The Misty Isle lived up to her name today, we were fogged in until this afternoon. Therefore, we had to cancel our walk to the Black Cuillins as we would never see a mountain. Our alternate plan was a walk to Waternish Point. This was a long walk along a muddy, wet track through cattle pasture, sheep pasture and then along the cliffs of the north end of the Waternish peninsula. The fog lifted in mid afternoon while enroute and it was not windy for a change of pace.
There are a couple of Iron Age brochs along the walk so we took a few detours to visit the brochs. There are also the ruins of the village of Unish and Unish House which is a large old ruin.
As it is our last night in Skye, we drove down the road to Dunvegan for dinner. They seated us by the coal fire which was great until the woman dumped a lot of coal on the fire and boiled us and everybody else, the waitress was complaining of the heat.
We had scallops which were excellent and a steak, Scottish steak cannot measure up to Canadian beef, no way, as they don’t part with any barley for the cattle and the steak is a bit on the tough side even when cooked properly.
We are off to Argyll tomorrow although we are not ready to leave Skye. This is a fantastic place to walk, the landscape is incredible and you can find solitude if you stay away from the popular walks.
In the MistThere are a couple of Iron Age brochs along the walk so we took a few detours to visit the brochs. There are also the ruins of the village of Unish and Unish House which is a large old ruin.
As it is our last night in Skye, we drove down the road to Dunvegan for dinner. They seated us by the coal fire which was great until the woman dumped a lot of coal on the fire and boiled us and everybody else, the waitress was complaining of the heat.
We had scallops which were excellent and a steak, Scottish steak cannot measure up to Canadian beef, no way, as they don’t part with any barley for the cattle and the steak is a bit on the tough side even when cooked properly.
We are off to Argyll tomorrow although we are not ready to leave Skye. This is a fantastic place to walk, the landscape is incredible and you can find solitude if you stay away from the popular walks.
Dun Borrafiach Broch
The sheep are always with us, they make us laugh every day
Dun Gearymore Broch
Lazy beds, ridged undulations demostrating old cultivation of the land
Waternish Peninsula
The very tip of Waternish
The usual suspects on the rocks
Unish House
Trumpan Church
Ardmore Bay
The MacLeods have owned and occupied the Dun since the beginning of the 13th century. The only period in which a MacLeod Chief has not occupied Dunvegan was an 80-year period following the potato famine of 1847 - 1851. The Chief became impoverished after having provided for his clan, whereupon, he moved to London to work as a clerk. His second eldest son came to live at Dunvegan when he was an old man in 1929 and MacLeods have occupied the castle ever since.The most precious possession of Clan MacLeod is the Fairy Flag, which is still in the castle today. There are several stories regarding the origins of the Fairy Flag, expert opinion have dated the Flag between the 4th and 7th centuries, the Flag is of eastern origin having been made of silk. However, the MacLeods of ancient times believe the Flag was a gift from fairies.
One version of the story tells us that one of the early chiefs married a fairy maid. After their first child was born the fairy maid heard the call to return to her people, her husband accompanies her as far as the Fairy Bridge (we pass the Fairy Bridge every day as it is the entrance to Waternish where we are staying). After seeing his wife off, the old chief returned to Dunvegan, a lonely man.
However, the clan held a celebration at Dunvegan on the birth of the heir. During all of the celebrating the child was forgotten, even the nurse maid forgot him as she joined the celebration. The child became cold and started to cry but nobody in the castle could hear him; however, his mother, the fairy maid, heard him. Then a coverlet, the Fairy Flag, appeared out of nowhere to cover the child and fairy voices could be heard singing to the child to comfort him.
The nurse maid heard the fairy voices and rushed to the child, she wrapped him in the Fairy Flag and took him downstairs where the chief and the clan also heard the voices. The voices promised that in time of trouble, the waving of the Flag would bring help, there would be three wavings for the MacLeod clan. The Flag was enclosed in a case and taken into battle with the clan. There are several different stories regarding the waving of the Flag in battles but it is unclear when the Flag was actually used.
The MacLeods and the MacDonalds, two powerful clans that inhabited the Hebrides, warred with each other continually over the centuries. Just down the road from where we are staying in Waternish, the ruins of the Trumpan church stand, one legend tells of the Fairy Flag being waved there.
In 1578 the MacDonalds sailed into the Ardmore Bay to take revenge for the Massacre at Eigg at the hands of the MacLeods a few years previously. They came while many of the MacLeod clan were in Trumpan Church, the MacDonalds barred the door and set the thatch on fire, killing the entire congregation except a child who managed to escape and run for help. The MacLeods mustered and being severely outnumbered, supposedly raised the Flag and defeated the MacDonalds.
Many members of both clans were killed so they were buried under a dyke and the dyke wall was pushed in on top, the battle is known as Blar Milleadh Garaidh - The Battle of the Spoiling of the Dyke.
Today in many a clachan in the Isle of the Mists and rain
They tell at winter ceilidh this story o’er again;
And many a timid cailleach, when the evening shadows
fall,
Avoids the place that bears the name ‘Destruction of the Wall’.
-The Burning of the Trumpan Church by F.T. MacLeod
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