The Hebrides are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom. They lie off the west coast of Scotland and are made up of two major island chains, the Inner and the Outer Hebrides. The Inner Hebrides are comprised of 79 separate islands, of which, the Isle of Skye is the largest and northern most. It is officially unknown where the name ‘Skye’ came from. Some believe it was derived from the early Celtic word skitis, which translates to ‘winged’. Thus, the name Skye possibly describes the shape of the Island – which somewhat resembles a bird’s wing as it stretches into the Minch from mainland Scotland. The Minch (yet another amazing geographical place name) is the body of water that separates the Inner and Outer Hebrides.
We spent a few days exploring the beautiful Island of Skye. Here’s a photo gallery of some of the highlights from our stay!
The harbor of Portree, the Isle of Skye’s largest village, with a population of around 2,200 people
A view from the start of our hike around a very interesting geological area called, The Quiraing
The poet Alexander Smith called The Quiraing, ‘a nightmare of nature’. Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Maybe a bit dramatic of the Scottish poet?
We thought it was quite lovely! Here’s a view looking out into the Minch.
… Until Angela stepped onto a very innocuous bit of wet grass and sank all the way down to her kneecap!
Fortunately, her leg bones stayed intact and we ventured on …
About halfway into our hike, we ran into this attractive little pond
And a few alien looking thistle plants
Continuing on with the nightmare theme … the formation on the left is called ‘the prison’
Looking up from the prison, maybe a bit more nightmarish??
Coming full circle on the Quiraing loop, we felt it was more fairy landscape than nature nightmare!
Speaking of fairy landscapes …
This beautiful place is actually called the Fairy Glen
For obvious reasons, we thought
The rock tower to the right is called Ewen Castle. The Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye.
We’ll leave you with a fairy circle at the Fairy Glen!
