FAIRY POOLS - ISLE OF SKYE, SCOTLAND - DAY 6

LOL to sleeping in. The fire alarm woke the entire building at 4am. There wasn’t an actual fire thankfully, just a faulty alarm system. We were able to go back to bed at 4:30. I had trouble sleeping and as they were trying to fix the alarm because it kept going off throughout the wee hours of the morning. I’m envious of Andrea because she was able to knock back out almost immediately, but I think I only managed another 20-30mins of sleep until our alarm buzzed for 6:30am.

With tired, red eyes, and slow groggy movements, we steadily make our way to the car to get gas and head over to the Fairy Pools.

It’s meant to rain the entire day. I’m glad we missed this yesterday, but that won’t help us for our hike now. I ate breakfast on the way- Muesli and oat milk in an empty jar. We couldn’t find the utensils so I used a rolled up a paper plate and used it as a spoon. It got soggy pretty quickly but it’s good fiber. Just kidding...It feels as tragic as it sounds.

The bluetooth in the car wasn’t working, and the radio lost signal when we passed in between mountains. All we had left was a Celtic worship CD. We resort to having SOMETHING, and play this in the car. We now get to pass magnificent rolling hills with angelic voices as our soundtrack. I actually hate it, but Andrea doesn't seem to mind so I don't make a fuss.

We end up passing some highland cows, and pull over to get a closer look. They are SO CUTE!! And their fur is so long, they could be in a hair commercial. They’re "absolutely fabulous daaaaling", and could be a whole entire icon.

We park at the Fairy Pools and begin our excursion. It’s drizzling but not too cold, and the site is actually quite beautiful- Rivers and brooks surrounded by mountains. The water consists of the bluest and clearest water I’ve ever seen, even in the rain. We explore through the small canyons and rocks. Andrea was really disappointed however. She and I were planning to swim in these pools. But even in the cold, the crystal blue water seems enticing. I can sympathize with her feelings about wishing for blue skies and sunshine at a place like this, but to me, it’s mesmerizing rain or shine. It doesn’t break my spirits or sour my mood. Perhaps it’s because I get constant sun and heat back in the States where we live, so this may be an enjoyable break to remember what a season is like.

We come close to the mountain at the end and stop for a snack and water. We even bump into the same tour guide that helped us yesterday when we were a bit lost at Quirang.

There isn’t a definitive destination for this hike either, but when we feel close enough to the mountain, we decide to turn back to the car. It's excellent timing- The clouds move in, the rain picks up, the temperature drops, neon jackets come in droves, and the mountains disappear. We’re getting the f**k outta there! We were able to enjoy ourselves just in the nick of time.

We make it to the car, cold, wet, and a little bit miserable. We explore and drive down to Glenbrittle coffee shop at a campsite. It’s right on a beach...Which I imagine is beautiful in the sun. It’s odd because the cafe is very nice, but so out of the way. Because the bluetooth still isn’t working, we listen to Harry Potter on the ride home from the phone speakers.

It’s pissing rain the entire day- Glad we did everything yesterday when the weather was excellent! We go home for a nap, (I almost sleep but then can't. Andrea passes out for an hour). We cook dinner, shower and restock our grocery supplies for our trip to the Hebrides in the morning. We even have time for yet another hike at Fairy Glenn in Uig before the (other) ferry tomorrow. I just hope the weather isn’t miserable tomorrow, or any time during camping.

However... the Internet says that it will be raining in the Hebrides all four days we are camping there, and then sunny the day we leave- Of course. It’s even sunny today in the Hebrides, while it’s pouring rain over here in Skye. So much for immaculate scenery and photographs of a lifetime. This also means we can’t build a fire to cook, so we’ve been buying canned food. I really, truly hope it doesn’t actually rain every single day- Even if it clears for a few hours, I could still get some really incredible pictures, and it would all be worth it.

Andrea and I agree while making dinner that if it’s so miserable and unbearable camping, we’ll just get an earlier ferry ticket (our current one is non-refundable), and drive 6 hours to Fort William a day or two early and hope that there’s a hostel with space for us. Andrea did warn me earlier that Scottish weather is unpredictable, and may change from sun to rain. This was months ago when we were planning everything. With this advice, I booked four days, even though you could see the entire Isle in probably half the time. I did this BECAUSE of the unpredictable weather, hoping we’d at least get a day or two of sunshine. Murphy’s Law is taunting me / us. When I checked every hostel, nothing else was available, and every hotel is insanely expensive, hence the camping. Pray hard and wish us luck!

Love you! Yikes!

-eM

P.S. We likely won’t have WiFi over the next four days camping. We’ll try to use WiFi in pubs, and you’ll get a slew of emails, or perhaps you’ll hear from us sooner if we eat the money we’ve spent on camping and the other ferry, and try to come back to Glasgow earlier.

P.P.S. Andrea just told me of another option. She may have some friends at the isle that we could potentially stay with if camping totally sucks.