NC500 #8 Isle of Skye

I hope you are enjoying travelling along with me on the NC500 - North Coast 500 Scottish trip. 

I shared the lovely route along Wester Ross with the Isle of Skye within close distance, accessed just by a crossing bridge. 

LochCarron  is just a close hop over to Skye. The pretty ride along the side to the bridge took us along the Loch, then on Skye, we took the turn for Armadale Castle & gardens. 

What a delightful spot with the ruins of the castle set in stunning grounds. 

 

The estate was the clan home of the Clan Donald. The Museum of the Isles had a comprehensive history with interesting artifacts & a great welcome team on hand to impart knowledge. There was also very good information on The Picts who inhabited these islands & the mainland. 

    

We then doubled back & did the main loop around Skye with the narrow passing places, beautiful coastline & little harbours. We stopped off in several places & realised it is a place that you really need to spend a few days to explore properly & enjoy the history & scenery. 

The fresh air & sea views were just wonderful. 

Back on the mainland, we headed for Fort William  in the Scottish Highlands. The road around Loch Ness was narrow in places & several places were too tight for passing busses which resulted in much shuffling back & forth until the road could clear.  Ben Nevis looms over this landscape in all its glory - a reminder of the beauty of Scotland. 

Our Fort William hotel was opposite the Loch & we had a very comfortable room, an appetising supper & a lovely walk around town & the loch. 

The trip back to England took us past Glasgow & we decided to pull in at the New Lanark World Heritage Site. 

The mills of the north are well known & this heritage site pays homage to that period of history as it has a water wheel set along the River Clyde. 

The importance of Robert Owen is well set out in the school, the mill, the millworkers modest house, his home, the exhibitions & the institute. He was a man of vision. 

We had a fascinating find to see a link to Robert Owen & the Tolpuddle Martyrs of Dorset that connects to my Husband's family. 

All too soon it was time to head to Cumbria again on our way south to The Midlands. What a fascinating time in Scotland on the North Coast500 - I am acutely aware that we only scratched the surface of this amazing country, it left us wanting to see more & so a return trip will be needed. 

I hope you have enjoyed this trip, thank you for stopping by, it is always greatly appreciated. 

Dee