The Isle of Skye is an untouched beauty. The beautiful Isle of Skye is Scotland in miniature Where to find a builder

Isle of Skye - unexplored Europe, here time seems to have stopped. For some, the island is a European outback, for others it is the amazing beauty of Scotland. In general, Scotland amazes with its beauty, and the Isle of Skye is proof of this - mountainous terrain with little vegetation and abundant rainfall at any time of the year, it would seem that it could be worse, but after visiting the island you understand that this is a real fairy-tale paradise.

The Isle of Skye is the second largest island of Great Britain, not counting Great Britain itself, located in the Inner Hebrides archipelago, in the west of Scotland. Administratively, it is part of the Highland region of Scotland and is a rare area where local population speaks the almost extinct Gaelic language. The island's population is small, just over 10 thousand people. The main town is Portree.

• Area: 1656 km²;
• Water area: Atlantic Ocean;
• Population: 10,000.

Get to the island

The only sure way to get to the island is to cross the Sky Bridge, which connects it with mainland part in the village of Kyle of Lochalsh. You can do this by bus or car. In addition, you can consider the water option, since both Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh are port settlements.

Selection favorable air tickets through Aviadiscounter (searches like Aviasales + a selection of airline promotions and sales).

And for selection intercity transport(planes, trains, buses) across Europe, try , the service offers the best ways to travel along popular routes.

Or make your own route.

Attractions

Nature itself is the main attraction of the island. IN summer time and in sunny weather the island looks simply magnificent, combining rich green and blue colors. Black basalt rocks along the horizon give this landscape a more unrealistic setting. Still, it is best to go to the island with your own or rented car, since the transport infrastructure on the island is not developed. But those voting on the road local residents They'll be happy to give you a ride. To get the best view of the island, you don’t need to work out any route - follow the road and stop at each View Point. These are peculiar observation platforms where there are signs describing the place.

The following must-see places can be recommended - these are the Old Man of Storr rocks, which from a distance resemble Cambodian temple complex. There is a lake nearby. The next viewpoint worth visiting is called Diatomite Road, where mining villages were once located. Today, only ruins remain of them. There is a gorge located near the Diatomite Road. Another interesting place is the Kilt Mountains and the famous waterfall here. This place is definitely worth a visit if you come to the Isle of Skye.

Services for tourists that will allow you to save or get more for the same money:

• Insurance: the journey begins with choosing a profitable insurance company, allows you to choose the best option according to your requirements;
• Flight: Aviasales looks for the best tickets, you can also find airline promotions and sales in Aviadiscounter;
• Trains: reliable service for searching train tickets ZHDBILET.COM;
• Accommodation: first we choose a hotel through (they have the largest database), and then see which site is cheaper to book it through RoomGuru;
• Movements: You can order an inexpensive transfer to the airport and back, you can also rent a car on (Economybookings). In some countries, renting a car may be cheaper than public transport (for example, in Portugal);
• Entertainment: excursions from locals Russian speaking guides worldwide order at

The Isle of Harris is a small Scottish island scented with wildflowers and a variety of landscapes. In the north and east - Rocky Mountains(Mount Clisham - highest point everyone Hebrides), in the west there are numerous lakes, yellow sand beaches and emerald water, dolphins and eagles, whales and seals.

The island does not have such clearly marked historical monuments, and there is no need for them in moments of enjoying the untouched civilization of these wildly beautiful places.

There is a ferry from Harris to the largest of western islands Scotland - Isle of Skye.

Coordinates: 57.91042500,-6.82997700

Isle of Skye

The Isle of Skye attracts with its enchanting deserted landscapes, the Kulin Mountains, ancient castles and endless coastlines.

The island is the fourth most populous island in Scotland. According to the 2001 census, it is home to more than 9,000 inhabitants. The largest populated city is Portree. The most widely spoken language on the island is Scottish Gaelic.

The highest point of the island is the Kulin Mountains, 993 meters above sea level. The mountain tops are almost always shrouded in fog, as Skye's climate is maritime, humid and with frequent rainfall. Nature enchants with its sea lakes, coastlines, hills, lush vegetation, peat moors, forests, cliffs and rock formations, waterfalls, as well as beautiful castles. On the Waternish peninsula is Dunvegan Castle, home to the leaders of Clan MacLeod.

