Manchester/Scotland 2025 - Isle of Skye Tour Checking-Out

 

Last day in Isle of Skye. We're checking out on this day, and we had our usual Scottish breakfast. After that we went to the bus terminal area to wait for our mini bus to bring us back to Edinburgh. There were still a few stops along the way, but somehow, it felt sad to be leaving the beautiful Isle of Skye. Poppy flowers at the memorial at the bus terminal at Portree. 

Here are some shots of the Tongadale Hotel we were staying at.. The MacKenzie family were also staying at the same hotel and we would see them every morning at breakfast and chatted with them a bit. The older Mr MacKenzie was a super tall old man that loves to talk! Anyway, above is the pub area of the hotel.

It looked pretty cool, but we were so dead tired both nights that once you've bath and on the bed, you don't really want to leave the room anymore! Especially when the air was so fresh and cooling to just be cosy inside the blanket. We slept with the windows opened every night so that it would be cool enough and to have some ventilation as there were no fans of aircon inside the room.

Soon we were on our tiny bus again driving out of Portree. I saw The Cuillin again. A final view.

But soon it got further and further away from view.....

We past by what looked like a caravan site, and it looked so cool with people still on their holiday adventure in this beautiful island. I've never traveled on a caravan before. I wonder if I would get a chance one day. 

All too soon, we were on the bridge leading us back to the mainland..... Bye Bye Isle of Skye. I will miss you! You are one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited and you'll stayed in my memories forever.

Manchester/Scotland 2025 - Isle of Skye Tour Dinner at Portree Lower Deck

We were so tired at the end of our 2nd day of tour, but we felt exhilarating! I wanted a reward for hiking so much! I needed the food source too since we had a light lunch and have been walking all day. When we reached Portree at around 5pm to 6pm, we decided to walk to the harbour to see if we can manage to get a table at the restaurant we went to the day before. It was called The Lower Deck Seafood Restaurant.  

The place looks old and authentic, and reminded me of those retro restaurant from my hometown of Penang. Kinda like The Ship in Sri Bahari Road. 

The line seems short, so I went and queued. I could see inside how many tables were empty, or who was finishing up their meals etc. So I think, we'll get a chance to dine here after all. This was going to be the first sit down proper meal we're going to have in a restaurant! And since it was coming to the end of our trip, I decided that we can treat ourselves after such a long day out.

While queuing, we could see the menu and the prices outside.

I more or less already knew what I wanted to eat. 

I still wonder why prices are always so high in a western world.....

All too soon, we were seated, ordered, and our food arrived! 

My husband got scallops, and it was served with salad and potatoes. I mean, it's a simple dish, but they still charge you a lot :P   The scallop was delicious though!

I had the cheaper dish of mussels, but I wasn't expecting them serving such a huge pile of it! It came with fries too, so I kew I would be full after my meal :P

But actually, the highlight of this meal for me was finally trying the cullen skink, a fish soup that is a traditional dish in Scotland. It was super delicious! It tasted kinda like clam chowder, but a lot lighter. I would eat this again in Scotland! The calamari which my husband ordered however, was just meh. 

Manchester/Scotland 2025 - Isle of Skye Tour Old Man of Storr (2/2)

Lalala! Me and my Old Man of Storr. This is one of my favourite photo from my trip to Scotland 2025, and I put this as my Facebook cover photo too. By the time you read this post, I think I would have came back from my Scotland 2026 trip! Hopefully I would have more fantastic photos to share here. 

Continuing from the last post, my husband has left me to wait for him as he ventured on his own to the submit of Old Man of Storr. Above is the location I stood to wait for him, overlooking the blue skies and blue water below. I was going to enjoy the scenery here instead of bursting my lungs out climbing up those vertical steps!

The view here looked simply unreal!

Almost like a land before time, a land untouched by humans. 

And this here above, is one of my favourite photos I took. So beautiful <3 I could almost cry! 

