Angela Travels Over The Sea To Skye
I’ve just returned from a week on the beautiful Isle of Skye, and thought I’d share some of the highlights of my trip with you.
The first thing to say is that I deliberately go to Skye outwith the tourist season, when most of the attractions are still closed. That’s because my annual visits there are not so much about what I do, but what I don’t do. My normal daily life is packed full of planning and timetabling and organising, all of which is essential to ensure the smooth running of a huge operation like “The People’s Friend”. But once a year, I give myself a week off from all of that; the time and space to simply just be in a place of wide, empty landscapes, big skies and deep blue seas.
The beautiful sights of Skye
During that week, I do a lot of walking. This time I walked to the very west-most tip of the island to remote and windswept Neist Point Lighthouse, and scaled steep slopes to reach the base of the Old Man of Storr. I enjoyed the birdsong as I hiked through the forests of Leitur Fura, and spotted fossilised dinosaur footprints on the beach at Staffin.
I read two books, ate more cheese than was good for me and spent hours gazing out of the holiday cottage window at the ever-changing vista of Broadford Bay. I scanned the skies and waters for wildlife sightings, breathed fresh, clear air and emptied my mind, for just a few days, of plans and schedules and deadlines.
It’s done me the power of good, and I’m refreshed and raring to go once more as I settle back down to work. But I’ve left a little piece of my heart on that beautiful Hebridean island . . .