The island can be reached from Glasgow or Inverness via the Skye Bridge, or from Glasgow to the village of Mallaig, and then by ferry to Ardvasar pier.

Coordinates: 57.25528100,-6.20178200

Isle of Bute

The Isle of Bute is located in the Bay of Argyll, which west coast Scotland. This island was once an aristocratic Victorian resort.

The climate on the island is temperate, sunny and almost windless. The island is dominated by hills and coastal lowlands. Its largest city is considered to be Rozsay, where the ruins of a 13th-century castle have been preserved, which testifies to the aristocratic history of the island. This castle previously served a defensive function. Now on the island there is the residence of one of the richest families in Great Britain - Mount Suart Castle. There are also many architectural monuments on the island that testify to military history Bute and surrounding areas.

The waters surrounding the island are cold and it is cold to swim, but the fresh sea air, parks and gardens make for a successful walk that can bring true pleasure and rest.

One of the main components of the local economy of the island is fishing.

Coordinates: 55.83383100,-5.10014500

Isle of Arran

The north side of the island has high mountains and deep gorges, while the warm, mild south has swamps, forests, farmland and even some excellent sandy beaches, which are however quite difficult to reach. On the southeast coast there are the more accessible resorts of Lemlesh and Whiting Bay, while to the west are the vertical stones of Mehri Mur, where six stone circles remain from Neolithic times.

Britons, Romans, Varangians lived on the island for thousands of years and they all left their mark, which currently represents a large collection archaeological sites. The island offers a variety of outdoor activities, and there is an excellent cycle path that circles the entire island.

On east coast, near a wide bay, surrounded by mountains, located main city Arran and ferry pier - Brodick. And at the foot of the very high mountain Goat Fell, just to the north, is Brodick Castle with its wonderful gardens containing one of the finest collections of rhododendrons in Europe.

In the northern part of the island you can visit Lochranza - this is a remarkable village with the ruins of a 13th-century castle that stood on the isthmus. The northern territory of Arran is the territory of amazing golden eagles. The bare granite cliffs and enchantingly rugged surroundings provide stunning walking and climbing opportunities.

Coordinates: 55.58261400,-5.20820600

Sights of Scotland

Skye, the second largest island of Scotland, part of the Inner Hebrides archipelago, is devoted to only a meager couple of paragraphs in the Russian Wikipedia.

It says the following: the island from the point of view administrative division belongs to the Highland region (that is, “highlands”), by and large, the only region of the country where the population still speaks not only English, but also the almost extinct Gaelic language; Several castles remain on the island, and the main city of Skye is the small fishing port of Portree. In a word, nothing special, ladies and gentlemen, a typical Scottish outback.

However, sometimes a lack of information is preferable to an overabundance, since it eliminates the possibility of inflated expectations. At least that's what happened with the Isle of Skye. Going there, I didn’t expect anything special, but found myself in a real fairy-tale land.

You reach the island from the Scottish mainland via a bridge that is invariably shrouded in fog. Because of this, while crossing the bridge there was a feeling that our little Fiat 500 was literally diving headlong into the clouds, but when the fog cleared, it was like in the old Soviet song, suddenly “everything around became blue and green.”

Only the black basalt rocks on the horizon gave the landscape a slight bit of drama, otherwise the feeling that we had suddenly found ourselves inside a photograph processed by a designer who could not resist intensifying colors would have been one hundred percent.

Isle of Skye and Old Man of Storr cliffs

Getting around Skye requires a car. public transport There’s not much to see on the island, but you notice hitchhikers voting on the road every ten minutes.

You don’t have to work out the route in advance, just move along the road and stop at each View Point. From mandatory places For a visit I would like to recommend the Old Man of Storr rocks, and the gorge near the diatomite road, the rest will fall like a map in the literal sense of this expression. It is easy to recognize the observation decks - opposite there are signs describing the place in English and Gaelic.

Famous rocks Old Man of Storr, the silhouette of which resembles the Cambodian temple complex of Angor Wat, is the first thing that guests of the island strive to see, among whom there are many Scots traveling around Skye in motorhomes.