I must have waited around 20 minutes or so before I spotted my husband coming down from the steps. Even he has given up half way as the steep steps were giving him knee issue. He was 53 when we went on this trip. And given enough time, and maybe a walking stick would be nice, I think we would have slowly made our way to the top. But joining a tour means our time is limited. So today was not the day we reached all the way up. I wonder if I will come back and try again? I think it can't be with a tour. It would be too stressful!

Making our way down and back to the carpark, my husband contemplating why his knees won't allow him to reach all the way to the top :P

Me further ahead! Going down hill like a rabbit hopping it's way down :D

Bye Bye Old Man of Storr. You are amazing and I can fully feel your wonders! 

Souvenir shot of me and the lake below. Peace out! End of our 2nd day of tour!

Manchester/Scotland 2025 - Isle of Skye Tour Old Man of Storr (1/2)

 

Finally, we have come to our last attraction of the day, the Old Man of Storr. It was getting pretty late now, perhaps late afternoon. I think it might have been 3pm or 4pm. Jada didn't give us any lunch break. We were told early in the morning to go grab some food from the cafe so that we can eat on the bus. That slave driver! But frankly I love it that way! No time lost eating at a cafe when there are just so much to see here! She let us off at the car park for those who wanted to hike up to see the Old Man of Storr. We were given 2 hours.  For those who don't want to hike. they could stay on the bus and it will bring them to another viewing point for some photo taking with the Old Man of Storr. We choose to hike! Above is the carpark where we were left off for 2 hours

And this is the view when we started out hike. It has been a long day for us, and this wasn't going to be an easy hike as you will see by the end of this post. But I wanted to at least try. I wanted to be out and about, walking in the highlands and breathing in it's clean air! 

There are actually two path to walk up, one shorter but steeper path, and the other slightly longer but less steep path. We choose the longer path as I hate steep climb. 

This is the sign at the start of the walk 

And off we went! The view looked so intimidating! I wonder how far we will reach!

The start of the walk was pretty easy, even though there were some sharp turn with sharp incline up, it was manageable. From wearing our jackets at the start, until slowly taking them off as our heart and body started to warm up from the hike, higher and higher we went. There weren't many people on our path. I guess most people would have chosen the short path to walk.....

No matter how we walked, the view of Old Man of Storr was always within our view. Even when the path seems to lead us away from it, it was actually just bending around the valley to reach the top.

Here is my husband as we walked up. It looked quite flat at some area, but we were actually on elevated ground. Love the sky and the wide space of the photo.

Soon we came to another sign. And from this one, we could slowly see the lake beyond the view! We have indeed climbed up quire a distance!

Husband standing next to the sign taking a souvenir shot. Even if we didn't reach the top, the walk and this view was enough to satisfied us! What a lovely country!

After a while, sign boards where just there to indicate that we have not yet lost our ways! Lol.

Up and up we went. My heart bursting with exhaustion. Weren't we on vacation? Why are we so exhausted and hiking this path????

But isn't the Old Man of Storr quite a site to behold? It almost seems like a religious site, maybe it was for the pagans long time back? It just seems to held so much power! 

Were we getting nearer? Sometimes it seems that we were, sometimes it just seems still so far away!

Not giving up yet! We can make it! I love photos like this where it seems like we had the whole world to ourselves!

Another checkpoint info sign!

Getting closer!

Or not?

Ah! The sign that finally shows the Old Man of Storr itself! Surely we are almost there!

Suddenly, the path seems more vertical than usual. My husband there taking a rest. 

And then, it seems like it was just steps going up and up!

Devoters walking up the steep steps towards the Old Man of Storr. Doesn't it looked like they were going to the temple to worship Him?

And here I stop, as my husband ventured on the steps. It finally dawn on me that hey, I was on vacation! I don't need to torture myself so hard! Plus looking at those steps were giving me vertigo vibe! I wish I had a walking stick with me! I told my husband to go ahead, but to turn back at a certain time so that we can make it back to the carpark in time. And then, here, I abandon him and waited..... lol