THE HIDDEN VALLEY - ISLE OF SKYE, SCOTLAND - DAY 4

A bright and early start. Andrea and I slept 4 and 5 hours and woke up at 6am and 7am. We loaded the mini and were out the door by 8:30am.

We kicked off the trip with bursting energy and morale, singing and dancing to tunes in the car. On the ride, we pass rolling green hills, subdued by grey skies. It reminds me a bit of a desaturated New Zealand or Ireland. But when the sun peeks though, if only for a moment, you get to really enjoy the beauty of Scotland for what it is. Amongst all of the grey sky, if the sun was peering through just a bit, it looked like a portal opening up to the Heavens. We made our first stop at the small town called Luss. It has special cottage-style houses that are the main attraction. We take in the scenery quickly and head off.

We drive all the way to Glencoe Valley, and pull over for photos. We were meant to hike here, but got confused and drove off to the main city of Glencoe, looking for the tourist center, to locate the hiking trail. Apparently, we needed to go back- We overshot our drive by 3miles, so that was a bit irritating.

Once we circle back, and make it to the valley, we prep, and load up our gear. Off we go on a steep hike. It was a bit tough, but definitely enjoyable. We eat lunch at the top, and as it starts to rain, we quickly head back down. The entire valley seems a lot like something out of a fairytale. There’s moss growing everywhere, babbling brooks and streams, and an endless supply of bluebells in a sea of green.

This trail is called The Three Sisters because there are three mountains adjacent to each other, and it’s where three rivers meet.

I love this time Andrea and I get to spend together. I’m thankful we get along and are not just cousins, but really good friends. We share all of our stories about school, and other people we know, etc. It’s fun and funny.

By the time we make it back to the car, we’re both pretty dead. I’ll admit, I got the sweeter end of the deal- I get to sit and ride while Andrea drives for 2 more hours.

I feel bad since I can’t drive her car, so I try to help in any little way that I can. I feed her pistachios, and work the GoPro Camera in the car, and give her water.

We eventually take two pit stops to just chill out- More for Andrea because she’s stuck in the same position for hours at a time. The second pit stop we make, is at Elean Donna Castle. It’s small but charming, just perched out to the sea. It's here that I think breaking out my experimental camera would be a good idea. I'm happy with the results as the images captured in camera heighten the fantasy of the location.

We finish up, by driving the remaining 20 minutes to our hostel. We check in, unload, and are so tired. We hurry up to eat, and shower. We’re getting up at 4am tomorrow to beat the crowd for Old Man Storr.