DAY 1:
We hopped on a train last Saturday, headed for City of Inverness, the “Capital of the Highlands”. Here is the ceiling of the waiting room at Waverly Station in Edinburgh:
Here are Puppy Jr. and Car Moose, getting excited for the trip:
The scenery was beautiful, and the train time went well with the kids
until we made it within a few miles of Inverness, past the second to last stop at Aviemore. There was a freight train that had stalled on the track, and it wasn’t going anywhere. After some time, the engineer decided to backtrack to Aviemore. Once there, they called to order busses to take us the last leg to Inverness by the highway. Overall, this delay of 2-½ hours was not a huge setback, as we did, in the end, make it to Inverness. What it did mean was that we would no longer have time to explore the city on foot. This was a bummer.
Over the course of our first weeks here in Scotland, Ben and I have stuck with the motto, “Go with the flow”. When things aren’t going as planned, better go with the flow, because you sure as heck can’t change things that can’t be changed, and we are all a lot happier when we don’t fight it. So, we implemented our mantra, missed our Inverness tour, and had a nice, relaxing evening at the hotel. When I say relaxing, please note that it’s the level of relaxed you can reach with two kids in tow, not the kind of relaxed you can attain when traveling alone or with only a significant other. That said, a good meal and spacious hotel room where the kids could practice their dance moves comfortably was not a bad way to end a day of travel. We even had a view of the River Ness outside our hotel window:
Inverness Castle:
DAY 2:
My Mother’s Day started with a full Scottish breakfast downstairs in the restaurant, complete with British bangers and black pudding. Ben bought me a lovely 8” tall potted flowering plant for Mother’s Day, which survived the entire 6-day trip and now graces my kitchen window sill. I’m sure we were quite the sight on the train, with our very own centerpiece for the table:
Our train ride from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh was fine. We have noticed that our train time with the kids goes well, no matter how long the journey, until the last 15 minutes of the trip. At this time, both kids get squirrelly and loud and can’t be quieted, and we Americans feel frustrated and self-conscious that our kids are unruly. But then we arrive.
The local rental car agency is around the corner from the station, and the daughter of the family-run business met us at the station to show us the way. She was great, and gave us some driving tips for one-lane roads and general driving on the left. I leveled up on this trip, taking the driver’s seat while Ben was the fearless navigator who nervously and gently pointed out when I was getting too close to the curb. I was hesitant to post anything about this part of the adventure, for fear that I would jinx my good luck. But I can now safely say I did it.
We had some time before we could get into our rental house, so we found a cafe and had a late lunch and bought some groceries. The cottage was pretty wonderful. The kids spent a good deal of our home time running circles around the cottage and playing Pretend Minecraft, which is an evolving creative endeavor that just gets more elaborate over time. Ajax is in charge, but N always has ideas to contribute, as you might imagine if you know her.
Here is the cottage in Lower Breakish, on the edge of a tidal flat:
DAY 3:
We had had a couple of shorter nights of sleep, and our girl woke up tired. We took things slowly, and planned to go the the Fairy Pools in the late morning, but then there was some difficulty with shoes, and it all went south. After some time snuggling on the couch, she finally was ready to go, but refused to wear shoes. OK. Go with the flow. We put the shoes in the car and hit the road, assuming she would come around by the time we got there. Nope. We parked in the small, rocky car lot, and she picked her way all the way down into this valley with no shoes on:
We stopped at a lovely spot below the Fairy Pools, and that’s where we spent our time for the day. Here are the little waterfalls, and the kids with their feet in the stream:
Although it would have taken only ten or fifteen more minutes to get to the top, we decided not to push it and end on a positive note. So, not only did we hike with a kid with no shoes on, we went all the way to Skye to see the Fairy Pools but stopped short of seeing them.
As luck would have it, however, the fairies had other plans for us -- Ben lost his keys. He had carefully emptied his pockets when we got to the stream, laying his wallet and keys and phone on his sweater. When we returned to our cottage, though, the keys were nowhere to be found.
DAY 4:
Back to the Fairy Pools to search for keys! This time, everyone had their shoes on, and we made it all the way to the top. The downside is that no keys were found, but in the end, it motivated us to make the trip back, and it was worth it:
Our main goal for the day was to make our way to Talisker Bay to the beach. On the way, we stopped for a bite to eat at the Oyster Shed in Carbost, just up the hill from Talisker Distillery. The thought of driving on those roads after whisky tasting put fear in my heart, so we skipped that part.
There was no parking lot for the beach. Rather, there was an intersection of three roads at the edge of Talisker Farm, so we parked at the side of the road and walked a mile to the beach. Here’s what we saw on our way:
Talisker Bay:
The Cliffth of In-thanity:
White and black sand:
Our day ended with a beautiful, late sunset back at the rental:
DAY 5:
We spent the day at the cottage. The tidal flat outside our back door offered fun exploration both at high and low tides. We cooked a nice meal and just enjoyed the amazing weather.
Last travel day. On the road to Armadale to catch the ferry:
The estate of Clan Donald is in Armadale, so we ate in MacDonald’s :)
We caught the train in Mallaig, and passed through Ft. William on our way to Glasgow. Here is the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, on which the Hogwarts Express travels.
The last leg of our trip was after changing trains in Glasgow to get home to Edinburgh. It was a late arrival, so we took a cab home and crashed out around 11:00.
The journey was more than I had hoped for. Our family needed some time together. Luck was with us, as we ended up with good timing for great weather, no midges, and an available rental car and housing for a relatively spontaneous trip.
Skye will remain a part of me, with its beauty, fresh air, and calm. It is truly an amazing place, and I would jump at the chance to return. Maybe when Ben and I are older and grayer and the kids are grown. Go with the flow.
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