Our Travels: Scotland Day 3

Our itinerary had plans for a late wakeup, breakfast and a leisurely drive to Torridon. However, the boat ride scheduled for the next day got moved up (due to weather) to today. So, we now had to be in Spieldaig Harbor (near Torridon) by 10am. Which meant a 6:45am wakeup, pack up and a 2 hour drive. So much for sleeping in the first part of our trip!

As we drive farther north, the roads are getting progressively smaller. By the end of the drive, we were driving on single-track roads. With passing spots every 10 seconds or so. Glad we had an automatic because it was already hard enough learning to drive on the opposite side -- and learning how to drive on a single-track road through the hills.

The drive was fantastic -- gorgeous views through the Scottish Highlands. The weather was cool (low 60's) and cloudy. It rained a little off/on throughout the drive. We arrived early enough to drop off our bags at the hotel. (more on the hotel later) Got to the boat dock and boarded a medium-sized boat with about 3 other couples/families. The boat ride is to the Isle of Rona which is right next to the Isle of Skye. The ride takes about 2 hours to get there.

The tour operators were very friendly and we learned a lot about the country and the island. The island was inhabited with a max of ~ 150 people over the years until it finally was deserted in the early 1900s. The island was recently sold to a Danish woman who wanted to keep the Island exactly as it was -- and invites anyone to come visit it. The island is made almost entirely of solid rock which made living there difficult. The rock there is supposedly one of the oldest ever found. It dates back 2+ billion years. The ride there was fairly smooth. Once we arrived, we had about 2 hours to walk around the island. We set out for the other side of the island (about a 45 minute walk) to see the old village and get views from the tip of the mountain. When we got back to the boat, we had lunch waiting for us. It was a seafood lovers delight. Fresh prawns (caught the day before), hold and cold salmon, salad, and bread. Quite yummy. On the way back, Josh befriended a 5-year old English boy that was on the boat and they talked and played on the way back.

We headed back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. We had dinner reservations at the Applecross Inn, which is about a 50 minute drive from the hotel. We took the mountain pass route there and the longer coastal route on the way back. The road there and back were single-track roads (but I was getting used to them by now) and there were few cars. The mountain pass route was unquestionably the most scenic road I've ever been on. The views of the lakes and contryside were out of this world. Dinner was very good -- sirloin steak and seafood lunguine (salmon, scallops and squat lobster -- a local variety only sold here which is sweeter than the ones we have back home). Josh had the best chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and peas of his life. So he says. He says the mashed potatoes were worthy of Thanksgiving dinner back home.

The coastal route on the way back to the hotel was scenic but not like the road there. The one big difference was the sheep. The sheep (from time to time) were grazing on either side of the road, on the road.. who knows where, who cares? They didn't seem that concerned about cars but eventually did move to the side for us.

Back to the hotel for some late evening Scotch's (yes, we're trying to learn to like it!) at the Whiskey Bar (with over 300 different bottles) and then bed. This is our splurge hotel of the trip. We got a very large suite in a old castle.

Some pics below.