The Isle of Skye

On the Isle of Skye we left the harbor town of Portree to visit Dunvegan Castle, the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and the stronghold of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod for 800 years.  The castle's treasures include a letter from Samuel Johnson, thanking the laird for his hospitality and mentioning that Boswell is grumpy about the rainy weather (they were waiting for the ferry at the time).  We were a little grumpy about it, too, but the rain is probably why the castle gardens are so lush.  On the way back to the ship we stopped for a quick view of the Black and Red Cuillin; the Black Cuillin are among the most challenging mountains for climbers in Britain.

Portree:

The chips smelled really good, but Sue and I resisted

Dunvegan Castle and Gardens:

 

 

Part of the Cuillin:

That knuckle-end of England -
that land of Calvin, oat-cakes, and sulphur.
~Sydney Smith, British clergyman and essayist, on Scotland