we begin our journey in the Isle of Skye
exploring the ancient battle grounds of
rival Highland clans as well as the
geological and historical wonders of the
island
crossing over the sounds we head to the
mainland to see one of Scotland's most
photographed castles the fortress of a
lien donor island hopping over rum and
egg we arrive at mal and from there we
follow the pilgrims path southward to
isolated Iona the historical center of
Scottish Christianity established 1500
years ago then it's back to the mainland
where we'll weave through some of the
Highlands most spectacular locks and
Glen's all steeped in Gaelic myths and
heroic legends we finish our journey in
the town of Fort William at the foot of
Ben Neddy's the highest peak in the
United Kingdom
some say that the Isle of Skye is
conclusive evidence that as God was
creating the world he was plainly
showing off right off the west coast of
Scotland sky is the northernmost island
of the Inner Hebrides its name derives
from the Norse meaning cloudy Island as
it is often cloaked in mist
sky is composed of a series of
peninsulas splaying out from its center
the most visited is the peninsula of
trottin ish
this is staffing off the coast of the
peninsula it is believed to be the last
island in Scotland where the farmer has
his herd of cattle swim between grazing
spots trot Enosh is considered sky's
greatest geological marvel a massive
ancient landslide that spans most of the
30 kilometer long peninsula has exposed
a series of imposing rock faces and a
wonderland of geological formations the
craggy summit of Stoll is without a
doubt the most prominent of these
features and beneath its cliffs is the
spectacular pinnacle known as the old
man of storr like much of sky this rock
formation is steeped in magic and myth
by some accounts the island was once
overrun by giants and one of these
beings was buried with his thumb
still poking out of the ground another
story tells of a man and his wife
fleeing from these giants when they made
the mistake of turning around look at
them they were both turned to stone on
the spot ten kilometres west is dunvegan
castle in times past the Isle of Skye
was the location of a fierce rivalry
between two clans and the clouds and the
McDonnells
this castle was constructed join this
long-standing feud eight hundred years
ago and has been the seat of the MacLeod
clan ever since
situated on lockdown vagin it boasts a
wall garden and a collection of magical
memorabilia within the most prized of
these is the silken fairy flag which as
the legend goes was gifted to the
McClouds by the mischievous fairies of
the island and can be used three times
to save the clan in moments of extreme
danger it has already been used twice
once in a battle against the McDonnells
and once to ward off plague and
starvation
further south are the cool uns
the most impressive mountain range on
Sky
it is fabled that the Sun through his
fiery spear into the ground and where it
struck a massive boil swelled and burst
its contents over the land forming these
mountains and the myth is not far off
the truth as indeed this range was
formed by volcanic activity creating
these black jagged peaks which consist
of crystallized molten matter and the
surrounding red peaks formed from
granite the coolants are prime territory
for intrepid Mountaineers all of skies
12 main Peaks or Monroe's as Scotland's
highest mountains are known lie in the
Kulin range there are plenty of summits
to mount or as the Scots would say
Monroe's to be bagged a few kilometers
eastward is the Scottish mainland which
sits on the other side of the skybridge
controversial from the start the bridge
was at the center of a national argument
about public transport when it opened in
1995 the toll which was expected to be
around $1.00 in today's money ended up
costing over 10 times that amount
this resulted in organized protests
massive fines and a number of arrests in
the end the residents prevailed and the
toll was waived in 2008 the whole of
Scotland became toll free for bridge
crossings a development which sky
residents take some credit for further
to the southeast is Elaine donan castle
one of the most photographed castles in
all of Scotland
built originally in the 13th century to
defend against viking attacks it
steadily increased in size until 1719 it
was in this year that Spanish soldiers
in support of the Jacobite revolution
garrison themselves in the castle to
await supplies the British government
bombarded the Spanish for three days but
the formidable 5 metre thick walls
forced them to storm the building on
foot once inside the soldiers used 350
barrels of gunpowder to destroy the
fortress
Elayne Doonan lay in ruins for 200 years
until left handed Colonel John McCrae
Gilstrap bought the site and structure
in 1911 and restored it to its former
glory along the coast
is the narrowest point between sky in
the mainland the sound of sleet
the name comes from Old Norse meaning
smooth but when the waters of Loch ouch
are squeezed through a narrow gap of
around 200 meters the current creates
the swelling turbulence we see below and
smooth is the last thing that comes to
mind
the subsequent Riptide is notoriously
dangerous
although brave souls have been known to
swim across join karma spells
some 25 kilometers south along the coast
of the mainland is the picturesque town
of mallaig during the 1960's it was the
busiest herring port in Europe despite
its size and modest population of around