As expected, the Scottish old man Storr (this is how the name of the rocks is translated) has a mysterious story connected with it, in which the Vikings are involved. The fact is that at the end of the nineteenth century, among the stones of Old Man of Storr, researchers discovered a “stash of silver” left in the Scottish rocks by the Norwegians. Scientists dated the coins to 935 AD.

It is curious that, according to the chronicles, the first Norwegian Vikings arrived on the island a little later, at the very end of the tenth century, and now scientists are thinking: the chroniclers telling about the Viking migration were mistaken by a couple of decades, or the Vikings hid a treasure with old coins.

Lakes near Old Man of Storr

However, tourists are not too interested in this small discrepancy in dates, but prefer to hike to the rocks that arose after the ice that covered Skye during the last ice age disappeared from the top of the island.

The duration of the walk is about 40 minutes, but it is still more interesting to contemplate the Old Man of Storr rocks from the valley; from below they seem like menacing giants who have been silently watching over everything that is happening on the island for many centuries.

Second Observation deck- straight ahead, located next to Diatomite Road, that is, the place where diatomite is mined - a sedimentary rock, the main material for the production of dynamite.

Viewpoint next to Diatomite Road

Previously, there were mining villages here, but today only ruins can be seen on the green slopes near Diatomite Road, and only ruins remain from the local diatomite processing factory.

The cliffs covered with soft green grass, hanging over the azure sea, like the eyes of northern beauties, look like the scenery for a fantasy-style film with a story about how she “waited and waited until it came.”

Indeed, if beautiful ladies should live somewhere, going out to the sea every day in the hope of seeing on the horizon a boat with a betrothed returning from an overseas campaign, then best place than the cliffs of the mountains with the truly Scottish name Kilt and it’s not worth looking for.

Of course, in reality, on the coastal cliffs you can see not at all sad ladies peering longingly at the horizon, but tourists desperately photographing local beauties.

However, everyone, without exception, at some point catches themselves thinking that constantly clicking the camera in an attempt to capture the changing colors of the sky and sea is nothing more than a conscious refusal of the pleasure of contemplating the amazing beauty of this place, and therefore they put the camera aside and, not caring caution, they sit down at the very edge of the cliff and begin to peer into the deep blue sky, thoughtfully clinging to the transparent surface of the sea.

The Coast of Skye is a place of amazing energy

From the point of view of meditation and contemplation, the shore near the diatomaceous earth road is an ideal place, and this is not only due to the amazing beauty of Scottish nature. Here, every stone breathes majestic tranquility, it’s hard to believe that material for dynamite was previously mined in these mountains, and in the Norwegian saga of the thirteenth century with the difficult-to-pronounce title Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar, this place appears as a bloody battlefield.

Having meditated enough, we decided to become like mountain sheep and went down to the waterfall rustling at the foot of the mountains. Although the slopes of Kilt from the top seem absolutely impassable, you can go down and up along their paths, albeit slowly and carefully.

And the local waterfall, as it turned out, is completely excellent place for swimming. Its shape resembles a deep bowl, into which you can easily and naturally dive from the stone side. While swimming in the waterfall, I remembered a scene from my favorite childhood movie “Robin Hood” with Kevin Cosner in the title role, in approximately the same conditions the king of the robbers “took a bath” when Lady Marianne, who arrived in Sherwood Forest, noticed him.

While swimming in a mountain waterfall, you experience an amazing feeling of unity with nature.

Unfortunately, few people dare to go down to the waterfall, and only the most stubborn get to the local bay, which is located near the gorge and an abandoned factory.

The fact is that the entire coast near the bay is strewn with large smooth boulders, on which you have to step with extreme caution so as not to injure your leg. It is also unlikely that you will be able to sit thoughtfully on the shore of the blue-blue sea - the local boulders, although smooth, are not at all a cushion chair or even a soft carpet of grass.

Of course, from the point of view of impressive views, it is best to stay at the top rather than crawl up and down the mountains, but the descent into the bay is a full-fledged exercise in the theme of “feeling like a real Scottish Highlander.”

A destroyed factory that used to produce raw materials for dynamite.

Having admired the duet of the blue sea and green mountains from the heart, go deep into the island. Here you find yourself in a land of a thousand shades of green, where the blue of the sky already seems like nothing more than a background, shading the green slopes of the mountains.

In the center of the island, the mountains are covered with a green carpet of grass.

