Monday, July 27, 2015

Eilean Donan Castle and Isle of Skye Tour, Scotland

©Highland Experience Tours
Sunday was a really good coach tour to the Isle of Skye.  We left from Inverness and covered 328 km (205 miles) in about 9,5 hours.

Off course no trip to Scotland is complete without taking some photos of Highland cattle.

Our next stop was at Loch Ness where we saw the ruins of Urquhart Castle.

But still no sign of Nessie.  Perhaps the third time's the charm and I should come back once more.

On the west shore of Loch Ness is a small village village called Invermoriston.  The claim to fame here is the ruined Thomas Telford bridge that was built in 1813.  The stone bridge took eight years to build and it crosses the River Moriston falls.

Eilean Donan Castle is the 3rd most visited castle in Scotland.  It was founded in the 13th century on a small island.  The castle was rebuilt from 1919 to 1932.  A footbridge was built to connect the island to the shore.
WWI war memorial


The castle was opened to the public in 1955.  Unfortunately, no photography is allowed inside of the castle.





The Isle of Skye is Scotland's second-largest island and the largest island of the Inner Hebrides.

The island is 1,656 km² (639 mi²) and is home to about 10,000 people.

The Skye Bridge


The isle is connected to the mainland by the Skye Bridge.  It was a controversial toll bridge with very expensive rates.  The tolls were discontinued in 2004 after much local protest.


Kyleakin is a small village on the isle's east coast.  It is home to a ruined 15th century Castle Moil which is near the harbor.  The castle was the seat of the Mackinnon clan.

Elgol is a very small village on the shores of Lock Scavaig.  The population is only about 150 people and many are Gaelic speakers.  This was a nice place to grab some tea and enjoy the view of some small islands.

View of the Highlands

Loch Carron
Our final stop was at a viewing point above the village of Stromeferry.  This gave us a lovely view of Loch Carron which is where the River Carron enters the North Atlantic.

This was a really nice day and a very good start to our Scotland adventure.

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