10th September 2022
The Southern Alps in New Zealand? The Lyngen Alps in Norway? Maybe the Alps in mainland Europe? Perhaps we’re in the Pyrenees? Or the Andes? No. We are much closer to home – The Highlands in Scotland. NEW
The Isle of Skye is one of the most beautiful spots in the United Kingdom, dominated by two mountain areas – the Cuillin Range and the Trotternis Ridge.
We had thought about hiking Ben Nevis near the ski resorts of the Nevis Range and Glencoe.
Or heading to the Cairngorm National Park, near some of the other Scottish ski areas – Cairngorm, The Lecht and Glenshee.
We decided to head to the mountains on the Isle of Skye.
“Head down to the Cuillin or up to Trotternis, the most spectacular mountains in Britain,” said PlanetSKI reader Peter Lewis as he read of our plans.
We went to both, but more of that later.
The Isle remains busy at this time of year, but we found a B&B in Broadford for £100 a night.
The view from our room was fabulous.
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
And down on the shore?
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Time to put the walking boots on.
Our first hike was The Old Man of Storr, Bodach an Stor, to the north of Portree in the Trotternis Ridge.
One of the stories relating to the Old Man of Storr is that it was the thumb of a giant who when he died was buried in the earth.
Another version is that whilst fleeing from attackers, two giants, an old man and his wife made the unfortunate decision to look back and as they did so were turned to stone.
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
The area is, quite simply, stunning.
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
And the video view from the top:
Regular readers will know we had been planning to hike in the Alps this summer and have been in training by hiking the South Downs Way at the other end of the United Kingdom.
Sadly circumstances determined we couldn’t make it to the Alps this summer, but it has set us up well for the mountains on the Isle of Skye.
The Isle of Skye is 50 miles long and the largest of the Inner Hebrides.
The Island has a rich history covering many topics, such as: Dinosaur Fossils, Clan Warfare, Highland Clearances and the infamous ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ and the Jacobite Rebellion.
The Isle of Skye is also a great destination for wildlife with sightings of the White Tailed Sea Eagle.
Otters, seals, whales, dolphins and red deer are just some of the other impressive creatures that can be seen on and around the Isle of Skye.
The Cuillin Range offers 12 Munros – peaks above 3,000ft (914m).
There are many great walks on Skye to be enjoyed by the less experienced.
It remains one of the most photogenic parts of the UK.
Rainbows and fishing boats help.
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Next up we are visiting the Fairy Pools on the west of the Isle and then a coastal walk north of Portree hugging the shoreline where dinosaurs used to roam.
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Isle of Skye. Image © PlanetSKI
Do check back…
Image c/o PlanetSKI
This article was originally published by Planetski.eu. Read the original article here.