Bold, but at the same time timid Scottish sheep jump out onto the road every now and then, but, on the contrary, there are no people or cars at all. It seems that you somehow ended up on a planet that people left a hundred years ago, and now you are the only one who can observe these green slopes frozen in silence.

You won't find people or cars in the center of the island.

Lonely sheep in the center of the island

By the way, the fantasy on the theme “the last man on earth” is not too far from reality, because on the island, whose area is 1656.25 km², a little more than 10 thousand people live, and in the largest local city— Portree, according to official data, has only 2,490 inhabitants.

Although, in essence, Portree is just a small fishing village with colorful houses and an embankment, where there are even more seagulls than people, after desertion mountainous areas this place seems full of life.

Harbor with fishing boats, Portree

The stalls selling fish are crowded with customers, in the pubs (here this word is pronounced with a Scottish accent, which makes it sound like “pub”) visitors drink an evening pint of ale, and from the cafes comes the recognizable oily smell of Fish & Chips, which locals take away and eat right on the embankment, without being embarrassed by the greedy glances of the eternally hungry seagulls.

In Portree, it makes sense to follow the example of the Scots - sit on a bench on the embankment, devouring Fish & Chips and periodically feeding them to starving birds. After the deserted expanses of Skye, go to a relatively Big City- the solution is not very successful; it is still worth returning to human noise gradually.

And finally, another interesting one historical fact, associated with the Scottish Isle of Skye. When I wrote about it, I did not mention one interesting document that was created in Ravenna in 700 AD. It is called Cosmography of Ravenna and is a map of the world. The Isle of Skye is also marked on it under the name Scetis, which means that the ancient Romans or Byzantines visited here long before the Vikings.

Photographer Davide Bacelle

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Yulia Malkova- Yulia Malkova - founder of the website project. In the past, he was the editor-in-chief of the elle.ru Internet project and the editor-in-chief of the cosmo.ru website. I talk about travel for my own pleasure and the pleasure of my readers. If you are a representative of hotels or a tourism office, but we do not know each other, you can contact me by email: [email protected]

With the sharply increased density of travel in the last six months, I chronically do not have time to talk about all the interesting places I have visited. Just 3 weeks ago I was in beautiful Scotland, but I didn’t have time to publish even half of the articles due to the fact that no less interesting ones were then “layered” in a continuous stream. Meanwhile, during the week in Scotland we managed to see a lot; we got behind the wheel at 9-10 am every day and crawled out of the car at 9-10 pm. We traveled an incredible number of kilometers along mountain roads, took ferries to the Orkney Islands, reached the northernmost mainland point of Great Britain and much more. Today I’ll tell you about the most mountainous and picturesque island Scotland - Isle of Skye.

Geographically, the Isle of Skye belongs to the Inner Hebrides archipelago, administratively to the Highlands, and the history of the island is so deep and rich that it would be difficult to even briefly fit it into a small article. People have lived there since the Bronze Age, later Irish tribes landed on the island and founded their kingdom there, then the Viking period, then there were clan battles, then endless wars with the British. Currently, about 10 thousand people live on the island. Even on the island to this day, almost half of the population speaks the Gali language and you will definitely hear it at one stage or another of the trip.

There are two ways to get to the island: through the bridge built in 1995 and connecting Skye to the mainland and by ferry from the port village of Mallaig to Armadale. We tried both methods: we sailed there by ferry, and back across the bridge. The first method takes longer, but it is extremely interesting, you drive the car onto the ship and sail for almost an hour among the islands and mountain peaks -

We are first in line -

It should be noted that ferry crossings in the UK are far from cheap for motorists: for a voyage of even less than an hour we paid 40 pounds for four people, including a car. As a regular passenger without a car, such pleasure costs around 4.5 pounds.

Let's set sail -

Scotland is divine, and the Isle of Skye is like the whole of Scotland in miniature. As soon as you land on the island, the landscapes that will take your breath away begin -

Constant lambs -

Local cows are distinguished by their powerful build and curly heads -

Notice how much the baby looks like dad -

Beauty awaits you even where you did not expect to see it. Just an example, we stopped somewhere according to the principle “boys to the left - girls to the right” and this is what we found -

The bright green hills are Scotland's signature...

