On 13.10.2011, four of us flew via MH direct to Heathrow and thereafter took a domestic flight (BMI) to Edinburgh. It was near 12 midnight by the time we checked into our Premier Inn hotel after collecting our Vauxhall Insignia car from the airport deport of Alamo. Despite the long journey, our ace driver Ong did not show any sign of fatigue and requested for an early start of our adventure the following morning. So on Day 2, we drove 400 km through the Scottish highland from Edinburgh to the beautiful Isle of Skye. Along the way, we stopped and explored the following places of interest:
1) Pitlochry, well-known for its 310 metre salmon ladder
2) Edradour Distillery, the smallest distillery in Scotland
3) Laggan Dam over River Spean
4) Spean Bridge best known for its historical links with the Allied Commando Training during the Second World War
5) Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus
6) Urquhat Castle located on the shore of Loch Ness
7) Eileen Donan Castle where three Scottish Lochs meet
Our agent, Great Britain Holiday had arranged for us to stay at Broadford Backpacker Hostel for two nights while in Isle of Skye. The hostel room and facilities were clean and comfortable and guests were allowed to use the kitchen.
The topography of Isle of Skye is amazing with breathtaking coastline and also glorious mountains, moorland and lochs. The setback was Isle of Skye or Misty Isle has a terrible reputation of rainy and foggy island with fleeting sunlight. Photography was certainly challenging in the ever changing weather. Apart from a half day hike to the Man of Storr, we spent time driving around the Isle taking wonderful photos.
On Day 4, instead of using the bridge, we took a ferry from Armadale to Malliag and thereafter drove to Fort William for a night stay at Mytle Bank, an attractive Victorian villa with a magnificent view of Loch Linnhe.
The drive was scenic. We took the opportunity to stopover at Glenfinnan and hiked up a hill behind the Visitor Centre to enjoy the picturesque vista of Glenfinnan Monument against Loch Sheil and the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct among the steep autumn mountains. Glenfinnan Monument marked the site where Bonnie Prince Charlie rallied for support in the Jacobite Rebellion against the throne of England in 1745 while the Glenfinnan Viaduct was the bridge which the 'Hogwarts Express' passed through in the Harry Potter movie.
For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/12102.
For the next part of the Trip, please refer to http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2011/11/scotland-pt-2-17-181011.html.
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