Hi everyone!
I’m here with an update about another trip I took outside of Glasgow. This time, I took a bus tour of the Scottish Highlands, culminating in an overnight stay in the beautiful Isle of Sky.
The trip began when I woke up at 6am in order to pack a small backpack with overnight clothes and walk to the bus pick-up point on campus. The sun rises later here (and especially because it is winter), so it was wonderful to see the sun rise as the trip began.
Our tour guide was a very funny and energetic Scottish woman, and as we started off, she gave us a quick rundown of the history of the Jacobite skirmishes and Highland culture. While I had a general idea of how conflicts with the English had been a part of Scottish Gaelic’s decline, I truly had no idea how decimating the anti-Scottish (and, in particular, the anti-Highland) legislation had been. Our tour guide told us that 50% of Scotland’s population used to live in the Highlands. Because of centuries of violence and intentional discrimination, that number is now down to 7%.
Additionally, while many Americans (including myself) may picture the Highlands as they currently are, with rolling “Monroes” of grass and sheep, our guide told us that they were historically full of trees and flora, and that it was war and unsustainable logging that turned the Highlands into what they were now.
Despite these bloody histories, there is no doubt that the Highlands are absolutely, stunningly beautiful. I have never seen landscapes like those of Scotland before; the greens here are so deep and mossy, and the yellows are golden and soft.
When we arrived to Skye itself and checked into our hostel, I was surprised that the town was completely booked; every hotel, B&B, and hostel we passed had a well-lit “no-vacancy” sign outside of the doors, and every restaurant was incredibly busy. Our tour guide told us that since Skye became accessible by bridge (it had only previously been accessible by ferry) tourism to the area had exploded. We learned that the government even had to issue a statement telling tourists not to come to Skye if they had not already booked accommodations. (Luckily, we had.)
The next morning, our group hiked to the “Old Man of Storr” and viewed a few more beautiful sites before grabbing lunch and heading home. I tried my first batch of fresh, homemade fish n’ chips, and they were life-changing. The filet was bigger than my head!
I was also lucky to take the trip with some friends I met during my first few weeks at Glasgow. It had been a while since I had seen them, and they made the trip shine. Additionally, I managed to make some friends on the bus itself; learning about each other made the bus ride even more entertaining.
I was almost sad to return home to Glasgow, but I was also glad for the experience and for the hospitality of Skye and her people. I think a part of my heart will always lie in the Highlands.
