Being a tourist on Skye

Sue and I took one of our all-too-rare days off yesterday, abandoning the ironing, gardening, and host of other tasks which we decided could wait for another day. Sue packed a picnic lunch, and we set off to do a circuit of the Trotternish Peninsula, a part of Skye Sue has barely ever visited, in spite of it only being some 40 miles away from home!

We first paused at Bearreraig Bay - a place virtually no-one visits, even though it is only a mile or so from the very popular Old Man of Storr car park... (The pipes on the left and building at the bottom are part of Skye's Hydro-electric power station).

Then we went on to Staffin, and spent a while looking for the famous fossilised dinosaur footprints, but although I found them last time I was there, we weren't so lucky this time. This is one of the beaches in Staffin Bay.

Cupar and I had our usual lunchtime game with a tennis ball, but today with a backdrop of Staffin Bay. Here, Cupar has just caught the ball which I had tossed in the air.

We then drove up to the northern tip of the peninsula, this time not visiting the spectacular Quiraing (part of it in the background). There is just not time in one day to see all that Trotternish has to offer! (ps - I'm not quite that shape - I have my GPS location device hanging round my neck under my jumper...!!)

Here is another spot the majority of tourists drive past without seeing...

These wonderful sea cliffs are only a quarter of a mile from the road, but people don't look at maps, so don't stop to explore.... However, we stopped, and were rewarded not with just the views, but also by the sight of two dolphins leaping out of the sea in perfect formation just below us (but too quickly for a photo I'm afraid...!)

We did join the tourists taking a look at the ruins of Duntulm Castle though....

...and ended our Trotternish visiting by taking a walk around the amazing land formations of the Fairy Glen, on this occasion coinciding with a tour-bus-full of Japanese visitors. This place is often deserted too, as without a tour guide or local knowledge, finding the glen isn't easy, as it lies at the end of a rough single track road, and is not signposted at all.