Walking in Scotland: Isle of Skye

While visiting Scotland with Liz, Evan and Mary about twenty years ago, caught a ride from the shores of Loch Ness to a point opposite the Isle of Skye (An t-Eilean Sgitheanach in Gaelic). Crossed over on a ferry boat and walked for miles, eventually settling in at Fiordhem, Ord, on the Sleat Penninsula, in an old converted fisherman's cottage. The Viking influence was evident in the local people -- no surprise, given the Vikings began making landings on Skye by the early 800s, built settlements and often held sway there for the next four hundred plus years.

Later Scottish clans descended at least in part from the Norsemen. Clan MacLeod, for instance, links back to Olaf the Black (ca. 1173–1237).

To make a long post short, Skye rocked! You want different, try Skye. There are fewer people there now than there were in the 1800s, in part because of "The Clearances," forced removal of much of the population by English overlords and their allies. It's eerie to see the stone outlines of abandoned villages as you walk along old pathways by the shoreline. You want to see a lot of swooping birds, and seals sunning themselves on rocks? Try Skye. Trust me, it's worth the trek.

Today's Rune: Possessions/Fehu.