Highlands Day 2 (8/28)
Today’s agenda is to get from the B&B in Ft. William onto a ferry, and from there to the Isle of Skye where we’ll stay for the next two days in Portree.
We were booked on an early afternoon ferry out of Maillaig, so we left Ft. William early so we might catch the Glenfinnian Viaduct on the way to port. Sadly, that attraction was far too popular for the infrastructure around it, and there was no way we could have stopped to make it out, so we settled for glimpses of it from the window of the car.
This left us arriving in Maillaig a bit earlier than planned, so we took the time to hike the Maillaig Circular Walk, a pretty easy ~3km trail around the port town and some surrounding hills. We then got lunch and tea at a cute bakery right on the water (The Bakehouse) before boarding the ferry for the voyage to the Isle of Skye. Just as the ferry left port, the skies opened up and we sailed through solid rain, which continued throughout the rest of the ferry ride, and most of our driving the rest of the day.
Our final destination of the day was Portree, but we were making a couple small stops on the way, the first being the Sligachan Old Bridge. ‘Legend’ has it that if you hold your face in the running water there for 7 seconds, and don’t wipe it off, you’ll be blessed with eternal beauty, so we figured it was worth a shot. Then, we made a quick stop at the Talisker Distillery. By the time we arrived, they had stopped offering tours, so we planned to just check out the tasting room and gift shop, which turned out to be fortuitous. Beth, a friend from the cast (who was on a bus tour of her own, and who we planned to meet for dinner tonight in Portree) was also at the Distillery at the same time! We got the opportunity to catch up with her and the Highlands adventures she’d been having, before heading our separate ways into Portree (in the rain, still).
We finally arrived at our hotel (The Bosville) and after some challenges figuring out where to park our car, we got into our room and were able to relax for a bit.
Before long, it was time to (re)connect with Beth and for dinner. She met us at our hotel, and from there we wandered town looking for a dinner table. Our first attempt at a recommended spot (the Isles Inn) was far too busy, so we ended up grabbing pizza and burgers (and spritzes and sours) at a place a few doors down.
After a delicious meal and good company, we said good night to Beth as she walked the fairy path back to her B&B, and we turned in to our hotel room to get some rest before our outdoor adventures tomorrow!
