England-Scotland Day 10 (Part 3) – From Elgol to Kyleakin and last evening in Skye

12 April 2010

Leaving Elgol, we took the same single track road B8083 back towards Broadford. This time round, the drive was more leisurely and we had time to appreciate the beautiful landscape along the way.

Clouds will roll in suddenly. This is why Isle of Skye is called the Misty Isle.

This is a risk that the low clouds may make visibility poor on our way back but thankfully, this did not happen.

A ray of hope amidst the clouds of doom.

Somewhere along the way, the road became hazy with smoke. Last thing we want was to get caught in a grass fire which could spread rapidly with the wind and dry vegetation.  We saw 2 large fire engines coming our way along the narrow road! They were on their way to put out this fire (photo taken after we went pass the stretch of road with the fire).

Nice cloud formation near Broadford, Isle of Skye.

Our accomodation for the night was at the White Heather Hotel, located in the small town of Kyleakin, near the Skye Bridge. This town used be a busy place as it was a ferry terminal linking Skye to the mainland. With the opening of the Skye Bridge, the town is now quieter, uncrowded and a good place to stay.

From here, nice views of the harbour and Skye Bridge against the setting sun could be enjoyed.

Harbour in Kyleakin. Background - Castle Moil - an ancient MacKinnon stronghold. 

Bronze statue of otter at harbour in Kyleakin. 

Skye Bridge at sunset. Gulls could be seen flying around it.

Helicopter over Skye Bridge, returning after fighting the grass fire we drove by earlier.

After checking us into our family room at the White Heather Hotel, Gillian recommended a good restaurant in Broadford to us and helped us make a reservation. So, it was back to Broadford for dinner at the Creeler’s of Skye restaurant, about 10 minutes drive in the dark along the A87. Good choice as we enjoyed the dinner.

My son drove us back to Kyleakin after dinner, against the wishes of the mother who said it was dangerous for a beginner driver to drive on the dark highway. For me, it was an opportunity for an impromptu lesson on night driving on a unlit highway and how to use the high beam of the car’s headlights correctly. This was something not taught to learner drivers in a city like Singapore.