Fife and Scotland - the offbeat perspective

Sitting outside the cottage you can see in the picture, listening to birdsong, sipping coffee and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine in May, I can see the Caledonian-MacBrayne ferry cross the calm, silvery sea towards the neaby island of Benbecula. Everything is calm and serene apart from the occasional bleat of sheep or else chirping from birds. The air is fresh and pure without the merest scent of gasoline and visual clarity is excellent. The sky is blue with the merest whisp of white clouds and the temperature is pleasantly warm rather than any form of searing solar heat and far less likely to engender potentially fatal skin cancers like melonoma. There are no long stretches of sandy beaches or warm waters in which one might swim. There are no bikini clad babes or large night clubs inviting riotous or drunken behaviour after dark and yet; there's an almost mystical and unique atmosphere to this remote place located so far from the maddening crowds and pollution of cities and which is preferential and challenging alternatives like a package holiday to the Costa Brava or further afield. If your idea of a holiday is sangrea, sun and sex then avoid Skye like the plague. If you're more mature, sensible and part of a family then the Isle of Skye offers a much better alternative and at lesser cost.

My attention is suddenly drawn to bleating sheep who suddenly move with great haste, climbing a sheer and near vertical rock surface and are gone from sight within seconds. Perhaps there's a fox nearby? On the fence nearby, a cuckoo becomes the target of other birds until chasened from his perch and not for the first time! On seeing this drama unfold again, one would think the cuckoo would learn from this experience, but no, he'll be back again tomorrow around six o'clock and the drama will be enacted once again.

My wife and I rented this one-bedroom cottage for a week upon my wife's insistence that I take a break from work, and on this occasion, I relented and agreed. We'd never had a real holiday for over five years on account of the busy work schedules and which consumed so much of our lives. I left it to her to choose the location and it was a good one - no, not sunny Spain or anywhere near the Mediterranean Sea - but right here in Bonny Scotland. A few weeks later, we went, 'O'er The Sea To Skye" and grudgingly paid the exorbitant bridge crossing fee of £7.00 per crossing! Since our visit though, I'm pleased to say this charge and other bridge tolls in Scotland have been scrapped and entry to and from the island is now free of charge. It was our third visit to the island and where our first visit had been an extended part of a daytrip limited to a few hours while the second involved an overnight stay in a B&B guesthouse in Kyleaken. Together and during these visits, we learned about a local island community undergoing a kind of quiet revolution and where, in a sense, we were also unwittingly contributing to these changes.

The cottage is located at the tip of the Duirinish peninsula in North West Skye. It's about as far as you can take a car out into the Atlantic without recourse to ferry services. Milovaig represents the end of the road and where the single track road curves around a huge stoney outcrop and compels the motorist to return back the way he or she came. The only alternative is to venture the last few miles to the Neist Lighthouse before coming back to Milovaig. Another road just south of Milovaig leads to the other tip of the peniinsula called Ramoscraig. It's at this junction that regular bus services stop, turn around and go back the way they came.

The nearest petrol pump is twelve miles away in Dunvegan with prices typically higher than almost anywhere else! Higher prices for many items are a feature of this area - more on this later!

In common with the Trotternish and Waternish peninsulas, the land is covered with course grass with hard volcanic rock exposed in many places. The coastline features many inlets and there are few long stretches of straight roads and while single track roads aren't unique to this island, it's surprising how many motorists find them difficult and will keep on moving forward and ignore passing places when it's perfectly obvious that they shouldn't. There’s just enough reasonable quality grass for limited numbers of sheep to graze on. There are no fences or gates and just the occasional sheep grid; so sheep and lambs roam over roads and meadows at will; a fact worthy of note to motorists. In short, driving on single-track roads is simply a matter of taking a little more time, common sense and courtesy.

