Touring with the Kinates - RIBS Boat tour, Puffins, Kilt Rock and Hairy Coos

Photo thanks to the Kinates

For our second day on Skye, we decided to take a boat trip to the outer isles with AquaXplore on one of their RIBS (Rigid hull Inflatable Boats) to see puffins.  Unfortunately because the puffins live a bit further away from Skye, the speed boats are the only way to get there (without the trip taking all day) and Luther was not allowed to join us.

Our tour didn't start until just after noon so we took our time getting there.  We met this lovely mum and her calf while driving down the road.

Photo thanks to the Kinates

Much of the northwest coast and the Isle of Skye are made up of crofting villages.  That really doesn't mean much to me except that the animals have free reign.  There are cattle gates (see picture below for those who didn't grow up near farms) at various points in the roads so that they cannot cross but that's pretty much the only place they can't go.  And what that meant for Luke was that he had to be very cautious while driving so that he didn't hit a cow or sheep.

We came across this ruined kirk and decided to snap a few shots.  

This lovely lady was apparently the kirk yard's gardener.

I snapped these while we were driving.  It was too pretty no to try to get a few good shots.

Once we got to the town of Elgol, we still had a bit of time before our tour started so we had a nice picnic lunch and walked around for a bit.  And of course we took more photos.

This little one was hiding in the shade.  That's how warm it was.  

Gaelic and English

Once it was almost time for our tour, it was time to suit up in all of our waterproof gear (see picture at the top of the page).  And we looked HOT!  And we were hot all wrapped up in oil skins - that is until we got on the water.  I was very happy that I had opted to suffer a bit of sweating once we got moving - especially since I was in the front seat.

One of the RIBS

Below are a few shots from the ride.  We were so fortunate to have such a beautiful day for our adventure.  I can't imagine what it would be like on a cold, rainy day.  That would just not feel good.

Red deer on the Isle of Mull.  This is just the group of does.  You'll see the bucks further down.  They hang out on different sides of the island except during mating season.  Seems sensible.

This boat crashed into the island a few years ago.  It would cost too much to have it removed so they took off anything of value or that could be harmful to the ocean and here it remains.

And here are the bucks.

A little seal checking us out

I learned that seals lay on their sides with their tails up in order to stay warm as the tide rises.  I bet they have some really strong obliques.

Part of our tour was a stop on Canna - the westernmost isle of the Inner Hebrides.  We were told that the island population had just gone up to 9 because two Hungarians were moving to the island to open a cafe.  We didn't have long on the island, but it was enough time to explore the little chapel and stop by the honesty market.  Because there are so few people on the island there's not really a lot of crime that happens.  Some of the locals make goods (and carry a few snacks) and sell them in a little shop for the tourists.  Due to the lack of manpower - they just ask you to write down the things you purchase and leave the money in the cash box.  And it seems to work.  I bought some yarn that was hand dyed and some really cute earrings.

Be careful not to drive off the edge!!!!

Once we got back on the RIBS, we headed to the back side of Canna to see the puffins and other birds.  They're hard to catch on camera but I think we got a few pretty good shots for you.

These little guys are related to penguins.

Before we headed back to the cottage, we needed to make one more stop - Kilt Rock - on the northeast side of the island.  And of course we pulled off the road a time or two to take more pictures.

Kilt Rock was named as such because the patterns in the cliff face look like a tartan.

We were just a bit worried about the sheep grazing at the edge of the cliff.  Hopefully he made the decision not to give in to his depression on such a beautiful day.

Yes - please do

All day we had been looking for hairy coos on the island.  They can be a mysterious and elusive creature - but we managed to find some on our way back to the cottage.

Photo thanks to the Kinates

These little guys were playful and gave us quite a show
Photo thanks to the Kinates

I think this has to be my longest blog post to date but as you can tell me did not waste a minute of our days.  And the picture below shows you why.  Uncle Chris took this picture at around 11pm.  As you can see - the sun is still working on setting.

Photo thanks to the Kinates

Hope you made it through to the end and enjoyed all the pictures.  Tomorrow we head back to Edinburgh with a stop in Stirling.

Love you & miss you,
Aubs, Luke & Luther

Touring with the Kinates - Eilean Donan and the Isle of Skye

Photo thanks to the Kinates

After our full day's adventure to the west coast of Scotland, we woke (relatively) early the next day to see what we could see.  We hadn't had a chance to stock up on food yet, so we headed to the nearest town to find a place to eat breakfast.  We didn't want Luther to be cooped up in the cabin all day and I knew that there would be lots for him to explore once we got to Skye, so we found a nice little restaurant In Kyle of Lochalsh with outdoor seating and had a nice little meal.  And because you can't go anywhere in Scotland without wanting to take a photo, we did that too.

Photo thanks to Aunt Benja - I mean, really, who can resist taking this dude's photo?

After breakfast, we headed down the road to Eilean Donan Castle.  

Eilean Donan is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland - and you can see why.  Unfortunatley we caught it at low tide - otherwise it would have looked like it were sitting on an island.

The castle was different than any of the others that Luke and I have visited because it is privately owned and the family still actually stays there occasionally.  Someone who works there told us that a college aged family member had been there over the weekend.  Can you imagine what an awesome pick up line that is - "Hey, would you like to go with me to my castle for the weekend?"  That dude has no problems.

Because the castle is privately owned, the owners have set up the inside to be habitable and no indoor pictures were allowed.  But I have plenty of the outside for you to enjoy!

After leaving the castle, we headed across the Skye bridge.  Aunt Benja & Uncle Chris wanted to visit at least one distillery while visiting so we opted to visit Talisker Distillery on Skye.  Talisker is the only distillery on the island so it is a popular destination for visitors.  Luckily we had booked ourselves on to a tour and had no problems.

On the way to the distillery, we stopped to check out a waterfall - because they're everywhere.

And after the distillery, we headed to an area called the Fairy Pools.  Uncle Chris had seen picture somewhere and added it to the "Need to do whilst in Scotland" list - so off we went.  And the pools did not disappoint.  They are essentially created by a stream that flows out of the Cuillin Mountains which turns into waterfall after waterfall separated by pools as it meanders down the valley.  For some reason the water in the pools appears turquoise and it is absolutely stunning.

You could see where thousands of years of running water had worn groves in the rocks.

Side note - when Aunt Benja and Uncle Chris were packing for their trip, I told them to bring layers because you never know what the weather is going to do and there was no chance it would be hot.  I was wrong and happy to be so.  It was hot enough that we decided we needed to cool down stick our feet in the cold water.

Photo thanks to the Kinates

Photo thanks to the Kinates

After our hike around the Fairy Pools, we decided it was time for dinner.  I had heard great things about a town on the mainland called Plockton and I had read that they had a dug friendly pub, so we hopped in the car and headed that way.  Dinner was great and the town was cute.  It made for a great way to end the day.

Time to rest up for our next adventure.  Stay tuned for PUFFINS!!!!

Love you & miss you,
Aubs, Luke & Luther