Boom! Mountain!

Hiking on the Trotternish Ridge

Early Friday morning, Claire, Erin, and I walked over to another hostel to meet the rest of our MacBackpackers group and board the large bus awaited to whisk us off to tour the Scottish countryside.  Our bus driver and guide's name was Richard and he greeted us at the door with a thick accent and a plaid kilt that went just past his knees.  Richard drove us out of Edinburgh passing many of the monuments and sites that we had seen the day before.  He also gave us a very brief introduction to the Scotland’s history and its relationship with England.  Throughout our trip, Richard seemed to be always telling us a story or joke.   I’ll try my best to relay them as he told them, but I can’t possibly remember them all.  When he wasn’t talking, Richard would play us music by Scottish bands, including a few humorous songs by Billy Conolly.  I really liked one band in particular called the Peatbog Faeries.  They are from the Isle of Skye and they combine traditional Scottish music with house music.  Have a listen for yourself and let me know what you think.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-g2pg1Gt4k

River Tummel

Our first stop was a small town a little ways outside of Edinburgh to grab supplies for lunch.  We also had time to stroll by a beautiful church at the edge of a lake.  Shortly after, we took a longer walk at the Linn of Tummel, a wooded area where the Rivers Tummel and Garry meet.  There is a large bridge for cars and a smaller one for pedestrians that cross the rivers.  A large cage was hanging under the bigger bridge and a group of bungee jumpers were leaping from the cage and plunging headfirst towards the waterbed.  I wish I could have joined them!  Instead I followed the rest of the group along a path running parallel to the river.  It was a pretty walk and I appreciated being able to stretch my legs before loading back onto the bus.

Our next stop was the Ruthven Barracks which were built on the site of a ruined castle.  The barracks were built after a Jacobite uprising to try and control those living in the Highlands.  It was interesting to see the remnants of something other than a castle.  The barracks were obviously more modern with many windows and a kitchen equipped with a stone oven and chimney.  Erin even scaled part of the chimney just for the heck of it!

After Erin safely made her way back to solid ground, we headed to Balnuaran of Clava, a cemetery from the Bronze Age.  The cemetery is home to three tombs that reminded me a lot of Newgrange.   Like Newgrange, the tombs are circular, thick-walled, and have a narrow passage leading to a small, circular space at the center.  However, the tombs lack a roof and are much smaller in comparison.  Only two people would have been buried in them.  Across from the passage are several large stones that are gray with sparkling flecks scattered about.  Since the passage is aligned with the winter sunset, the setting sunlight can travel down the passage and reflect off of the stones.

We finished exploring the cemetery and loaded back on the bus to head north.  Richard drove us through Inverness and up towards Loch Ness, the second largest but the deepest loch in Scotland.  A loch is the same thing as a lake except that a loch can be either freshwater or saltwater.  Loch Ness happens to be freshwater which might just be one of the reasons the infamous Nessie resides there.  Richard told us the story of the first sighting of the creature and it actually has its roots in Catholicism. Saint Columba was an Irish priest who came over to Scotland to evangelize the Picts.  He needed to get on the other side of Loch Ness but because the loch is so large, walking around it would have taken days.  St. Columba spotted a boat a short distance from the shore.  He sent his scribe out to fetch the boat so they could take it across the loch.  As the scribe swam towards the boat, Nessie surfaced with a great splash and snatched the scribe up.  St. Columba immediately made the sign of the cross and shouted out, "Thou shalt go no further, nor touch the man; go back with all speed."  The creature released the scribe and quickly dove back down to the depths of the loch, and the scribe made it safely back to shore.  After hearing this riveting account, Claire, Erin, and I didn't need much convincing to jump into Loch Ness and swim with its resident (well, the fact that our hostel promised to wash and dry our clothes for free if we went swimming helped too haha!).  We walked down to the edge of the water and waded in with three other members of our tour.  The water was FREEZING!  We didn't stay in for long, and a few people didn't even go in all the way.  Claire and I definitely dunked our heads and I swam out a little bit.  When we got out we hurried back to the bus and changed into dry clothes and Richard passed around a bottle of whiskey.  Everyone who had jumped in Loch Ness took a swig.  It warmed me right up!

