Walking In Trotternish

Wednesday cancelled due to torrential rain.

It really tipped down yesterday, rain and wind, all day long. John and I thought we had a clue about rain having lived on the west coast. Nah, nothing compared to west Scotland, it can really rain. The cottage we are in is very new and the landscaping is recent, the poor plants were taking a beating in the wind.

We have taken to watching Miss Marple, if you are not familiar with Miss Marple, it is an Agatha Christie murder mystery series that is totally hysterical. One of the episodes we watched was called 'The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side.’ One of the main characters was played by Joanna Lumley who is Patsy in ‘Absolutely Fabulous.’ The best line from the episode: Don’t just sit there with your mouth open like a beached cod.

The BBC has been on about a young and dishy American actress named Jennifer Garner who is to take on the role of Miss Marple in an upcoming Disney remake, set in the USA. The British are all agog as Jennifer Garner does not exactly fit the description of the dowdy tweed-clad Miss Marple. Speaking of tweed wearing and such, we are noticing the fashion of choice among the older British set is the dress shirt under a thin sweater, both genders wear this.

Around 7 p.m. the sun tried to break through so we had to take a picture of that.

No rain in the forecast today so we got going decently early, setting off for the Trotternish peninsula to visit the Old Man of Storr. This is likely the most popular walk on Skye so we wanted to get there before the tourist hordes, and we did. There was one car in the lot when we got there and we met three guys coming back from the Old Man.

Supposedly, The Old Man used to have a head, but he lost it in a severe storm a century ago. It is an impressive pinnacle and looks great from the road, but even better up close.

Since John and I are always up for more punishment, we didn’t do the tourist thing which is to walk up to the Old Man and then turn around. We took a long route up past the Old Man and way around an escarpment, along the Trotternish Ridge for a way, then up to The Storr summit. The walk was fantastic except for the totally wicked wind which made it a bit difficult, especially at the top. After the summit we walked the ridge behind The Old Man and The Sanctuary, which is a hidden valley encircled by wild rock formations. The views were the absolute best from the backside, well worth the effort. We couldn’t get too close to the edge because the wind was blowing us toward the drop off but we got great views and pics.

After the ridge we dropped down through a pathless moor then had to make our way down a steep gully with a burn running down it, the water was high because of the rain so it was a bit wet. The moor at the bottom was worse, a total bog.

When we got back to the parking lot 3.5 hours later it was packed with cars, so we were really glad we got going early. We drove to Staffin to the jetty and had lunch overlooking the sea, then we were off to the very north of Trotternish to Rubha Hunish.

Rubha Hunish is the most northerly tip of Skye and a great spot for bird watching and for sighting seals, otters, whales (in the summer) etc. but not today with the gusting wind. The trail over the moor wasn’t great but the views were really good. We didn’t stick around long, sick of the wind, we headed back across the moor. On the way home we stopped in at the Stein Inn (very close to us), supposedly the oldest inn on Skye, and had a whisky.

The Old Man of Storr

The Old Man of Storr and The Needle

We ended up on this ridge

A lochan down below

View of the ridge we will take on the way down

The Sanctuary from above

The Ridge / Top, where we were

The descent down the gully

Rubha Hunish

Duntulm Castle, what's left of it

I had time yesterday to read more Skye myths and legends, well, long suffering readers, you are in for more of that...

The MacCrimmons were the hereditary pipers for the MacLeod Clan for thirteen generations (more about the MacLeods tomorrow). The first MacCrimmon was piper to MacLeod and he held piping classes on his ‘Piper’s Land’ at Borreraig. MacLeod wanted to choose an assistant piper and would hear every student pipe and choose the best piper. MacCrimmon’s son wanted the position very badly, so he took his pipes out to the knoll of Borreraig to practise. He practised and practised but to no avail, because he was a poor piper. He realized that the music was not in him and was so greatly disappointed that he flung his pipes down, laid in the heather beside them and began to weep.

Just then the knoll opened and a lovely lady came forth who asked what was troubling him. MacCrimmon confided his hopes and disappointment to her. The lady asked him if he would rather pipe badly and be acclaimed great or be a great piper but unrecognized? MacCrimmon thought carefully and replied that we would rather be a great piper but he cannot be.

The lady handed him a silver chanter and asked him to play it. The music that flowed from the chanter was finer than anything he had ever imagined. The lady said when I call you, wherever you are or whatever you are doing, you must come, that is the price, is that too high? MacCrimmon thought about it seriously and agreed to take the silver chanter.

MacCrimmon played the silver chanter to MacLeod and his guests in the great hall of Dunvegan and all were astonished and delighted. He was chosen as assistant piper and eventually hereditary piper to MacLeod and he headed the piping school. Later, MacCrimmon married and had a family, his sons all inherited his piping gift.

When his youngest son became a man, the long awaited call came. MacCrimmon gave his pipes to his eldest son, bade his family goodbye and set off playing his silver chanter. MacCrimmon was never seen again.

A monument now stands to the MacCrinnons where the young MacCrinnon played on the fairy knoll and there is a silver chanter piping competition held in Dunvegan castle annually.