Give me but one hour of Scotland,
Let me see it ere I die.
-William Edmondstoune Aytoun
If you had asked me why I had such an earnest desire to visit Scotland, I don’t know that I could have attributed it to any one thing. Perhaps it is the reputation that Scotland-and the Highlands in particular- have for beauty. Perhaps it was my desire to connect with my roots as I am a member of the Scott clan on my mother’s side. More likely, I think I felt the pull of a land where the old ways mingle comfortably with the new and where fact and fiction engage in a cordial, silent dance, each recognizing the other’s contribution to what is an enchanting performance. As a person who has always had a love for stories and whose imagination is boundless, how could I not love a country whose national animal is the unicorn?
We arrived in Edinburgh in late July and immediately departed for a tour of the Highlands our second day there, with our final destination being the Isle of Skye. Within the first hour of traveling, it was easy to see just why and how Scotland has long had a unique talent for sparking the imagination. We drove past George Heriot’s School, said to be the inspiration for Hogwarts, and viewed the magnificent statue of the Kelpies. Towering above the Forth and Clyde canal, the incredible, gigantic metal heads of the Kelpies stand at almost 100 feet high. The Kelpies were said to be water horses that haunted local bodies of water such as the lochs. They were so exquisite and wondrous, that humans would at times attempt to ride these water spirits only to have the Kelpie gallop away and descend into a loch or the sea, sending the rider to his or her watery death. Like the myth that inspired them, the artistic representation of the Kelpies invokes in one a sense of both beauty and awe.
Statue of Kelpies in Falkirk
Many of the places we drove through on our journey to the Isle of Skye were noted by our tour guide as locations where movies or televisions shows were filmed. At one point, I lost track of all of the movies and shows mentioned, but know that the list included Highlander, Outlander, Star Wars, Stardust, Snow White and the Huntsman, Made of Honor, Rob Roy, and various Harry Potter movies. It’s not surprising given that the Highlands appear to be straight out of a fairy tale, with mystical emerald green glens and forests and lakes that lap gently against the shore but which are unusually deep, holding secrets that have yet to be discovered. The fact that castles are not at all an uncommon site here only adds to the country’s appeal as a desirable setting for any number of visual productions steeped in fantasy and/or history.
Mountain in Lochleven
Loch Lubnaig
Our tour guide, Pete, was proficient in enchanting his passengers with historical stories and myths of the area. Some of the stories he told not only provided insight into historical figures but had an almost allegorical feel to them. The Scottish outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy was known for being a fearsome fighter. According to Pete, Rob the Red was put in a position where he had to fight a local 16 year old young man. The fights typically went on either until first blood was drawn or until one of the fighters died. Although Roy could have easily bested his opponent, he didn’t want to hurt or humiliate him. He therefore made a deep cut in his own hand so that the young man would prevail. Unfortunately, as per our tour guide, the cut became infected and Rob Roy died from the infection two weeks later. I guess it’s true in some cases that no good deed goes unpunished.
We stopped for lunch in a cute little village whose name escapes me. Perhaps that is because many of the villages and towns en route to the Isle of Skye looked the same, with their cobblestone streets and quaint shops. What was surprising was the volume of local tourism due to events such as fishing season and Highland games. The remainder of the day was filled with viewing a multitude of lochs, waterfalls, and mountains as well as having many encounters with sheep. The population of sheep in Scotland exceeds the number of people living there! With roughly 6.57 million sheep, it was not at all an uncommon occurrence for our tour guide to have to bring the bus to a stop while sheep cavorted in the road with little care for our timelines or itinerary. We finally arrived at Portree in the Isle of Skye shortly before sunset.
Village en route to Isle of Skye
Waterfall in Lochleven
Sheep grazing in the Highlands
Portree is a harbor town and the main town in Skye. It’s known to some extent for its colorful houses lining the harbor. According to Pete, the houses were painted this way to confuse the spirits known locally as the “blue men”. Local legend conveys that the blue men were known to start storms and endanger sailors and fishermen. The houses along the Portree harbor were initially painted in a kaleidoscope of vibrant pastel colors in an effort to confuse these water spirits and thus deter their mischievous acts. I can’t attest to how well this effort has worked on a regular basis, but fortunately for us when we arrived the weather was calm and there were no storm clouds in sight. We settled in to our room at a cozy bed and breakfast called the Balloch which had large picture windows from which to view the harbor. I fell asleep to the sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore and the sight of thousands of brilliant silver stars shining in an azure sky.
Houses in Portree, Isle of Skye
Portree Harbor
View of Portree from Balloch Bed and Breakfast
Portree, Isle of Skye