800 mallaig is still the main commercial
fishing harbor on the west coast of
Scotland as well as a popular tourist
destination in the summer months from
mallaig you can catch a ferry eastward
to the island of rum formed 65 million
years ago after a volcanic eruption
although rum seems an unlikely site for
settlement it has produced some of the
earliest evidence of human activity
anywhere in Scotland including tools up
to ten thousand years old today rum is
cared for by the Scottish National
Heritage Foundation and most of its 20
residents are involved with the upkeep
of the island in some way which involves
caring for wildlife and reintroducing
native plants just southeast of run is
the island of egg covering around 30
square kilometers and with a mere
population of 90
is small but along with being stunningly
beautiful and teeming with bird life it
is also the site of a human experiment
that has served as an inspiration to
people around the globe in 1997 the
residents of egg collectively bought the
island from its long-term owner and have
since developed a unique community based
on equality and sustainability the power
needs are supplied completely by solar
wind and other alternative energy
sources dotted with small settlements
along its coast is one of the most
heavily gaelic-speaking areas in all of
Scotland the Arden American Peninsula
it is also the site of the first intact
Viking boat burial to be uncovered
complete with sword ax and spear
the interesting geology here is known as
a caldera which is created by the
collapse of land following a series of
volcanic eruptions in this case 55
million years ago and nearby is the
fishing port of tobermory
capital of the Isle of Mull with 3,000
residents it is the most populated area
in the Hebrides archipelago
it's brightly painted houses also makes
it one of the prettiest inhabited spots
in the region
the town is surrounded by the rare
white-tailed sea eagle while dolphins
whales and basking sharks are often
spotted in and around the harbour
although present day Tobermory is only
200 years old the surrounding area is
thriving with romantic history legend
has it a gold laden galleon from the
Spanish Armada lies somewhere on the
seabed waiting to be discovered
deeper into the Isle of Mull is the
rugged landscape that holds ancient and
mystical secrets a 2010 excavation found
remnants of an eighth century Celtic
altar and the bones of the hermetic
monks that live nearby caves are full of
Neolithic artifacts and ancient stone
circles as well as 6,000 year old
hilltop forts called Dunn's are
scattered about the mountainous
countryside the island was a center of
early Scottish Christianity due to its
proximity to the highly religious Isle
of Iona as a result medieval graveyards
and the remnants of 5th century chapels
add to the layers of history here and to
top it off like most of these Isles Mull
was overrun by Vikings until the 13th
century to the south is Locke Nikhil's
island fill bay centuries ago this would
have been part of the route pilgrims
took to reach the Isle of Iona
there are no major settlements along
here and so the area is a prime habitat
and popular breeding ground for the
whitetail sea eagle and other wildlife
isolated off the coast of Mull this is
the last place you'd expect to find a
farmhouse but here it is on the island
of little Colin say it was once the
childhood summer escape of author
Cressida Cowell who described the island
as the kind of place you'd expect to see
a dragon overhead nearby is an island
that's been an important location for
Christians for 1400 years Iona st.
Columba arrived on the island in 563 AD
and under his influence it became one of
Europe's centres of learning during the
Dark Ages Iona Abbey is built on the
site of Columbus original monastery
where holy texts were copied religious
poetry composed and even a guide to the
Holy Land written Kings Nobles holy men
and humble pilgrims traveled to the
monastery both in life and death some to
study and pray and some to be buried in
the sacred soil and it still draws
pilgrims today from a later period of
Scottish history is this magnificent
13th century stronghold perched on a
headland of the Isle of Mull dirt castle
it was given to Lachlan clan chief of
the McLean's to his wife as a diary and
went on to service the seat of the
MacLaine's for more than 300 years in
1653 john oliver cromwell's reign a
fleet of six ships attempted to ransack
the castle resulting in three of these
ships being wrecked on the shores in our
storm and the remaining three turning
back the castle was eventually destroyed
in the next century and remained so
until 1910 when the 26th chief of the
clan Fitzroy Donald MacLean bought the
site it has since been renovated had
been open to visitors since 1995
with the landscape bathed in dappled
light we leave the Isle of Mull
here are a stretch of C known as the
sound of mul separates the island from
the mainland ferry still carry
passengers to all the islands we visited
so far on this journey
crossing the sound we pass lists more
island and its distinctive white
lighthouse with a geology of unique
Highland limestone a fault line runs
directly beneath resulting in the
otherworldly landscape we see here an
amongst these uneven jagged green hills
lived the hundred and forty-six
residents of the island rearing cattle
and sheep on top of these dense layers
of history on the way to the mainland is
the Ardwick nish Bay where we're
