On the road to Skye.....

We said goodbye to Inverness and began making our way to the Isle of Skye which is on the western end of Scotland. 

Sunset on the canal in Inverness.

Our itinerary included an overnight stay in Shieldaig on Loch Shieldaig, a stop at Eliean Donan Castle and then entry into Skye.  Little did we realize how much beauty we would be confronted with so quickly.  Heading west we took the A835 to the A832.  This was a beautiful stretch of 2-lane road traveling mostly in a valley and passing frequent lochs and streams. 

The amazing thing about this country is that although we are only 800 to 1500 feet above sea level you feel like you are very high in elevation.  That is because (at least for me) there are no trees.  There is just vast openness.

Eventually we turned onto A896.  Another small two-lane road right? No!  It was a single track road with frequent passing areas.  WOW!  It was a bit nerve racking at first until we got the hang of it.  In reality it felt a lot safer because we weren't hugging the side of the road.  It was a great deal of fun (more for me than Jenny!).

A "Single Track" road.  70 miles of one-lane road!

The one lane road we were on passed through these incredibly large "estates" where occasionally you could stop, hike, and take it all in.  Check out the slide show below to see more of the Torridon Estate.

We arrived at our destination, Shielddaig, later that afternoon.  The town sits on Loch Shieldaig and is arranged like many lakefront towns in the United Kingdom - open space and beach are separated from a the commercial village by a single road.  We stayed at a great little Inn, hiked in the afternoon, and had an amazing meal next door.  The pub downstairs was great and made for great people watching! (slideshow below)