After visiting the Isle of Skye, we spent the night in the tiny town of Culeakin in the southeast of the island and then crossed the bridge back to “mainland” Great Britain.

Alena publishes in parallel with me crazybagzy I read her articles with great interest. It seems like we traveled together, but it’s always interesting to look at the same thing through the eyes of another person :)

Cost of the trip, if anyone is interested. For the information, special thanks to my travel companion Ilya:

Rental - 205 pounds for a week, ordered Vauxhall (Opel) Insignia, given Zafira.
- Gasoline for the same period (2300 km, ~190 l.) - 258 pounds.
- Ferry to Skye (Mallaig - Armadale) - 4.5 per person, 23.25 per car
- Ferry to Orkney and back (Gills Bay - St. Margaret's Hope) - 28 per person, 66 per car (by the way, there may be options here that are a little cheaper, but longer).

Hotels in Scotland, in order, prices per double:
39
75
80
79
50
60
67
In Manchester - 54.

I borrow a few more numbers from Alena’s post “Scotland. How much does it cost?” I myself kept very approximate records, and if they ask me about the budget for the trip, I might get something mixed up. So, I give my word to Alena -

Food. I had a hard time with food. Firstly, my taste preferences did not agree with my fellow travelers (for some reason I always wanted borscht with cutlets and, quite surprisingly, Snickers). Secondly, the food in the UK is somehow very bad. It's either fish & chips or fried sausages and eggs, and more normal food is expensive (for example, seafood, which is famous for northern cities). I kept trying to find haggis as delicious as in Edinburgh, but to no avail. The cheapest lunch was in an Indian restaurant - 6 pounds, the most expensive in a Chinese restaurant - about 15-18 pounds. The rest of the time we bought food at Tesco and ate it right in the car, since we simply didn’t have enough time, we already exchanged food for the mountains on the first day.

Food in supermarkets is cheap and tasty, not at all comparable to ours. A good piece of prepared salmon or their local fish - 2.5-4 lbs. Various types of prepared meat, jamon, sausages – 2-4 lbs. Fruits – 1 lb. Berries – 2 lbs. (and blueberries grow everywhere for free anyway). Packet of salads -1-2 lbs. Box of cherry tomatoes – 1 lb. Pack of 6 dessert yoghurts - 1.3 lb. Even a pack of 6 large Snickers costs £1. And I got a piece of delicious blue cheese for a ridiculous 2 pounds. Only coffee is expensive - 2.3 - 2.5 per glass. I drank liters of coffee, as the insanely fresh air kept making me feel sleepy. In the mornings, the hotels had breakfast, although on the 8th day I began to hate eggs and sausages. A pint of evening Guinness - 4 £, whiskey - from 3 £. for 50 gr.

Accommodation. A day in a hotel is from 30 to 40 pounds per person for a double, + 10 pounds extra for single occupancy in a double (they simply don’t have singles). The hotels here are very funny and unusual. Three times we stayed in the Be spoke hotel chain. Their signature difference: beautiful building outside and everything is very confusing inside, no wi-fi and the floors are completely covered with tartan woolen blankets. When someone walks along a labyrinthine corridor, his stomping can probably be heard by the entire hotel.

The system for turning on hot water is actually some kind of puzzle. Not only was it different in all hotels, but also in each room the water turned on differently or was completely absent. In some you need to press buttons, in others there is a tap in a tap, and that one, like a nesting doll, is in another tap. And thirdly, in general, who would have guessed that in addition to all the turns and pressures on the tap, you also need to pull the string on the ceiling. I wish I had photographed them all.

But we drove past our final refuge several times and ignored JPRS because we couldn’t believe it was our hotel! Moreover, there was not a single person anywhere in this city, only hares ran in crowds along the roads. We even joked that there was a plague in the city and all the inhabitants died out. But then it turned out that the entrance was in a neighboring building. Imagine that the price of a room per night is 74 pounds. Although, despite the building and the sign, the hotel turned out to be homely, comfortable and with hospitable hosts. I liked him the most.

What can you get for free? Yes, a lot, if you walk past the ticket office with an insolent face, for example, as we did at Fort George in Inverness.

Parking in cities is paid everywhere. To stop somewhere to eat, you still need to find a place to leave the car. One time we did it near the church. The second time they abandoned me under some hotel with a sign “for our own people only.”

