On the way back fom Skye we took a detour to go to Plockton on Loch Carron. The road took us through the village of Duirinish.

The locals think nothing of letting their livestock roam the (one, very narrow) street.

Both Highland cattle and sheep made driving through it a little precarious. In the link above is a great photograph of the village with cattle in the burn.

After Plockton and on the way back to our hotel we encountered a family of highland cattle more or less blocking the road. They seemed to be going home for the night. The woman in the other car had stopped for a photo opportunity.

I tried to nudge past them but had to stop sharpish as the female cow didn’t take too kindly to me getting near her offspring.

The joys of rural driving!

On one of the hauls up/down a hillside on Skye there was a parking place. The Highland cattle there attracted an enthusiastic audience.

They are wonderful shaggy beasts. But don’t let the horns get near you!:-

These photos were all taken on the hoof through the car window.

Not by the driver I hasten to add.

Skye’s landscape is pretty bleak with very few trees but has a stark beauty of a kind.

The main mountain range is the Cuillin but the Black Cuillin lie more to the west of the island than these which I believe belong to the Red Cuillin.

Waterfall and continuing stream:-

Different angle:-

Closer view of waterfall:-

Closer still:-

Video. (Click on picture to get to it):-

Looking towards (sea) Loch Ainort from near a bridge over Allt Coire Nam Bruadaram. An older bridge can be seen in the distance nearer the loch. The island of Scalpay lies across the sea water.

The older bridge in close-up:-

Allt Coire Nam Bruadaram from roadside:-

Allt Coire Nam Bruadaram looking towards Loch Ainort:-

Allt Coire Nam Bruadaram looking up the coire (corrie):-

Portree harbour looking out to the island of Raasay and beyond:-

Portree harbour, pierside buildings:-

Great Wars Memorial Portree, overlooking harbour. Upper inscription (gold lettering) is the same Gaelic phrase that appears on Portree’s War Memorial, Mairidh An Cliu Go Bragh:-

The lower inscription reads, “Lest we forget. Donated by Seoid Portree Primary School War Time Memorial Project 2002-2003. Donated to thank the community. In memory of all who sacrificed so much in The Great Wars”:-

Portree is the main town on the Isle of Skye. Not big in the grand scheme of things but it has enough non-chain shops not to be boring.

The War Memorial is in the town square. It takes the form of a lion-surmounted pillar on a hexagonal base, name panels on five of the lower hexagonal planes. The supplementary (upper) panel is for 1939-45.

The stone wreath here is inscribed 1914-1919, the panel under it, “To the glory of God and in grateful memory of the soldiers and sailors from the mainland of Portree Parish and from South Snizort who died for their country in the Great War 1914-1919. Eternal Honour to the true and brave who for their native land their life blood gave. And in Gaelic, “Mairidh An Cliu Go Bragh”:-

The supplementary upper panel below is for 1939-45 (and includes Private Alice Buchanan ATS) plus a soldier of the Korean War, Private Alastair M Annan.

Again the supplementary upper panel is for 1939-45:-

As well as the three bridges over it I took a few photos of the River Sligachan on Skye and the countryside round about just to remember the landscape.

From the old bridge:-

From the riverside:-

As I said in my posts about it Eilean Donan Castle is situated very near to the village of Dornie in Wester Ross.

Below is a photo of Dornie from the castle. The bridge goes over the entrance to Loch Long and cuts a fair few miles off the trip to Kyle of Lochalsh:-

Dornie from the bridge over Loch Long:-

Part of Loch Alsh and hills from Eilean Donan Castle. Dornie is to right here. You can just see where the water was disturbed at the junction of Loch Long and Loch Alsh:-

Loch Alsh from Eilean Donan Castle, looking seawards, Isle of Skye in middle distance:-

Loch Duich from Eilean Donan Castle looking inland. Dornie is behind and slightly to the left of the viewer here, Loch Alsh off to right:-