After the Sligachan Bridge (https://www.beautifulbritain.info/single-post/2018/05/15/The-Isle-of-Skye---part-1) and the Fairy Pools (https://www.beautifulbritain.info/single-post/2018/06/16/Isle-of-Skye---part-2---The-Fairy-Pools) it was time to hit the road and drive to our next destination.
However, since all the hiking and fresh air did make us feel a bit hungry, we decided to take a small detour and find a place to eat. As we were travelling with one vegan we thought it would be a problem to find a decent place where we all could eat something. Surprisingly there were quite a few pubs which had vegan options in their menu and one of them was close to our current position.
We arrived at a small car park and saw a little hidden pub on a hill slope. Our thoughts at that time can be summed up by one sentence - ‘This can’t end well’. Well we couldn’t be more wrong.
The place where we stopped was the Old Inn ( IV47 8SR) and became later known in our group as the place with the best vegan curry in the UK. The food there is homemade, fresh and local. We tasted the soup of the day, fish, burger and the vegan curry and everything was lovely. On top of that the place has a beautiful view, friendly staff and is dog friendly.
After refuelling and a good rest at the Inn we drove to our last destination – the Neist Point. Up to a certain point it was all going nice and smooth. Then the road started to narrow down. This would not be a problem if the road wouldn’t be a dead-end road and the car park at the end would fit more than 10 cars. We were lucky as when we arrived someone has just freed one of the spaces and the traffic was not that bad. However the scenes that were taking place later on and the serious problems of getting out of that car park..
Let me put it this way, if I would go there next time I would a) avoid going there during the sunset b) leave my car far far away from the main car park and just walk the distance. The place is beautiful but could definitely do with a bigger car park.
Anyway, we got out of the car and were straight away hit by the strong and cold wind. This is one of those places where you start to feel a lot of respect for the forces of nature. The sharp, steep cliffs do in a way make you feel humble and rather small. The wind, the waves crashing on the rocks below, all this makes a very impressive view.
You can stay near the car park and just enjoy the landscape from that area or you can walk toward the old, lovely lighthouse. This does however involve climbing quite a few, steep stairs. This is not a mission impossible climb but if you haven’t been out for a while it might cause you some difficulties. It sure left me out of breath on my way back.
As there are sheep grazing in the area dogs are meant to be kept on short leads here but personally, due to the strong winds and steep path I would leave my pooch at home.
The lighthouse at the far end of the path was built in 1900 and is now fully automated. Since it is still operational, it does draw large amounts of photographers during the sunset and at nigh time, providing unique and impressive shots.
As much as we enjoyed the place, the cold wind started to get to us after a while and forced us back to the car where a flask with hot tea was awaiting. After warming up a bit and ploughing our way out of the horrendous traffic we decided to give it a go and see one more destination – the Dunvegan Castle. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the car park the Castle was already closed. We dried our tears with some lovely tartan scarfs bought at the still open castle gift shop and decided it was time to head back to the hotel to gather our strength for the next day.