Isle of Skye in the Sun
This week we visited one of Scotland's most popular tourist spots. The Isle of Skye has been a magnet for visitors since Boswell and Johnson toured Scotland in the late 18th century and included many of the Hebridean islands on their tour.
Since then the popularity of Skye has increased, firstly as an exciting place for mountaineers to test their skills on the magnificent Cuillin Mountain Ridge. Known as one of the most spectacular ridges in the UK, many of the 19th and 20th Century climbers came to Skye, before visiting the European Alps or the Himalyas.
Today, hikers enjoy the challenge of the Inaccesible Pinnacle (known locally as the In Pin!) as they add to their collection of Scottish summits over 3,000 feet, known as Munros. Hugh Munro was the first to list all 282 mountains in Scotland of this height.
If our tour guests are experienced hikers, we will organise a qualified Mountain Leader to take them on a wonderful expedition through and over the Skye mountains. However, most of our tour guests just love a short hike, a stunning coastal walk, or even simply admiring the magnificent views through the tinted glass of our luxurious car.
Kilt Rock, Isle of Skye
Tourism is the most important industry on the Isle of Skye and during the 1980's and 1990's the population, which had shrunk over the decades like many rural areas, did start to increase again. A vibrancy returned to Skye and local people invested in creating homely Bed and Breakfasts or luxury boutique hotels. In the early 21st century Skye was thriving again and the new bridge joining Skye to the mainland, which replaced a small ferry in 1992, was bringing more people to visit every year.
Today, tourism is still booming in Skye. There are so many wonderful places to visit on this island with only 10,000 resident population. Our tours are carefully planned to take you to the best places, but to avoid the crowds! We have many secret corners of the Isle of Skye which are not yet known on social media. We also plan our tours to visit places when they are at their quietest so that our guests fully enjoy the experience of a private visit.
Here we visit Kilt Rock, a top "must see" spectacular waterfall on the north of Skye. But with no other vehicles around, we were delighted to enjoy the peacefulness, even if only for the first few minutes before a couple of coaches arrived. The day continued with many stops along the way and ended with a tasty dram at the world famous Talisker Distillery.
Another perfect day on the sunny Isle of Skye and the fabulous sunny weather continues as we travel to Oban and then the magical Island of Iona.