After our chilly dip, we spent the rest of the afternoon driving to Skye.  The Highlands were absolutely beautiful.  Mountains, both green and snowcapped, rivers, and lochs ran along either side of the road.  I think now would be a good time to pause and tell you about Scottish weather.  The Scots say that if you don’t like the weather, just wait ten minutes.  They aren’t exaggerating either.  For ten minutes it’ll pour rain before it turns to hail.  Ten minutes later the sun peeks out from behind the clouds only to be quickly followed by snow and then more clouds, rain, hail, and sun.  Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.  We experienced all kinds of weather quite frequently during our journey through the Highlands, but we were also rewarded with a rainbow.

We finally reached the Isle of Skye as the sun was setting.  Richard drove us across the long bridge that took us to the isle.  Before the bridge, residents and tourists had to rely on ferries.  Richard told us that the Bank of America financed the building of the bridge, but after residents refused to pay an outrageous toll to cross, it was sold and can now be used for free.  We passed over the bridge and immediately entered the tiny town of Kyleakin.  MacBackpackers has its own hostel on Skye and I must say it was nice sharing a room with people that I knew.  Everyone on the tour was super friendly and it was fun getting to know people from all over.  We cooked our meals, ate dinner, and went to Saucy Mary’s, the local pub, together.  The pub got its name from the Viking princess Mary who would charge a toll to ships passing through the narrow straight separating Skye from the mainland.  I’m guessing that those travelers responded rather differently to a toll imposed by a Viking than more recent travelers did to the Bank of America!  Since Kyleakin has only two pubs, Saucy Mary’s was pretty packed.  I met a local who claimed to have worked as a chef for Bono, but I think he may have been pulling my leg.  There was also a band playing called Cancel the Astronauts.  I liked them a lot and I have to give them credit for the best song title I have ever come across: “I Am the President of Your Fan Club and Last Night I Followed You Home.”  I dare you to find a better one!

Notice the "face" in the mountain.

The next morning we started early so we could see as much of Skye as possible.  Richard drove us first to a stream running along the base of several mountains.  I simply cannot remember the name of the stream, but I’ll tell you its legend.  The great Irish hero Cúchulainn travelled to Skye to battle the fierce warrior-woman Scáthach.  However, Cúchulainn did not know what Scáthach looked like nor where exactly she lived.  As he wandered around Skye, Cúchulainn happened upon a young woman tending sheep in the hills and he asked for direction to Scáthach’s home.  The young woman happened to be Uathach, the daughter of Scáthach, and knowing that Cúchulainn must be seeking her mother to prove himself in battle, Uathach refused to tell him.  Cúchulainn tried to shake the answer out of her but Uathach struck him with her staff before he could touch her.  Enraged, Cúchulainn overpowered and badly beat her.  Uathach escaped and ran to her mother who decided to fight Cúchulainn and punish him for his brutality.  The two warriors were evenly matched and the battle lasted for days.  Meanwhile, Uathach went down to the stream and wept at the sight of her disfigured reflection.  Moved by her tears, a faery rose out of the water and told Uathach to wash her face in the stream.  She did as she was told and as she looked back at her reflection she saw that her face was healed.  The faery also instructed her to cook a meal for Scáthach and Cúchulainn.  Uathach labored over the fire and smelling the delicious aroma, the two tired warriors agreed to adjourn their fight.  During the days of the battle, Scáthach and Cúchulainn had developed a lot of respect and attraction for each other.  As they filled their bellies, the fight seemed less and less important and it was never continued.  Instead Scáthach and Cúchulainn became lovers and Cúchulainn lived with Scáthach, her daughter, and their son for many years before returning to Ireland.  Well after hearing this legend, we all took turns holding our faces in the water for ten seconds.  Richard promised us that this would give us eternal beauty.  I can’t speak for the others, but I think I can confidently declare my dousing a success.

