Over the Sea to Skye....

It was farewell to Moira and Archie at Braehead Guest House and on the road - but not before thawing out the car - the doors were frozen shut and the window and windscreen completely iced over!

It was a cold, icy fog on the road but as we left Inverness we had a glimpse of the sunrise. Travelling along Loch Ness through the Great Glen we saw snow and ice everywhere and I felt for the poor sheep and cattle out in the white fields. Passing via Drumnadochit we reached Urquhart Castle 16 miles south west of Inverness and 2 miles east of Drunmnadochit. Here we explored the history in the visitors centre and toured the castle itself. Vince took the 3rd YaYa Vlog just before we went down to the castle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq4EH6QCQzU

The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries but were built on the site of an early medieval fortification. Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. It was subsequently held as a royal castle, and was raided on several occasions by the MacDonald Earls of Ross and Lord of the Isles. The castle was granted to the Clan Grant in 1509, though conflict with the MacDonalds continued. Despite a series of further raids the castle was strengthened, only to be largely abandoned by the middle of the 17th century. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite forces, and subsequently decayed. In the 20th century it was placed in state care as a Scheduled monument opened to the public and is now one of the most-visited castles in Scotland.

The castle, situated on a headland overlooking Loch Ness, is one of the largest in Scotland in area. It was approached from the west and defended by a ditch and drawbridge. The buildings of the castle were laid out around two main enclosures on the shore. The northern enclosure or Nether Bailey includes most of the more intact structures, including the gatehouse, and the five-story Grant Tower at the north end of the castle. The southern enclosure or Upper Bailey, sited on higher ground, comprises the scant remains of earlier buildings.

Whilst we were there a cheeky little Robin Redbreast posed for me. We have seen others since arriving in the Highlands but this one was really cheeky getting very close to me. We enjoyed a hot drink and Christmas pudding cake at the information centre before heading off into the cold icy roads and forests towards Skye.

We made and unscheduled pit stop at the Shiel Bridge a village on the south east shore of Loch Duich at the foot of Glen Shiel in the Lochalsh area of the Scottish Highlands. Here a great battle occurred. The Battle of Glen Shiel (Blàr Ghleann Seile) took place on 10 June 1719 between a Jacobite army of Highland levies and Spanish marines and a government force of regular troops, plus a Highland Independant Company.

It was the most significant military action of the 1719 Jacobite Rebellion, resulting in a government victory that ended the rebellion. Glen Shiel is also unique as the only battle in Scotland between 1689 and 1746 where the Jacobites remained on the defensive, rather than employing the Highland Charge. The mountain where the battle took place is called Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe and has a subsidiary peak named Sgurr nan Spainteach or 'Peak of the Spaniards' in honour of the Spanish marines who fought there.

Next stop was for a brief photo opportunity with Eliean Donan Castle (Island of Donan), one of the most visited and photographed castles in Scotland, it also appears in film and television. Eilean Donan is a small tidal island where three sea lochs meet, Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh, in the western Highlands of Scotland about 1 km form the village of Drone. It is most probably called after the 6th century Irish Saint, Bishop Donan who came to Scotland around 580 AD. The first fortified structure was built in the early 13th century protecting the lands of Kintail against the Vikings who raided, settled and controlled much of the North of Scotland and the Western Isles between 800 and 1266.

From the mid 13th century, this area was the quite seperate “Sea Kingdom” of the Lord of the Isles where the sea was the main highway and the power of feuding clan chiefs was counted by the number of men and galleys or “birlinns” at their disposal. Eilean Donan offered the perfect defensive position.

The medieval castle was probably the largest, with towers and a curtain wall that encompassed nearly the entire island. The main keep stood on the island’s highest point. Around the end of the 14th century the area of the castle was reduced to about a fifth of its original size and, although the reason is unclear, it probably relates to the number of men required to defend the structure. By the 16th century a hornwork was added to the east wall to offer a firing platform for the newly introduced cannons. Eilean Donan also played a role in the Jacobite risings of the 17th and 18th centuries, which ultimately culminated in the castle’s destruction.

In 1719 the castle was garrisoned by 46 Spanish soldiers who were supporting the Jacobites. They had established a magazine of gunpowder, and were awaiting the delivery of weapons and cannon from Spain. The English Government caught wind of the intended uprising and sent three heavily armed frigates The Flamborough, The Worcester, and The Enterprise to quell matters. The bombardment of the castle lasted three days, though met with limited success due to the enormity of the castle walls, which in some places are up to 14 feet thick. Finally, Captain Herdman of The Enterprise sent his men ashore and over-whelmed the Spanish defenders. Following the surrender, the government troops discovered the magazine of 343 barrels of gunpowder which was then used to blow up what had remained from the bombardment.

For the best part of 200 years, the stark ruins of Eilean Donan lay neglected, abandoned and open to the elements, until Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911. Along with his Clerk of Works, Farquar Macrae, he dedicated the next 20 years of his life to the reconstruction of Eilean Donan, restoring her to her former glory. The castle was rebuilt according to the surviving ground plan of earlier phases and was formally completed in the July of 1932.

Entering the Kyle of Lochalsh we could see the Skye Bridge and luckily the winds were not too high so it was open. Shortly after crossing we turned to head north for Portree on the Eastern side of the Island. The winding road revealed new vistas at every turn and the dominance of the majestic Cullins were constant. Suprisingly there was little snow or ice at ground level on the island compared to other parts of the Highlands.

We stopped in Broadford at possibly the smallest fish and chip shop on the planet before pushing on to Sligachan and another brief stop for photos of the historic bridge in the fading light despite being around 2.30pm!

We arrived just after 3.00pm at the Pink House (our home for the next 4 nights) to discover we had to head back into Portree to Somerled Square and the Portree Hotel to actually check in and pick up our keys. Thankfully our room is on the ground floor (although we did go up and down stairs in the rabbit warren of a building to eventually discover that) with a great view out over Portree harbour.

The Skye Boat Song

(Originally a Scottish folk song, altered by Bear McCreary for Outlander)

Sing me a song of a lass that is gone, Say, could that lass be I? Merry of soul she sailed on a day Over the sea to Skye.

Billow and breeze, islands and seas, Mountains of rain and sun, All that was good, all that was fair, All that was me is gone.

Sing me a song of a lass that is gone, Say, could that lass be I? Merry of soul she sailed on a day Over the sea to Skye

Unaltered version by Robert Louis Stevenson:

[Chorus] Sing me a song of a lad that is gone, Say, could that lad be I? Merry of soul he sailed on a day Over the sea to Skye.

Mull was astern, Rum on the port, Eigg on the starboard bow, Glory of youth glowed in his soul, Where is that glory now?

[Chorus]

Give me again all that was there, Give me the sun that shone! Give me the eyes, give me the soul, Give me the lad that's gone!

[Chorus]

Billow and breeze, islands and seas, Mountains of rain and sun, All that was good, all that was fair, All that was me is gone. Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher

source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/outlanderlyrics.html