‘Sing me a song of a dreamy moor,
Where the maids at the shieling spin:
Lull me to sleep by the peat fire smoor,
When the soft night closes in.
Next up, is the Quiraing. A landslip on the eastern face of Meall na Suiramach, also the northernmost summit of the Trotternish on the Skye. The walk is under 5km return for the direct route, about 7km if you make it circuit and consist of the summit above the Quiraing itself. The path is narrow and many a times, you need to scramble up and down the steep slopes. There are less tourists here, but you will find locals wearing full euipment as they prepare for the more challenging routes and climbs. Summer season is a peak season as locals like to getaway from the busy city.
After a long and tedious walk/climb, with little drinking water and growling stomachs, we decided to end the hike with a silent reminder to bring full equipment and gear to enjoy this magnificent landscape at its fullest.
Good-bye beautiful Scotland – I hope to visit soon!
Some other interesting places that I went :
Portree, the largest town in Isle. It has a beautiful harbor lined with brightly painted house. A row of shop houses and gift houses that sell food and souvenirs. You can find tourists scattering around to take photo of the stunning scenery. It is a good settlement for us to stock up foods and beverages before the long travelling journey.
Old man Storr,the 50-m high, pot-bellied pinnacle of crumbling basalt is above 9.5km north of Portree. On the day of my hike, the sun was shining down to the summit and I was pleased. Alas, the weather turned nasty 20 minutes after I started the hike. Dark clouds gathers, strong gusty winds and a dense fog develops. Fortunately, I was still able to persevere and reached the top of the summit.
On the way back to downtown, there was a group of travelers sitting on the roadside. As soon as they spotted our car, they gestured the hand signs for ‘hitchhike’. Even though hitchhiking is rare in Asian countries, we decided to do the ‘local thing’ and offered them a ride.
25 Umagz/August 2016