Twixt Pier and Church
PROGRESS
Andrew and Hilary Clark
Sat 4 Jul 2009 19:25
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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.
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