Waternish is the middle bit in the North of Skye. It is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt places I have ever been to. Fantastic views to the Outer Hebrides. Some interesting craft places dotted about. The clearest air I've ever breathed. Wish I could have bottled it to take home. I have to make do with the photo I took of the Minch (Loch/Sea?) which is now the background on my computer.

www.visit-waternish.co.uk
Google map: bit.ly/nSKaEf

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It may not be the warmest place around, but for sheer grandeur of scenery, there's little to beat Skye. Dark, muscular mountains, rising vertically from frothy waters, hauntingly beautiful drives along precipitous coastlines, skies that darken and light up at the will of a wickedly fierce wind. This is a land where you feel Mother Earth is on testosterone - it' s butch alright, but very, very beautiful. With wonderful accomodations (choose from delightfully homely B&B's, hostels and charming, boutique hotels) and great grub (as vegetarians our options were limited to wholesome soups and deliciously creamy jacket-potatoes, but sea-food lovers, I'm assured, are in for a feast), crumbling castles perched on glorious cliff-tops, there's really no reason to go to New Zealand to admire landscapes that haven't changed a jot since the last ice age. Travel to Skye by train (nearest stations - Kyle of Lochalsh, Mallaig or Inverness) after which a choice of bus/ferry will zip you across to the (in my opinion) most beautiful spot on earth.

Excellent vegetarian dinners at Portree - www.cafearriba.co.uk/
Quay Brae, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9DB
01478 611 830

Google map: tinyurl.com/3ydsdfy

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Just spent a week in this wonderful five-star thatched cottage. Booked it thinking the website probably wouldn't live up to the pictures, but it was way above what we expected. It is newly built but in traditional stone, so it looked really old. When we got inside it had a real "wow factor", pure luxury. The views were to die for and we spent most evenings outside watching the sunset. It also had a webcam trained on the croft hill, and we saw buzzards and eagles from the comfort of our chair, amazing stuff!

Did lots of walking and looked forward to returning to the luxurious bathroom in the cottage. The water came from a private underground spring and my skin felt amazing after a week, due to no chemicals in the water. Ate out at the Three Chimneys and Old School House Restaurant, both fantastic and nearby. Talisker Distillery was also a must-visit, especially the tasting sessions!
I hate to tell anyone of the cottage in case we don't get in next year but thank you to the owners for an amazing week. And thanks, Ally, the owner for getting us a fresh lobster, straight from the sea!
Can't wait to go back!

www.skyecrofterscottage.com
Balmeanach
Struan,
near Dunvegan
Isle of Skye
01529 304436

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Great to look at from low level and even better to get up close and personal with - although not so much at this time of year!

www.escape2scotland.com/cuillins.html

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I have just spent the most amazing week at this house. It is directly across from Blaven (one of the black cuillins) and a one-minute walk from the loch. The house is fantastic with a large decking area to sit and admire the view. There is so much walking and climbing to be done from the house.

www.theoldchurch-torrin.co.uk

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A beautiful village in Sleat, the garden of Skye, boasting an art gallery, a lively pub, a whisky shop, and a lighthouse that seems to have been painted on by Monet.

We took a boat to Eigg and got followed by a whale that stuck its head out of the water to see us better. The next day we caught 12 mackerel while boating in the sound and had them with mussels bought from a local fisherman. Just ask in the pub.

Also: you must go roamin’ in the gloamin’ on the Old Man of Storr, further north.

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The Longhouse at Tokavaig on Skye was pretty quickly like home from home, only we felt a million miles from anywhere, which was exactly what we were hoping for.

The decking, set to look out over Loch Slapin, is perfect for lounging about and admiring the
Cuillin mountain range - what an outlook, especially with a dram or two.

The walk to the shore is recommended. We saw an otter and, to the delight of our teenage girls, you can actually get a signal on your mobile if you scramble to the top of the castle ruins!

www.skyelonghouse.com

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There are lots of choices on the Isle of Skye; hotels, B&B, hostels and camping sites.

Our family stayed in a camping site called Torvaig near Pontree for two nights. It was cheaper than the one we had stayed at near Ben Nevis. The services were the same; showers, bathrooms, clean drinking water for free, although at Ben Nevis there was a shop. The ground was hard, but there was a beautiful view at sunset.

We liked cooking so we didn’t eat out much. But when we did there were big portions. The food was similar to Irish food; haggis is just like a mix of black puddings and mince meat. If you asked for an apple pie you would expect to get a slice but there you get a whole pie. The Pike Hotel had particularly big portions.

When we cooked it was easy to find the supplies to cook on our own in any supermarket. There are also shops on the Isle of Skye so don’t fret.

We didn’t stay long, so we only got one trip done; a boat trip.
We saw a brochure in the campsite and my dad thought it would be a good thing to do. The boat left Armadale and got to Mallaig in 45 minutes. When you get there you can stay or you can walk back to the pier. It takes a couple of hours to get back on foot. It was a great boat ride. I even got to drive the boat. The view was spectacular. It was so spectacular - that I had a dream about it. When we pulled into the bay, it was lovely and calm. To the left of me there was a mountain sheltered under a beautiful white cloud. The bay had lovely turquoise water, warmer than the sea because of the surrounding rocks and big boulders. Just right for swimming. If you don’t like salt water there is a river up beside it.

The overall view from the high rock over looking the bay was really pretty, and one you don’t see everyday.

I would recommend the holiday to outgoing people and families with teenage kids.

I had a wicked time.

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Tiny village in the north of Skye, has an excellent youth hostel, but the best thing is to take the road over the hills to the east coast from there to see the Quiraing, spectacular almost lunar scenery and extraordinary views.

Northern peninsula of Skye.

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