Travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams
* * A books and crafts store in Portree, in the Isle of Skye, had several DVDs of the movie Stardust (2007) displayed prominently in one of its shelves. I thought the owner simply liked Stardust — I do, it’s one of my favorite movies, […]
* ♥ “There was a drought in Skye recently,” said Donald Nicolson. “It didn’t rain for 6 hours.” Donald and his wife Claire run Skye Scenic Tours and we were in Donald’s van for their popular one-day tour (30 GBP as of September 2015) around […]
* “I am being eaten alive!” cried Pippin. “Midgewater! There are more midges than water!” “What do they live on when they can’t get hobbit?” asked Sam, scratching his neck. * Well, Master Gamgee, they live on me, for one — at least that day we went […]
* ♥ “How about a short walk?” My sister said at around noon on our first day in Portree, in the Isle of Skye. We had just had brunch and truthfully I was feeling a bit sluggish — well, who wouldn’t, after a plateful of bacon, scrambled eggs, […]
♥ You know you’re in Scotland when: . . And: . . Though this one has got a good Westeros game going on: . * But Portree, the largest town in Skye, is more than the sum of its puns. Its most iconic landmark is the […]
* “Skyewalker?” The bus driver immediately asked when we told him we were going to Portnalong. That he could guess where we were putting down our backpacks for the next few days was not a surprise; there are few options for accommodations in Portnalong. In fact, my sister and […]
* Portnalong isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to people’s minds when they think of visiting the Isle of Skye. There are no tourist attractions in Portnalong itself; the nearest is probably the Talisker Distillery in Carbost, about an hour’s walk away. There are […]
* They say it’s the journey, not the destination. On the train ride from Inverness to Kyle of Localsh, that’s certainly true. The train journeys between Fort William and Mallaig and between Inverness and Kyle of Localsh are generally acknowledged to be among the best in the world in terms […]
* ♥ 15 September — In Skye, in the middle of nowhere, is Portnalong. The night before we arrived in Skye, we met a guy in a bar. He had grown up in Portnalong…and left as soon as he was able. “Don’t get me wrong,” he […]