After our refreshing dunking in the stream, Richard drove us to Dùn Beag, a crumbling fort built high on a hill.  The fort is round and rather small in comparison to other forts I have seen.  However, when it was first built, Dun Beag had high walls and several stories which may explain its smaller size.  The best part was definitely the view.  Just look at this photo and you can see what I mean.  Afterwards we stopped in a small town with a bakery called MacKenzie’s.  They had the best meat and cheese pastries.  I can't remember exactly what they were called but I absolutely loved them!

I didn't get a picture of Macleod's Tables so
here is a sheep.

As we drove, we could see in the distance a couple flat mountains peaks nicknamed Macleod's Tables.  They received this name from a beloved leader of the Macleod clan.  While he was on a trip to the palace in Edinburgh, two courtiers invited Macleod to dinner in order to make fun of his savage ways and prove how much better they were.  They asked him if he had ever seen a more exquisite tablecloth, a more impressive candelabra, or more magnificent mural on a ceiling.  Macleod caught on to what they were up to and replied that his tablecloth, candelabra, and ceiling were more spectacular than the courtiers’.  The courtiers were enraged and bet Macleod a bag of gold that he was lying, so the clan chief invited them to Skye to see for themselves.  When they arrived on the isle, Macleod took them up to the mountain peaks along with his fellow clan men.  Macleod ordered his men to take off their kilts and lay them on the table, then he turned to the courtiers and asked them, if they thought an embroidered tablecloth was better than the kilts of loyal men (I don’t think the courtiers felt much like arguing with Macleod when they were surrounded by a bunch of imposing, strong, naked clan men).  The men began to feast but as the light faded, Macleod ordered his men to light torches, then he turned to courtiers and asked them if they thought a gold candelabra was better than the large circle of flesh and blood torch bearers (again, I think the big, mean-looking, naked guys kept them from arguing).  The feast continued as the sun began to set, and Macleod asked the courtiers to look out across the sky and tell him if they thought their tiny, man-made mural could compete with the vast, colorful one that God had just painted.  The courtiers replied by handing over the bag of gold.

Our next stop was the Old Man of Storr and the beautiful waterfall running down beside it.  The mountains got this name from the profile shape seen in their peaks.  Richard told us that according to legend, the Old Man was actually a giant who thought he was the biggest and baddest one around until God warned him to behave.  Three giantesses wanted to get rid of the Old Man so they tricked him into partying on Sunday and God turned him to stone.  Thus the mountains were made.  Now I haven’t been relaying every single story Richard told us, so maybe it’s not as clear to you as it is to me, but it seems like every Scottish myth, legend, and story focuses on a mountain.  It's as if their rule for storytelling was always, "Needs more mountains and shtuff."

After climbing around the waterfall and dunking our heads in the cascading water (because Richard assured us that it guaranteed seven years of good luck and, well, when in Scotland!) we drove a little further up the coast before pulling over to see the the town of Staffin's waterfall (aka Kilt Rock Waterfall).  Water pours off of the edge of a cliff and straight down into the ocean.  On either side of the waterfall, the cliff wall is made of rock shaped like pillars.  They reminded me of the rocks at the Giant’s Causeway.  Maybe this was once the other end of the legendary bridge connecting Scotland and Ireland haha!  Staffin is also famous for the dinosaur fossils found there.  In 2004 the world’s smallest dinosaur footprint was discovered in the area.

