We drove downhill through the valley south of the Five Sisters to Loch
Duich. As we traveled along the loch, I grew more anxious.
Just around one of these bends would be a guaranteed highlight. Then
suddenly, there it was. The Castle Aaaaargh. Our quest was
at an end.
| That probably makes no sense to some of you, so I'll explain.
My favorite movie is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The
climax of the movie is when King Arthur finally arrives at the Castle Aaaaargh
to find the Grail. Those scenes were filmed here. The Castle
Aaaaargh was played by Eilean Donan Castle.
When the castle appears out of the mists, King Arthur says, "The Castle Aaaaargh. Our quest is at an end." To which Sir Bedevere replies, "God be praised." Here is a short video of Adam and me reenacting this scene - badly.... (March 2, 2003 - We've since learned that the scene was not filmed at Eilean Donan, but at Castle Stalker near Appin. We had passed by it in the fog two days earlier.) |
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At high tide, Eilean Donan is on an island. The stone bridge is the only way to it without getting your feet wet. It's where three lochs come together - Lochs Duich, Alsh and Long - and it has a commanding view of the countryside. However, it only looks old. It's a replica of the original, which was destroyed in 1719. It was rebuilt using locally quarried stone so as to approximate the original. Reconstruction started in 1912 and took twenty years.
 |
The Bois family at Eilean Donan. |
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We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but most of the rooms were redone in the style contemporary to the 1920s. |
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| Adam, Danusia and Al on the battlements of Eilean Donan. Looks like Adam's contemplating a coup. |  |
Our visit took a little longer than we realized and we still had to catch the 2:00 PM ferry, so we weren't able to stop anywhere on the Isle of Skye to take pictures. It was as beautiful as Glen Shiel, but my brain was on beauty overload. How many times can you say, "Wow" in a day?
We got to Uig in time to buy our tickets and have a light lunch of cheese toasties and chips. Uig is a small town on a semi-circular bay. |
The main industry seems to be the dock, but we didn't have time to explore. The ferry arrived as we finished our lunch. |
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Part way out of Loch Snizort we saw one of the many stone stacks along the northwestern shores. They are pillars of rock from which softer rock has eroded away. Some of them are several hundred feet tall. |
Pulling out into open waters, this is our first view of the Isle of
Lewis and Harris - some thirty miles away across The Minch. Even
though it's cloudy, the air coming off the North Atlantic is remarkably
clean and you can see much farther than is possible in the eastern U.S.
 |
As we pulled into East Loch Tarbert, we passed Al's grandmother's house. Al and I saw her dog Cap escape through the fence. "Ah," said Al, "so that's how he does it." We visited Gran and Cap the following day. |
We drove off the ferry and then northeast through the Harris mountains to Stornoway. Al's parents, Patrick and Alice, welcomed us with warm smiles and a dram. Sarah's plane was late but when she arrived, she had her voice back. For some folks, nothing is more therapeutic than shopping.
Al's beautiful sister Louisa was there too, visiting on a break from school. Alice made a great venison dinner which was followed by Louisa's delicious cheesecake. Life is grand.
Danusia and I stayed in a flat that Patrick and Alice rent out but was currently unoccupied. It was in town, so before going to bed we took a walk through the park and around downtown Stornoway. It was midnight when we got back, but the sun had only just gone down. It came back up around 3:00 AM. I know because it woke me up. I looked at my watch with one eye and went back to sleep. It had been a great day.
Next: June 15, 2000
| Florida to London: Danusia's side trip | ||
| London to Edinburgh: Grey Mare's Tail | ||
| Edinburgh to Luing: Edinburgh Castle, the ferry to Luing | ||
| Luing to Aviemore: Hill climbing, grey weather | ||
| Aviemore to Foyers: Glenfiddich distillery, Loch Ness, Falls of Foyers | ||
| Foyers to Glen Shiel: More of Loch Ness and Falls of Foyers, Urquhart Castle, Glen Shiel | ||
|
The afternoon of June 14, 2000
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Glen Shiel to Stornoway: Eilean Donan Castle, ferry from Uig to Tarbert | |
| Stornoway, Luskentyre and Tarbert | ||
| Callanish | ||
| Dail Mor | ||
| Ceilidh on the lawn | ||
| Stornoway to Inverness: A quick good-bye, foggy ferry ride, bus to Inverness | ||
| Inverness to London: Hot Hamlet, Floridians get sunburned |
Our other sites:
X Takes The Square
Distinguished Women of Past and Present