tonight we are anchored at Dunvegan, as advised by the pilot book "between the pier and the church", having rounded the northern tip of Skye. Dunvegan Castle has been the seat of Clan MacLeod since 1200. I just pass these tip-bits on in case anyone is interested.
 
Whilst at Portree yesterday, we decided to explore some of the island inland, so we caught the local bus that goes up through Uig, across at the top, and then back to Portree on the other side of the Trotternish mountains. The whole trip took two hours, and was full of interest. Once past Uig, the road is mostly single track with passing places. As the bus executed a 3-point turn to get around the first hairpin bend, I began to wonder what we had let ourselves in for. A significant number of the passengers spoke the native Gaelic tongue, in which the driver was fluent. As we went along one narrow stretch, an old lady in her garden flagged the bus to a halt. "Would you mind posting my letter for me when you get to Portree?" she asked the driver. Much more of a community social service than a bus!
 
 
We left Portree on another still calm morming, and had the normal wildlife escort, including our first Minke whale. One of the striking features of this island is the profusion of bold geoligical features, with sheer rock cliff walls rising from land as they do at the edge of the sea.
 
Northern tip of Skye, with the island of Eilean Trodday to starboard.