Scotland - Isle of Skye - Trotternish Peninsula

Many of the signs in the Highlands have the place names in Gaelic (Gal-lic), the old Celtic language.  Few Highlanders actually speak Gaelic beyond greetings like Fàilte (welcome) and Slàinte mhath! (cheers!).

Once we were well out of Portree, the roads were sometimes one track with passing places.

Some of our first glimpses of the Old Man of Storr, a 160 foot-tall slab of basalt that was part of a massive landslide 6,500 years ago.  There is a hike to the Old Man but we didn't do it.  The loch in the photo is part of Portree's water supply and is hooked to another nearby loch.  They are used to spin the turbines at a hydroelectric plant that once provided all the electricity for the island.

The road runs around the edge of the peninsula for most of its length.  There we look across the Sound of Raasay to see the islands of Raasay and Rona.

We stopped at Lealt Gorge.  Getting out of the car, I looked back the way we had come and saw this depression.  Maybe it was caused by a landslide also.

Lealt Gorge was carved by the River Lealt as it made its way to the sea. 

We walked along the edge of the gorge.

Sheep grazed freely in this area so you had to watch out of the "landmines".  There were also tufts of wool laying around.

Once we got a little further out, I turned around to see that the River Lealt falls into the gorge where it comes out of the culvert under the road.

This photo shows the parking lot

Click to enlarge for reading about the mining of diatomite in this area.

See the buildings?

Then we continued to follow the trail to another viewpoint.  There were sheep grazing on the steep hillside across the next ravine.

So I don't know birds but a quick look at the birds of the UK and I'm guessing this is a White Wagtail.  If you know what it is, let me know so I can correct this entry.

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Our next stop was Kilt Rock.  Click to read this post about dinosaur remains found in this area.

Click to read how Kilt Rock was formed.

Kilt Rock

There's a waterfall by the viewpoint.

Nice view in the other direction too

Bee gathering nector

 

We stopped at the only convenience store we saw on the peninsula for a potty break and I found Mountain Dew!  See the Citrus Blast on the label... well it didn't quite taste like the Mountain Dew I am used to but it was ok.

Saw these on the shelf too... would have bought them if they were dark chocolate.

Rugged landscape at the end of the peninsula

No landslides while we were there

The ruins of Duntulm Castle top the hill in the distance.

"Which way do we go, Mom?"

Would you believe there are 40 different breeds of sheep in Britain?  See the poster in the Skye Museum of Life post.  I thin these are Lonk

Interesting lawn roof.... I wonder if they put sheep up there to "mow" it.

This is the best photo I got of some of the typical home construction in this area.  Looks like the stones are buried in plaster but that wouldn't last long.

You wouldn't believe all the phone booths we saw in the countryside of Scotland.  Don't know if there were actual phone inside or not.

View from our stop at Duntulm Castle ruins.

The walk was all on grazing land but the sheep were so used to the people that they didn't even quit eating.

Duntulm Castle Ruins

 

Don't know what breed this is but his wool is much curlier in comparison to the sheep behind him.

There were 5 or 6 scarecrows dressed in old rain gear around the fields by the ruins.