Portree from Achacork, Isle of Skye, ScotlandThe Isle of Skye has been a shade, the invisible slip of a beauty disappearing at the end of a dark hallway. The thundering Cuillins and ripsaw Quirang erased by a null, gray sky. My vision has been harshly curtailed – often just hundreds of yards in any direction, like the darkness of some top-down RPG map opening and closing around me. Occasionally the clouds fall apart like unspun wool and reveal something austere and enduring. It’s a gentle reminder to count blessings, to give thanks, to acknowledge.

From our last bed & breakfast’s front yard Portree appears to huddle beneath a roiling mass of aerial monotony. The backs of white-washed houses peek over tall grasses. Their unseen faces are a riot of pastels. The wind and the rain and the gray have scoured my irises of any color and sent me into the lethargy of a sun-starved reptile. I look into the spitting rain and wonder if the sun will deign to appear, to share a little light, to open up the sky over Skye.

Article Comments

  1. Jeff Titelius May 27, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    Beautiful image and such poetic prose!! Love your creative style my friend!!

  2. Stephanie May 27, 2011 at 8:33 pm

    Keith, where are you staying in Portree?

    1. Keith Savage May 28, 2011 at 2:21 am

      Staying just north of town at Larchside B&B.

  3. Ken May 27, 2011 at 8:42 pm

    It was much nicer weather when we were there in 2009. Hope the weather gods cut you some slack.

    1. Keith Savage May 28, 2011 at 2:23 am

      It’s a timely reminder to count my good weather blessings in Scotland. Apparently it has been the wettest May in western Scotland since 1910.

  4. Heather in Lapland May 28, 2011 at 12:36 am

    It may be grey but that photo is beautiful.

  5. Shannon May 28, 2011 at 11:58 am

    I shared your post on the Isle of Skye Facebook Page…nice descriptions! Loved it. I’ve been to Scotland a few times (okay-like 8 times!) and am returning again for my honeymoon in August. My husband and I have been enjoying your blog posts here in Tacoma, Wa as we prepare for our trip. Write on!
    Thanks!
    🙂
    Shannon

    1. Keith Savage May 29, 2011 at 4:43 am

      Hi Shannon, that’s great- thanks for sharing! Can you provide a link to that Facebook page? My wife and I also spent our honeymoon in Scotland. Let me know if you’ve got any questions or are looking for new recommendations. I suppose after 8 trips you’ve pretty much got the lay of the land 🙂

      Thanks for reading!

  6. Shannon May 30, 2011 at 9:33 am

    Thanks! So, I don’t know how to link the Isle of Skye FB page, but if you “search” it while logged in it comes right up. Here is my best effort…
    http://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/pages/Isle-of-Skye/54197690339

    My family hails from Skye…it is a very special place!

    and we’ll keep reading…it has been fun.
    Take care,
    Shannon

    1. Keith Savage May 30, 2011 at 3:37 pm

      It works! Thanks for sharing this post. Just left Skye today when we had the best weather! Argh. I’ll be back.

  7. Bluegreen Kirk May 31, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    great photo though I never heard of Skye or Portree until this post. Thats the great thing about travel blogs you get to see and learn about wonderful places you never knew existed.

    1. Keith Savage June 1, 2011 at 9:11 am

      Skye is a temperamental place. In the fog and rain, you wonder why so many travelers go there. In clear air with full sun, everything is illuminated.

  8. Jack June 15, 2011 at 4:49 am

    Hello Excellent picture. Thank you for posting! I’ll be back often.

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