Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland


Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland – 20 July 2015

 
 
 
 
 


The first tender port of this journey, Portree being located on one of the Isles of Skye, greeted us with calm waters and a little Scottish drizzle in the sky. It is a settlement of about 2,500 year round residents, but has evolved into a jumping off point for outdoor adventures like highland hiking, fishing and ‘car touring’. The name of Portree is a derivative of Port Rey, the King’s Port, named for King James who visited here in 1540 to try to persuade the local clans to support him.

It is home to the Royal Hotel, where Bonnie Prince Charles dined with his then lady friend, before fleeing back to France. His lady friend never heard from him again…

I made my way to Eilean Donan Castle, which actually is located on the Scottish mainland, and is without a doubt Scotland’s most photographed castle….I added a few more photos to that number.

The castle dates back to the thirteenth century, but today serves as a popular tourist attraction as well as a favoured location for weddings.


To reach the castle from Portree, one drives along the shores of a number of Lochs, over the oldest bridge on Skye, past thousands of sheep who seem to own the road (they graze along the grassy edges and cross at will; also get trapped on grassy islands in ‘sea lochs’ when the tide is rising) to get to the romantic location of Eilean Donan Castle.







The location is stunning, with rugged mountains surrounding the tranquil Loch; the castle rising in it’s severe beauty just off shore on a rocky outcrop.