Over 5 years ago my parents gifted me a guidebook for the Isle of Skye. It’s so remote I never thought I would get the opportunity to visit. I looked through the book and a tick list of places to visit grew but stayed un-ticked. Until The North Face gave me the opportunity to visit these iconic places.
We reached our seaside cottage by midnight. Only at first light while we sat and ate our porridge did we realize the position of the house. The balcony hung over our private little piece of foreshore, waves lapping at the abandoned lobster pots as the sun rose over the mountains in the distance.
The drive to Storr car park took a little over an hour. The amazing landscape making up for the heavily potted roads. Following the winding track up to the base of the monolithic towers, we reached the snow level, passing lakes not frozen but filled with slushy ice. The sun soon slipped behind the clouds, the temperature dropped and the rain turned into hail as we abandoned our attempt to scramble up one of the towers. By the time we reached the car we were getting pelted by hail, painfully hitting any uncovered skin, we zipped our jackets up and tightened the hoods.
Next stop was Neist point. An early 20th century lighthouse in the most incredible location. A finger of rolling hills, cliffs on one side and small coves on the other. It felt like the lighthouse was positioned there just for the beautiful walk to reach it. We meandered down to the grassy plateau, viewing a secluded bay 50m below us, a pebbled beach begging me to find a way down and enjoy its’ isolation. Continuing back on the path we scrambled up to the high feature, enjoying the 360 degree views, with the calm winds and the setting sun.
Making the most of the day involves an early start, and apparently a swim in the sea. While jack and I managed a quick in and out dip before the cold became unbearable, Richie sat in the bay for 10 minutes before deciding enough was enough. It would be a “warm up” for the next location.
I had seen Glen brittle and the fairy pools in various articles, mentioning it as one of UK’s best wild swimming spots, probably more favorable in the summer. Yet I couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. It was high on my list of things to do in Skye. An underwater tunnel separates two pools of water. The plunge pool from the waterfall etching its way through the weakness in the rock over millennia, creating a unique challenge for the daring.
I ticked off some amazing places in Skye but in visiting these places my list grew bigger, begging for another trip back, maybe to even swim again in the pools in a more appropriate temperature.
Huge thanks to The North Face for the experience.