The Isle of Skye

We woke up to a beautiful view outside our room. We will have a long day today as we are traveling to the Isle of Skye and then stopping at Eileen Donnan Castle. 

Our wonderful bus driver, Stevie, was fully dressed in his kilt for our trip today. 

Along the way,  we had lots of beautiful scenery of the Highland mountains and fields of heather.

The bridge over to the Isle of Skye.

The scenery was breathtaking!

We eventually got to the village of Portree where we had some free time to wander around and explore. 

Our amazing Program Leader, Linda, is like an "encyclopedia" of information on Scottish history, culture, social issues, and current affairs. 

After leaving the Isle of Skye, we stopped at the Eilean Donan Castle. The Eilean Donan Castle, strategically placed at the confluence of three sea lochs. The site has been inhabited since the Bronze Age; however, it wasn't until the 13th century that a castle was built on the site probably as a defensive measure against the Vikings. 

In 1719, the castle was destroyed and it remained in ruins for almost 200 years. In 1912, John MacRae-Gilstrap purchased the castle and began a 20-year process of restoring the castle. When the restoration was completed, the family used the castle as a hunting lodge and for special family gatherings. 

Today, the MacRae-Gilstrap family still makes visits to the castle; the castle is also open to the public. In fact, it is often said that the Eilean Donan Castle is the most photographed castle in Scotland.