The Last Days

As we find ourselves trapped back in the North East (it could be worse, no hate on the North East, it’s just there are places I’d rather be) I’ve been thinking a lot about our days on Skye. We left about a few weeks before Christmas, with the plan of spending a bit of time in the highlands and then coming back for the Christmas bubble and to get some vet’s appointments and other necessities out the way. As soon as we got back, our plan to head back to Scotland on the 27th of December was absolutely bollocked, and now we find ourselves waiting patiently for when the border opens and we can get back to somewhere that’s started to feel as much like home as the North East does.

Our last week or so on Skye was spent exploring some parts we’d never bothered with as they looked ‘boring’ in comparison to the epic scenery at the north of the island. We found boat wrecks in Kyleakin, and herds of wild goats and otters just over the bridge towards Kintail. Our park ups were completely silent, and our days spent creating and working on our shop. There’s a lot less distractions on Skye. Less shops, less people, just scenery and time. 

The beginning of last year was truly the worst of my entire life, but I can safely say the last few months of it were the best. Pottering about the coastline, surrounding ourselves with wilderness, eagle spotting, weaving and carving in our tiny home. We’ll be back as soon as we can Scotland. 

Oh, and by the way, incase you don’t follow along on our van instagram page, we sold our little white van and we now live in a 31 year old talbot express motorhome, and sometimes I look at it and just laugh at how much a rollercoaster 2020 has been. I love it.

The Mist

I received the scans back from two rolls of film, one of which has taken me so long to get through that the first photos on it were from months ago when we were still living in our VW crafter van. It reminded me that one of the best things about shooting film is flicking through all those moments you’ve documented and then forgotten about, because a roll of 35mm takes bloody forever to finish.

These are all from a day where it went from glorious sun, to spooky mist in a few hours. It rolled over the hills behind us and sent the dog west. He’d never seen thick mist like it and couldn’t stop barking at it, his tiny brain not comprehending why he could hear the sheep, smell the sheep, but not see the sheep. The weather on Skye is a complete drama queen, and this was one of our favourite tantrums of hers we witnessed. Our least favourite was the weekend we had to park in Portree main car park, tucked behind a water station building for 3 days straight to hide from 60mph winds.

A Look at Skye

I feel like I’m one of those annoying people that does something new and then doesn’t stop talking about it. I keep dropping Skye into conversation at every opportunity, but I just honestly truly have never been anywhere like it. So here we go, it’s my journal and I’ll talk about it as much as I want. Here’s some of my favourite Skye talking points….

  1. The obvious one, Scenery. It’s just unlike anything I’ve seen before, especially in the UK. There’s some beautiful parts of Scotland, but even they seem to pale in comparison. The mountains, the coral beaches, the black beaches, the cliffs. Every inch is photogenic.

  2. The houses. Every house has character. There’ll be one quaint little cottage, with a derelict ramshackle cottage next door and a wooden modern eco house on the other side. There’s no rhyme nor reason to it and I love it. They also seem to have a thing for corrugated tin roofs and now I know I can’t live a happy life until I’ve lived in a tin house.

  3. The handmade signs. Every beach we visit has a handmade sign directing visitors in the right direction, like the locals have had so many tourists wander up their driveways accidentally that they’ve thought sod it, get some wood and a sharpie and we’ll set it right. I also like the protest ones spotted on the side of the road… a personal favourite is ‘NO FLODIGARRY FISH FARM’ which is great fun to say fast over and over again.

  4. They don’t make it easy for tourists and I totally get it. You have to work for your visit to any of the beaches or famous views that you’ve read about on Skye. Don’t be expecting to park up and look at a majestic black sand beach from your car. You’ll be parking on a muddy verge, following the farmer’s hand written signs on a 45 minute walk dodging sheep the whole way, but I love it. Why should they build car parks and tracks and fences? It would completely kill the rugged Skye vibe.

  5. The coffee shops. Special mention goes to Birch in Portree, Caora Dubh in Carbost and Deli Gasta in Broadford.

  6. How creatively inspired I’ve been because of my surroundings. Not only have I shot more film than I have in about a year, but I’ve also weaved so many bookmarks and coasters it’s insane. Along with Steven’s spoons, it’s kept our little Etsy shop fully stocked. I’ve also learnt how to hand spin wool, even scavenging sheep’s wool from rocks and grass, washing it, spinning it and using it on my loom. If 6 months ago you’d told me I’d be hand spinning wool on the Isle of Skye I would have laughed in your face and then quietly sobbed with excitement.

I’ll stop now and let the photographs do the talking, but it’s safe to say that I’m very happy we headed in this direction.