June 25, 2024
Everyone in their places and buckled in. Grant rides shotgun with his iPhone powered up for navigation and he sets the coordinates to Fairy Glen. Rather than travel along the eastern coast and round the northern tip of the Isle of Skye, Grant sees a road, or rather a narrow winding lane with some pavement that cuts across the Isle from east to west, this will be a shorter route to the Fairy Glen he assures us. We believe him.
We wend our way on single-lane switch backed trail, gaining altitude as we climb the face of The Quiraing, a verdant, soft, rolling, treeless landscape covering the Trotternish ridge with east-facing majestic vertical basalt escarpments. [Sorry, I was white-knuckle driving and had no opportunity to photograph this fantastic landscape. Google Quiraing if you'd like see this amazing landscape] We duck into a lay by perched precariously on the cliff's edge to allow another vehicle to pass as we continue to ascend. I slowed to a stop to allow the rams and ewes occupying the roadway to look up and find a more promising pasture beyond the asphalt, thus allowing me to inch past their wooly rumps.
We glide off the grassy slopes to the harbor at Uig and shortly find our next circuitous route to the Fairy Glen.
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| Foxglove & fern brighten the trail through the Fairy Glen |
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| A Fairy Tower formation rises above the undulating glen, Grant and Kaileen walk ahead |
The Fairy Glen is a lyrical little set of mystical formations of fairy towers, conical hills and grazing sheep tucked among dwarf trees and brilliant green grass softening the contours of blocky basalt cobbles that have tumbled into the glen. |
| Black basalt weathered white and covered in a hummocky voluptuous blanket of green |
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| The family stops by a pond with water nymphs before entering the dwarf forest |
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| Hummocky hills enchant the senses at Fair Glen |
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Dwarf forest offers shade and shelter to small magical beings
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| Inga and Sue set their eyes on the Fairy Tower |
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| Kaileen & Grant pose among the delights of Fairy Glen |
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| Kaileen composes a shot of her husband scaling the Fairy Tower |
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| Grant stand triumphant atop the Fairy Tower |
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| Sue and Kaileen take in the view from the fin below the Tower |
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| Inga balances along the fin as Grant descends from the Fairy Tower |
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| Mark & Sue enjoy the mystical moment among geologic formations |
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| The Suneson walk in the shadowed vale among Fairy Glen's inspiring formations |
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| Susan & Mark at the edge of the dwarf forest with the Fairy Tower in the distance |
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| Verdant hillsides make for pleasant pastures |
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Conical hills seem like a wigwam for
subterranean trolls
***
We concluded a most fantastic day of touring across the Isle of Skye. We stopped for a pizza dinner at Cafe Sia in Dunan, making pleasant use of their outdoor deck in the warm Scottish late June evening. The sun lingered long as we finished our supper and headed back to Tir Alainn, our Bed & Breakfast.
It had been a perfect day. I felt we would be remiss if we did not properly give thanks and be mindful in our celebration and appreciation of this moment. What better way, would not this be the proper moment to do as the Scots would do?
So, Grant opened his bottle of Balvenie scotch, whisky glasses were handed all around, tins of shortbread were offered and we sat in Tir Alainn's sitting room, the Suneson Five raise a toast to Kaileen for her brilliant and well executed plan for us all to meet in Scotland and travel to the Isle of Skye. Here! Here!
And a toast to Fairies, in pools and glens, to geology and and landforms, to family, exploration and adventure. May you all enjoy the journey...
Slainte!
 | | Inga & Sue return to Tir Alainn B&B |
 | Kaileen, Grant, Susan and Inga
Our stay at Tir Alainn on the Isle of Skye |
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