Our next stop was my favorite part of the tour.  Richard took us up Quiraing, a sort of valley sloping down towards Staffin, and we hiked along the Trotternish Ridge.  It wasn’t an incredibly difficult hike but it did get our blood pumping.  We had to go single file to walk on the skinny, muddy path that wound along the mountains’ slopes.  The scenery was breathtaking!  Richard told us that J.R.R. Tolkien had a vacation home on Skye and spent time writing The Lord of the Rings trilogy there.  I could see where he got a lot of his inspiration.  I felt like I was walking through the Misty Mountains and at any moment I would round a bend and see the gate into the Mines of Moria.  About halfway through our hike, Richard gathered us together on a wider stretch of mountain and whipped out the bottle of whiskey again.  We all patted ourselves on the back for making it this far and took a swig.  Richard turned around to get the bus and meet us at the end of the trail and we were left to find our way as best as we could.  The next leg of the hike was more difficult for me but I have only myself to blame.  As we descended towards a large, calm lake, there was some dissension among the troops as to which path was the right one to take.  Four of us chose the wrong one.  It curved around to the same place as the easier path but it was quite a bit rougher and steeper.  We made it back to the bus just fine though!

After our good stretch of the legs, we visited a faery glen.  Richard explained to us that the faeries of Scotland were no kin of Tinkerbell’s.  The faeries bear more of a resemblance to a leprechaun.  While there are also good faeries and bad ones, but they all tend to be a bit mischievous. Richard also told us that faeries no longer live in Scotland.  Apparently, residents began to disregard the faeries and the faeries would not live in a place where they were disrespected.  They all boarded a ship after promising the captain to use their magic to help it stay afloat and reach its destination safely despite all the extra weight.  Of course, a few faeries stayed behind, and Richard warned us to be respectful of the faery glen or else those who remained would “haunt” us for lack of a better word.  Past visitors who had taken things left for the faeries, even if it was just a simple penny, felt like they were being followed all the time and experienced horrible luck (and it didn’t end until they returned what they took).  I could definitely understand why people thought the area was a faery glen.  The hills were shaped in such a way that they looked like miniature mountains with tiny lakes tucked into the valleys between them.  There were also narrow paths winding up the mountains with different pockets suggesting entrances to tunnels inside.  Everything about the glen was the perfect size for faeries!  From atop one of the hills we saw rocks arranged in different patterns on the grass.  There were hearts, snakes, triangles, and more.  There was also a large spiral made out of the stones.  Richard told us that if you slowly walked into the center of the spiral thinking about all of your negative characteristics and then thought of all your good qualities on the way out, the faeries would take the bad and leave you only with the best of yourself.  I tried it but I can’t say it worked as well for me as the stream I dipped my face into.  The faery glen was our last stop for the day and we headed back to the hostel as sundown approached.
  

Claire, Erin, and I decided to do a little exploring before it got dark.  The tide was out so we walked over to Castle Moil where Saucy Mary used to charge her toll.  The castle isn’t much to look at but its perch above the water gives a magnificent view of Kyleakin and the surrounding landscape.  Eventually the chilly air convinced us to turn back, but I was able to pick up a few shells for Leigha, Kiera, and Fiona on the way.

Eilean Donan Castle

We left the lovely Isle of Skye early on our last morning and drove towards Loch Garry which is famous for being shaped like the outline of Scotland.  On the way we stopped to take pictures of the beautiful Eilean Donan Castle jutting out into Loch Duich.  We also took a quick drive up a mountain to gaze out at the Five Sisters, five mountain peaks with an interesting story behind them...There was a man who had six daughters, but no wife.  Despite this, the man did well raising them and they all grew up to be beautiful and accomplished.  An Irish sailor was passing through and fell in love with the youngest of the daughters, but the father did not wanted the elder sisters to be married before he gave the youngest away.  The sailor said that he had five brothers who would be happy to marry the other sisters if the father would allow the youngest to marry now.  The father thought this was a pretty good deal so he agreed.  However, the sailor took his wife and never returned with the promised brothers.  Fearing that his daughters would become old maids, the father went to see a witch for help.  The witch wanted to marry the father, so she agreed to help get the girls off of his hands.  The father celebrated that night at the pub and when he stumbled home hungover in the morning, a thick fog covered the earth and he could not find his daughters.  He went back to the witch and explained his problem.  She used her magic to clear the fog and showed the father that his five girls were now mountains (bet you didn’t see that one coming!).  Well needless to say the father was not pleased and he never did end up marrying the witch.  Now I haven’t been relaying every single story Richard told us, but I should hope that you are able to see a recurring theme in these tales.  Namely that they all focus on a mountain.  It's as if a Scotsman's rule for storytelling is always, "Needs more mountains and shtuff."