A kindly wave to another driver who has stopped to let you pass is expected and works wonders for the soul and makes the World a better place! As stated above, full sized coaches and buses also use these roads either as part of a regular service or else touring. Collectively, slower speeds and 'driving as fast as you can see ahead' is good advice!

Milovaig is a collection of houses whose locations are beside the road referred to earlier. They're referred to as Upper and Lower Milovaig and with numbered addresses. On first arrival, we chose to follow the coastal route down towards the pier where a ship of modest size and of possible military design was anchored. There was a big shed at the pier but not a soul near it.

During our approach to the pier, my wife spotted something of interest and asked me to stop and back up. That wasn't a problem as there were no cars behind us and that's when we saw yet another extraordinary part of this culture in action.

The property had a wide wooden gate and which, when opened would easily have permitted entry of a car. On the left side, there was a wooden box attached to a post with a lid. Below it, lying on the ground was white plastic tub and which might have originally contained paint, adhesive or whitewash. A crudely made wooden notice explained this perfectly, "Dear Mr Postman, Please Put Our Mail In The Plastic Tub As Birds Are Nesting In The Mailbox!"

Passing the pier brought us to the point I referred to earlier and where the road curves around a rocky outcrop and begins to take us back in the direction we had come. It’s an incredibly steep road too and perhaps not recommended for very small engine capacity cars! Rising sharply from near sea level to about seventy feet in less than a few miles is hard work by any standard and it was here, close to the summit that we discovered our temporary home address; our little magical holiday cottage in the Highlands of Scotland!

I say ‘magical’ because there is something uniquely traditional about places like this that relatively few ever get the chance to experience. One might even call it paradise and yet, like all dreams of perfection, it had one major flaw and several minor ones. The major one could not easily be dismissed and in the shape of another much larger and more recently built house within the same compound and in sufficient close proximity as to block the view from the bedroom window. It's a carefully constructed lie by omission and the photograph shown on the left was used to support it. The text, quite rightly, described the cottage as one located in a forty-acre compound surrounded by sheep fencing and thus suitable for pets like our mild manner dog and thus forming a critical factor in the choice of venue and where expectation of a large open area was reasonable to assume.

On arrival though, the garden area was more alike a series of First World War trenches and in days to come, we would wake to the sound of a mechanical digger at work at 5am and where the English born contractor was taking maximum advantage of the sixteen hours of daylight commonly available at this latitude during the summer months.

Late one evening, and while walking the dog, we shared cigars in semi-darkness close to eleven pm and I learned a lot from him about local business and the local economic system. His current project was to install waste pipes from the two adjacent properties so that waste water would flow into a crudely made cesspool derived from fifty gallon oil drums perforated with holes. Similar projects were filling his order book while rental of digging equipment was being handled by his wife. Half Coronas only last so long but it was the second indication of the property based revolution sweeping the island at that time. The first clue had been a metal fenced enclosure towards the south perimeter of Dunvegan and where a popular and well-known building contract supplier had established a base with stocks of cess-pools and other merchandise being made available to the local people. I had actually commented on this to my wife when turning off the regular roadway and onto the single track highways described above.

Frankly, I hadn't considered how such cottages might have lacked such basic amenities in the past and where they were now being dragged into the twentieth century. At the time of our visit, many neighbouring properties were in differing stages of refurbishment and suggesting the kind of revolution alluded to earlier and where this was the heart of the 'crofter revolt' of 1882 cuminating in a gunboat being sent to the island and where the ringleaders were arrested and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. The event, recorded on a stone memorial high above the Glendale valley, sparked off further resistence elsewhere in Scotland and led to the Crofter's Holdings Act of 1886 and providing crofters with more secure tenure and fairer rents. The original rebels were known as the 'Glendale Martyrs'. During our visit, it naturally begged the question as to why in the past, the fight had been worthy yet now abandoned most probably on economic grounds and where former crofts were now assuming the role of holiday homes.

