Greetings from Colbost! Tony has found us another lovely place to stay. This room overlooks Loch Dunvegan and our bed is perfectly situated in front of the glass doors facing the Loch.
After breakfast, we briefly strolled around Portree. Everything was closed on Sunday, so we continued on. The plan had been to stop and hike at several stops along the way. The first stop was the Old Man of Storr, a rock formation just outside of Portree. The hike, however, was straight up a muddy hill though a clear cut forest. The wind was strongly gusting. It felt post-apocalyptic, so as soon as we could get a clear picture of the rocks, we headed back down the hill. Just in time, I might add, since the hail began just as we were headed to our car.
The next stop was Kilt Rock. It is a striking, sheer cliff along the sea. A waterfall shoots off the side of it. It was very impressive, but the wind on the cliff made us afraid we'd lose our cameras. Soon the hail followed. It was cold. Very cold. In the 100 yards between the lookout point and the car, I lost feeling in my face. The car said it was 3.5 degrees C. (That's about 38 degrees F.) The wind was biting and consistent.
We moved on to Quiraing, which boasts tall bluffs that are eye catching. We intended to stop and take pictures and possibly hike but (1) we were beginning to doubt the weather would be on our side today and (2) we couldn't find the appropriate spot to stop. Have I mentioned the roads here have no shoulders and are single-carriage way? That is one lane, not in each direction, just one lane. The terrain reminds me of the Marin and Sonoma coastlines, dry, wind worn grass with rocks and hills. Then, we rounded a bend and the sea was upon us, along with the most adorable little sea town. (White stone houses, littering the hillside surrounding the water.) We drove into Uig, a small coastal community that has a ferry dock and very little else. After a quick bite, and requisite hailstorm, we were on the road again, headed toward Dunvegan Castle.We actually decided to head to our hotel first. The GPS took us down yet another one lane road flanked with sheep (and rams), only to lead us us to a dead end. When we reached the dead end, we decided to head to Dunvegan Castle first and find our way to the hotel afterward..
The castle has been under the control of Clan MacLeod since the 1300s. The castle itself was nice, but in comparison to the other castles we have toured, it was just okay. (We've become castle snobs now.) A couple of things set this castle apart. First, it had a dungeon that we could actually enter. It made me clausterphobic, so I got right out. The second distinguishing characteristic of this castle were the phenomenal views of the Loch (Loch Dunvegan) from nearly every room. Finally, the grounds at Dunvegan Castle were the best we've seen. There were beautiful gardens, including a walled garden (think the Secret Garden), a neat circular garden of tulips outlined by shrubs (we were just a little too early for the tulips), and water garden (consisting of waterfalls and roughly hewn log bridges. The gardens were stunning. 
From Dunvegan, we found our home in Colbost, with the enchanting view of the Loch, but returned to Dunvegan for dinner. The restaurant was called the Old School Room. The food and service were very good. We started with leek and potato soup along with haggis balls (breaded and fried) with mash. I had pork belly with a cider sauce and mash - decadently rich, and Tony had pheasant wrapped in bacon with white pudding (something in between grits and stuffing), potatoes and mushrooms in a sherry cream sauce - also decadently rich. We both agree, this may have been our best meal here. We returned to our hotel fat and happy and ready for a full day of driving tomorrow.
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