Wifi is a problem in Scotland. By chance it turned out that there is one at Inverness Airport, and it’s free, which I didn’t expect at all. But in Gatwick an hour of Wi-Fi is approx. 3 f. But under the price tag, in gray small print, it says that they are giving a “complimentary” of 30 minutes, after which you need to register. After these 30 min. I decided to try to register a new user and, oh gods, Wi-Fi went. So, before the departure, I made a lot of new users.

There are also many tours and excursions organized throughout Scotland itself, which are unreasonably expensive. But all the most interesting places are in non-tourist areas, you just need to not be afraid to climb over the barbed wire. And you can even see cats for free if you really want to and are not afraid of anything...

For all of us, the Isle of Skye was perhaps the highlight of the entire trip. Judge for yourself: a mountainous island in the far north-west of Great Britain, located in the Inner Hybrids archipelago, with a population of only 10 thousand inhabitants who speak Gaelic and are direct descendants of the Scandinavian Vikings!

The Isle of Skye is the patrimony of the legendary Scottish MacLeod clan (everyone has seen the film “Highlander”). The island has always been isolated from mainland Scotland, and the first bridge was built only in 1999. In general, the wilderness and wild beauty are unreal for Europe! "Island of impressions" and "a photographer's dream." Quiraing Pass, cliffs and Kilt Rock waterfall, and an unreal storm at Neist Point, and to top it all off - the most sincere hostess in our wonderful mini-guesthouse. I even left a review!

By evening we finally reached the capital of the Isle of Skye - the city of Portree. The town is tiny, population only 2500 people, but 100% authentic. Only one seafood bar sea ​​pier what is it worth? Without a doubt I would spend at least one summer here!

It was in Portree that we were lucky to stay in the most wonderful mini-hotel run by a wonderful granny. Another +100 to the place. Must do! I recommend everyone to spend at least a couple of days here. Immersion in serenity is guaranteed! I’m generally silent about delicious jams :)

The island is quite large (more than 60 kilometers long) and is literally crammed with the fantastic beauty of the North Atlantic!

As I said earlier, I went on this trip completely unprepared and when I saw this inscription in an incomprehensible language, I literally fell into a stupor. It turned out that Gaelic is the second language official language the islands are on par with English.

And when I came to the edge of the cliff... I think comments are unnecessary here.

On this day we made the maximum number of stops per 1 kilometer of the journey.

Waterfall directly into the sea. Behind Kilt Rock!

I have seen few such bright, powerful places, but I had to move on, to the mountains!

The Quiraing rocks are the main natural attraction of the Isle of Skye and we even planned a short two-hour hike, but after getting out of the car we all settled down for a picnic right on the green lawn, and when we were about to get ready for the hike, it began to rain. Well, that means it’s not fate!

Quiraing, the place is, of course, mega powerful! The remains of ancient volcanoes, with their rocky slopes facing the fierce North Atlantic winds!

Along the narrow mountain road we went down to the western coast of the island. The most beautiful place Uig in full view! When passing such places I always think about the same thing. What will happen if a person who was born and lived half his life in such beauty is moved to our cities?!

In general, there are already more than enough beauties for this day, but a plan is a plan, and we stopped at another popular place called “Fairy Glen”. We climbed through funny sinkholes and bulges, found (ancient?) stone things and photographed the Most Beautiful Sheep in the World!

In the evening we walked around Portree. First of all, to the pier. Here you understand with all your senses what life at sea is like!

The second day of our stay on the Isle of Skye turned out to be a blast! The route for the first half of this day: Portree - Dunvegan Castle of the MacLeod clan - Neist Point - Sky Bridge

Early in the morning we had another run around Portree with our iPhone. There will be no more chance to see the city!

This is the view of the secluded bay that opened up to us every morning!

We were unlucky with Dunvegan Castle of the MacLeod clan - it was pouring like buckets! It's a pity! By the way, this is the oldest inhabited castle in Scotland. The MacLeod clan has lived in this place for over 800 years!!!

Despite the bad weather, the most beautiful road along secluded bays and tiny villages we stubbornly moved to the north of the island. Here I realized that the phrase “a house by the sea and your own secluded cove” means nothing to a resident of the Isle of Skye. There are ten bays here for each resident!