In the Clouds

So, Alison and I were invited, at the beginning of the year, to a trip to the Isle of Skye with a bunch of university students recently.  Now, I know what you are thinking: 'but Robbie, you're old and grumpy!  Why would you go on holiday with a bunch of boisterous uni students who will probably party and revel all night'.  Well, whilst there was some partying, and plenty of revelling, these were University of Oxford postgraduate students, so I figured I could probably keep up, even in my old age.

But before this could be done, Alison and I had to make it to Skye itself, which turned out to be more difficult than expected!  Now, whilst the Oxford group (Derek, Saskia, Ioanna, Linxin, Felix, Sarah, Chris and Crista) opted to get a night bus from Oxford to Glasgow, then drive to Skye on the Thursday/Friday (very, very brave), Alison and I had to take a slightly different approach.  You see, on the Thursday night, I had to fly to London then on Friday early afternoon, I had to fly back before meeting up with Alison on Friday evening to go see Derren Brown's new show (Fantastic, by the way).  Funnily enough, as we sat eating chips and cheese in front of the Edinburgh Playhouse, reflecting on the fairly difficult 24 hours I had had (travelling over 1000 miles in a short space of time, through a variety of ways), little did I know that this would pale in comparison to Friday night.

Now, after Derren Brown, we had decided that it would be sensible to drive part of the way to Skye (to Pitlochry, we decided) to break up the journey a bit and to get a goodnight's sleep before the long drive.

This turned out to be a huge mistake.

You see, we booked the hotel and informed them that we were going to be arriving late (after midnight), which was noted, and that was that.  Or so we thought.  We weren’t surprised when we turned up at the hotel, and all the lights were off.  It was the middle of the night, after all!  What did surprise us was the fact that there was no-one at all to give us a key, no way to contact anyone and no key inside for us to collect, to allow us into our room. 

Not a good sign. 

After about an hour of trying to find someone, or contact someone, we ended up having to sleep in our car, in front of the hotel we had booked.  In addition, it was a very cold night and we only had one blanket between us, so we had to sleep in the backseat for warmth.  It was doubly annoying because I had actually suggested we sleep in the car originally, in which case, we could have brought sleeping bags.  After waking up at 6am to go to a petrol station toilet, someone from the hotel eventually noticed us and gave us our key. 

It turns out that someone should have left the key with a note for us but forgot, which is why I'm not naming the hotel.  It was one person's mistake, albeit a fairly bad one for us.  Thankfully, they let us check out later from our room, and I was able to get some breakfast (Alison opted for more sleep), before they actually refunded the room as well.

With that 'adventure' over, we then began the drive to Skye later than expected, where we met up with our wonderfully patient friends at Eilan Donan Castle.  Now, for those who don't know, Eilan Donan Castle is a beautiful castle next to Skye that was inhabited from the 6th century onwards (though being built/rebuilt etc).  It's also hauntingly beautiful, a stark and lonesome castle that rises suddenly against a background of water and wilderness.  This probably explains why it was used for Highlander and several other films.

After a quick catch-up, we headed into the castle itself and explored the grounds and the building for a couple of hours.  The castle itself is well-preserved and has a good insight on both the castle's history and the family who currently own it as well.  Don't miss this if you're in the area! 

After the castle, it was time for a rather long drive to the other side of the island so we could go visit the fabled Fairy Pools.  Now, the drive through the countryside was beautiful but as we got closer and closer, the rain started and then got heavier and heavier, until it was a torrential downpour.  Arriving at the pools (which were a walk away from the parking place, as we later discovered), it was eventually decided that it was too wet to make the walk, though we almost did it.  Thankfully, as we discovered the next day, this was the right decision as the walk would have been dangerous due to having to cross various burns.

After a fairly long drive, and having picked up some pizza, we arrived at the cottage which was fantastic!  Much like the TARDIS, it was bigger on the inside as when Alison and I arrived, we were worried about how small it looked...we didn't need to worry though!  With a living room, a massive kitchen, two bathrooms, a massive upstairs lounge and 6 bedrooms (one ensuite), there was plenty of room for everyone.  The view was stunning as well.

The rest of the night was spent eating, watching the end of Eurovision (another strong entry, Britain) and playing Cards Against Humanity long into the night, before everyone tumbling into their respective beds.  Next morning, it was time for eggs and bacon with toast, as Sarah and I cooked for everyone as they got-up, which resulted in a nice lazy morning.

Then it was attempt two with the Fairy Pools!  After picking up some lunch, and after the obligatory long drive (Pro-tip: if you go to Skye, there is a lot of driving so factor that in), we arrived back at the pools and began the walk to them.  I always enjoy a nice walk in Scotland (and most other places), and this was no exception.  Framed by tall mountains, with their peaks painted with snow and cloud, we followed a bubbling and angry burn up the trail until we arrived at the pools, which are actually a series of naturally created deep pools, along the river.  Here, people were gazing longingly at them, climbing the rocks around them or in one case, diving off the rocks into the pool.  I myself was happy enough dunking my head into the cool and refreshing water.

Once everyone had their fill of the pools, and since we were getting hungry, we headed back to the car for some lunch then went to our next stop: the Talisker distillery.  Once again though, and in true One-way Ticket form, it was closed on Sunday!  With little else to do, we headed to Portree for a wander which involved a masterclass on Frolicking on the beach (see video below), and then a wander around a cliffside path to a small tower, which gave some spectacular views of the sea and surrounding lands.

After a while of wandering, it was time for dinner and having explored multiple places, we ended up at a lovely restaurant called The Granary.  Now, I have to say: this restaurant bent over backwards to try and help us out.  Imagine a group of ten people turning up at a restaurant with no reservation, at 8:00pm (or thereabouts).  Must have been hell but the guy told us when to come back and then helped make sure we got a table together.  And what a meal.  As far as I'm aware, everyone had a great meal but I can testify that mine was brilliant.  To begin with, I had venison pate with smoked venison followed by smoked venison and duck salad.  I've not had that much of one type of food since I ordered ribs with a side of ribs, and it was just as glorious.

After dinner, it was a longish drive back to the cottage, so everyone headed to bed and then, after a tidy and a quick breakfast, it was time to say goodbye to the Isle of Skye!!!  Thank you to the Oxford people for inviting both Alison and I along, as we both enjoyed it and, with the exception of one night (take a guess which), had a huge amount of fun!  And for those who are interested in Skye, I would really recommend it!  Just be prepared to drive a bit.

Pick of the Week

Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog - So, I watched this again the other night at a party and to be honest, I had completely forgotten about it.  Such a pleasure being reminded about it though, as it's a huge amount of fun.  What's it about?  Well, it's kind of in the name actually...It's about an evil scientist and villain' blog that has singing in it.  A truly (evil) genius combination that was written by Josh Whedon, and stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day.  The best bit?  It was all done for free, as it was during the writer's strike. 

Music of the Week

Time for a song I had forgotten about for several years, and only remembered last week.  Starring Nikki Sixx, of Motley Crue fame: Sixx AM - Van Nuy.  Enjoy,

So, that's it from me folks!  See you all next week!