reminded of perhaps the most ubiquitous
element in the history of these islands
the Vikings arriving in the Scottish
Isles around 800 AD Viking ships like
this reconstruction roamed the LOX and
seas for 500 years asserting their
dominance through sheer terror and
violence they destroyed the
sophisticated kingdoms of the Picts and
Scots that had dominated previously
reducing their civilization to rubble
the Vikings were finally expelled around
the 13th century
as the water moves at high tide from odd
McNish Bay into locative it races
through a narrow channel and creates
this churning whitewater known as the
Falls of Nora
but as we move deeper into the lock
which snakes in land for about 25
kilometers the waters become calm and
enchanting the mountains of atif glen
surround the lock below it is said that
the Gaelic goddess Deirdre fled to this
glen with her husband Nisha and his
brothers they spent a happy time here
hunting and fishing until misfortune
finally befell them but some still
believe that you can find their spirits
wandering the glen in the form of swamps
here in western Scotland large valleys
or Glen's weave through the landscape
each with its own local legend this is
Glen King glass and it's story is a
modern parable on the ill effects of
progress it tells of a long resident
hermit living in this Glenn who visitors
in the 1950s would travel great
distances to see but he was eventually
pushed off his land with the
construction of the a83 highway
we continue the journey in land between
the mountains of Glen ative until
eventually the grass turns brown and the
river becomes a trickle these Glen's
were carved out by slowly moving glacier
sheets of ice that slipped down towards
the sea 10,000 years ago the last
significant glacier of the Ice Age once
sat here at ranek mall when it finally
melted the earth rebounded upwards and
continues to do so rising about two to
three millimeters a year and as the
surface layer of peat dries out roots of
old pine trees dating from the pre Ice
Age Caledonian forests are uncovered
today ranek mall is one of the last
great wildernesses in europe the land
here is composed of blanket bog peat
rivers and rocky outcrops sitting atop a
bed of granite
this makes the land extremely difficult
to develop and so it remains a sanctuary
for wildlife like its neighbours Glencoe
was also carved out by the movement of
giant glaciers
it is well known as the legendary home
of one of the great Gaelic heroes
Finland he is hailed as the warrior who
finally drove out the mighty Viking
invader King Eragon
after the time of Finland the Glen
eventually fell into the control of the
MacDougall clan who built up a small
Empire here it was taken from the
MacDougall's after they fought against
Robert the Bruce the liberator of
Scotland in 1308 and handed to the
McDonnells who were allied with Robert
the MacDonald stayed in the Glen for 300
years before suffering a bloody massacre
here in 1691 at the hands of their
longtime rivals the Campbells having
thought a piece had been reached the
McDonnells offered the Campbells
hospitality and lodging much to their
misfortune for that night
the Campbells carried out the massacre
killing 40 Macdonald men in their sleep
and setting the rest running to the
hills to starve to death the waters of
Glencoe run westward and drain
eventually into the majestically lit
Loch Leven
the waters of Levin then squeeze into
the much larger Loch Lenny at 50
kilometers long it is one of the bays
locks in Scotland
traveling northward we arrived at the
second most popular settlement in the
Scottish Highlands
after Inverness Fort William the name
pays testament to its history as indeed
the town grew up around a fort built
Joanie English Civil War to keep an eye
on the local population it was then used
to quail Jacobite uprisings in the early
18th century
and named in honor of those very same
uprisings is the Jacobite steam train
the locomotive carries passengers from
Fort William daily taking two hours to
reach the fishing town of mallaig the
route was completed in 1901 in an
attempt to open up the remote western
coast and to increase trade with times
like mallaig for the next 80 years the
line was rarely used as a result heavily
subsidized by the government having been
replaced by diesel engines no steam
trains were in use on the line until
1984 when British Rail reintroduced the
steam locomotive in an attempt to boost
tourism and bring revenue to the line
and it worked these days the scenic ride
is described by some as the greatest
train journey in the world
passengers enjoy spectacular views of
many of the islands we've seen on our
trip as well as Scotland's deepest Lough
Britain's highest mountain and scenery
from movies like Highlander and local
hero and not only do passengers see
locations from popular movies they get
to ride in them too because the Jacobite
steam train stood in for the Hogwarts
Express in the Harry Potter movies
for perhaps the most impressive sight on
the train journey is ben nevis looming
over Fort William at 1350 meters
it's Britain's highest mountain the name
Ben Nevis is an anglicisation of the
original Gaelic which is translated both
as the malicious mountain all more
comfortingly
as the man with his head in the clouds
its first recorded ascent was completed
in 1771
but now the mountain is an extremely
popular climb with over a hundred
thousand a cents a year a perfect place
to end his journey
Oh