Friday 20th June

Breakfast was delicious and involved croissants so obviously I had to do something today to work them off....I couldn't resist!

Off we went to the Quiraing where it was misty and drizzly, but we could see that the clouds were moving quickly.  Other people in the car park were obviously waiting for the weather to clear up.  Once everything was clear we were set and ready to go - I put my waterproof trousers on just in case, before heading up the Trotternish Ridge.  The view was amazing, the weather was good, and I was in the mood for getting myself up this thing.  Reaching the first part, we stopped to take some photos and we fancied making our way up the next part, which we did successfully.  Then Mathew joked about going up to the highest point and I surprised him by saying that I was thinking of doing it anyway.  So we did, and  it was actually the easiest walk of all three points, the sumit being Bioda Buidhe. Finally we had reached a ridge where we could see the clouds heading over.  I kept thinking that it would be great if the clouds cleared up so we could see the rest of the ridge so we decided to wait up there a few minutes for it to clear.  It suddenly became cloudier not only for us, but also on the other side from where we had come.  Unfortunately, waiting was our mistake and the cloud came over us thick and fast - it was soon raining heavily and the wind was making it move almost horizontally!  We began our descent as soon as we realised that the rain had set in, and half way down my boots began to let in water gradually, until all of a sudden I felt like I had half a pint of water in each boot.  Couple that with the wind which was cold, it wasn't nice - and if there's one thing I really hate, it's having wet feet!!  Mathew was more drenched than me as he hadn't bothered with waterproof trousers, and just had the coat on.

The cloud was thick but we could still see where we were going and finally - as the rain stopped of course - we were back at the car, where we peeled some of our layers off which were drenched.  My boots felt like they were full of water, I could feel the weight!  I wrung out my gloves and my socks, Mathews trousers were sodden and his waterproof coat had decided not to be so waterproof anymore as his shoulders and upper arms were soaked.

We went to the Kilmartin where we had dinner last night and had some really nice sandwiches, followed by a slice of coffee and walnut cake which we shared.  I felt we had earned it today...!

Onwards we went to the Old Man of Storr by which time the weather was clear and there were absolutely ZERO clouds on the ridge.  Typical!!  We parked up and set off, my clothes had dried out and the ground was pretty dry too as there was some deforestation taking place, so I wore my walking shoes which are not so water proof as my walking boots...er...used to be..!  We walked right up to the Old Man, which today had a piper playing right underneath it.  People started making their way right up to him which I don't think he was expecting but hey, if you see someone up there it means there's access so people are going to try for  themselves!  He said that he went up there to practice his pipes and he never expected anyone to go right up there until one day he noticed a bus load of tourists who came all the way up to see him and take photos!  It was a magnificent view from where we were here, and Mathew told me that I had climbed up 2 mountains today by accident.  The fact that neither of us had really planned on walking that far meant that this was 'accidental mountain climbing' apparently...!

Returning back from the walk, we went onwards through Portree and to a place called Bernisdale where our next B&B was.  That evening we ate our at Portree in a hotel restaurant where I had salmon with a potato salad, salad greens and balsamic dressing.  Although it hadn't actually been explained on the menu as being a salad - it came with potatoes is what I had read, so I was very surprised that the plate was icy cold, as were the potatoes, and the salmon was warm.  It was a little odd but it tasted great!

Our B&B was comfortable and run by an Australian who had married a Scot, and had obviously soaked in some of the Scottish accent and dialect.  It was an interesting mixture..!  The room was nice and spacious, and there was a separate area with a sofa and large TV.  As we were the only people in this evening, we made good use of it!  Oh, and I forgot to mention that we had home-made cupcakes and home-made fudge in our room when we arrived......MmMmMmMmmm!