The Five Sisters

A little further along the highway we stopped at Inverlochy Castle which is near Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles.  The castle was in pretty decent shape in my opinion.  There were four or five local boys running around, climbing the walls, and having fun.  I was pretty jealous that they got such a cool playground to grow up with.  Our next stop was a little more somber.  We went to Glencoe which was once the site of a brutal massacre.  After the Glorious Revolution in England, all clans were required to pledge allegiance to William and Mary.  The Maclains of Glencoe signed their pledge, but due to an Englishman’s clerical error, the document arrived late.  The Campbell Clan used this mistake as an excuse to exact revenge on the Maclains for having previously looted their land.  They took advantage of a Highland tradition to offer hospitality to anyone (friend or foe) who might request it, and established themselves in the Maclains’ homes.  After two weeks, the Campbells ambushed the Maclains during the night and killed 38 men.  They burned down the houses and another 40 women and children died from exposure to the elements.  The effects of this massacre were long lasting.  Even today, if you have the name Campbell or are related to one, you are not allowed in some Glencoe pubs.

On a lighter note, we had the honor of being introduced to one of the most famous residents of Scotland.  Hamish is the most photographed long horned Highland cow in all of Scotland.  Originally, Hamish was supposed to be a breeding cow, but he was sterile and therefore doomed.  However, his field was right next to a nursery and the children had fallen in love with him.  The kids went door to door and raised the money to buy Hamish and keep him as their pet and school mascot.  He even got a wife named Heather so he wouldn’t be lonely.  Sometime later Heather gave birth to Honey (although Hamish still doesn’t know he isn’t the father!).  Heather wasn’t there when we visited, but we did get to see Hamish and Honey who was just adorable!

I will forever be grateful to one of our fellow travelers because she badgered Richard until he finally broke down and agreed to take a detour to Doune Castle.  Doune is famous for being featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  Originally the Monty Python crew was going to film at several castles throughout Scotland but permission was withdrawn for all of them except Doune.  Since they were running out of time, the filmmakers decided to use close-ups of different parts of the castle to make it seem like several different castles in the movie.  It was pretty fun to see Doune and recognize it from the movie.  A couple of our new friends even pretended to gallop around the castle while Erin followed them banging two rocks together.

Our final stop was the William Wallace Memorial.  Richard lectured a good deal of history about William Wallace but I’m afraid I can’t remember most of it.  However the general idea was that Mel Gibson got it wrong.  The William Wallace Memorial was built with funds raised entirely by private donation (I doubt the English wanted to help build a monument for a rebel).  We had to walk up 246 steps to reach the top, but it was well worth it.  The memorial is shaped like a tower with an ornately carved roof.  Standing at the base of it, we could look out over the city of Stirling which was quite beautiful in the sunlight.

When we returned to Edinburgh, Claire, Erin, and I said goodbye to Richard and walked back to our hostel to drop off our bags.  Just across the street from our hostel were several restaurants and pubs.  We stopped in one of them for dinner.  Claire ordered haggis and let us try a bite.  It tasted like really spice beef to me.  Afterwards we went down the street to The Last Drop, a pub named because people sentenced to death would stop there to have a last pint before being hung in the plaza outside (the "last drop" get it?).  We even walked past a small stone dais where the criminals were hung.  A few of our fellow travelers met us at the pub and we all toasted our last night in Scotland.  It was a lot of fun and I loved hearing everyone's stories.  The next morning Claire, Erin, and I flew back to Dublin.  I was sorry to say goodbye to Scotland.  It has definitely been my favorite trip to date!