Up bright and early again and we’re off to hike to Steall Waterfall! Got checked out and on the road by 7:30 so we made it to the trailhead by around 8 am so we could get going.
The hiking path was at the bottom of a valley and wound around the stream coming off the waterfall. It was about a 30 min. hike to the waterfall over somewhat rocky terrain. The trail ended in a beautiful meadow underneath the waterfall.
I gave the cable bridge a try before declaring that it was going to be a ‘no’ for me. We got some great pictures of the waterfall, ate some snacks for breakfast, and then headed back to the car.
The Glenfinnian Viaduct was next and we managed to time our visit perfectly so that we arrived 15 minutes before the Jacobite came over the viaduct, bellowing clouds of steam just like the Hogwarts Express.
The next part of the drive was two hours from Glenfinnian to Eilean Donan castle, just before you get to the Skye Bridge. We drove through some breathtaking mountains and beside so many lochs on the way there. The roads were winding and I still cannot believe that we are supposed to be going the posted speed limit of 60 mph (!).
We got to the castle and did a loop through the inside to look at all the interesting McCray clan family history (photos not allowed…). It’s really well preserved and so cool to see how they have reconstructed the castle.
After going through the castle (and gift shop!) we headed back on the road to Skye. It took about an hour to get to Portree after a brief stopover to get gas along the way (1.57/lt. or $9.62/gallon) which was cheap compared to all the stations we passed on the way.
We got to the Royal Hotel and got checked in and then began our search for a restaurant that wasn’t already booked up. Thirty minutes later, we decided to take a break and got a drink and sat and enjoyed the nice weather for a bit. After a cider and local beer we started searching for a place to eat dinner again. No such luck. After waiting in line for a while we discovered our hotel had a nice menu and just headed back there for another drink and some hearty dinner :)
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