The tradition whereby offspring inherited the land and lifestyle has been disappearing steadily among island communities for some time. Younger people have left the isles in favour of better employment prospects and a different kind of life. It seems Glendale was still a viable crofting region even when young men were taken off to fight a war in far off lands. Perhaps the Skye Bridge played a part in attracting buyers to the region and offered crofters a deal they could not refuse. With pensions in disarray, many investors had begun to buy properties with a view to let but as home rent prices stabilised in many areas of Britain, Buy To Rent investors saw the potential for greater profit in these small Highland cottages. In our case, renting the cottage for just one week cost £450 and certainly more than we might have paid for a much longer foreign holiday. It's no accident many investors in the area have come from wealthier regions of the country. In 2006, there were approximately 850,000 mortages granted for the purposes of developing properties for residential let and this has been a major reason for property price hikes across the nation.

In the wake of poor stock market performance that used to drive pension expectations, any property able to generate sizeable income has become the new replacement for personal pension plans. It's the new livewire response to a failing economy. Any company whose central focus has been linked with property is likely to have done well on account of this. Those trained in property sales and maintenance; joinery, brickwork, architecture, electricians, gas fitters, roofers, pavers and others, can hardly have failed to make money in these circumstances. In 2011, however, the banking collapses occurring throughout the World, has claimed major casualties within the building trade and where many building projects have been cancelled. Already, many city based Buy-To-Rent entrepreneurs have declared bankruptcy and it remains to be seen how long people will continue to pay high holiday rent prices for cottages in the Highlands of Scotland.

Glendale and elsewhere among the Scottish Isles and mainland is undergoing a transition period unlike anything the iresidents have experienced before and it's hardly surprising that many former crofters have taken the lure of cash in favour of any alternative. A new community centre was being built at Glendale while we were there. Mobile banks were regular visitors to Glendale during our stay but only stopped for about forty-five minutes or so before moving on to another site. Given that the nearest cash dispenser is twelve miles away in Dunvegan and costs £1.50 to use it; one wonders if this quiet revolution will also place a free cost cash dispenser in Glendale?

Our cottage holiday home looked quaint from the outside and the owners had wisely elected to retain the small windows and whitewash, but the interior was something else entirely and probably unlike what any crofter who formerly lived there would recognise today. Inside this little cottage, we're talking 'cosy' rather than spacious and all the better for it. At the heart of the building was a stone wall of obviously recent build but in a traditional manner and effectively splitting the cottage into half with bedroom and living facilities on either side. Within this wall, there was a fireplace capable of burning wood and coal although the latter was unavailable. Although there was a modern heating system, we never used it because there's just nothing like an open hearth fire to generate the kind of cosy atmosphere we wanted in a place like this. Kindling wood, firelighters and McCaskill's Wooden Logs were all available from the small shop in Glendale but beware! A small bag of logs cost £2.75 at the local store and it's easy to burn two or more of these in an evening. The same product can be bought at Portree on the other side of the island about forty pence cheaper and about sixty-five pence cheaper at Broadford in the south of the island. Depending on the size of vehicle you have available, FifeServe would advise stocking up as much as you can carry before venturing north and save a few quid in the process. The saving can more than offset dearer fuel prices in the area.

That fireplace in the centre of the little cottage also carried another feature in that some of the heat was absorbed by the stone wall and radiated backwards into the small bedroom next door with its four poster bed and wardrobe. The roof above the bed had an opening skylight where one could observe the sky or else close the shutter in darkness or when it was raining. The old sofa in the living area was completely in keeping with the traditional mix and the small screen television was put in its proper place - in a corner on one side of the fireplace.

Television signal reception (not satellite) wasn't great but the owners did supply a video recorder and a selection of video films. They also provided a small library of books but I doubt whether time would have permitted enough time to read them entirely. A selection of Scots Magazine or the local weekly paper might have been a better idea.

There was an abandoned washing machine in the wooden garage also carefully omitted from the publicity photos and a working one in the open plan kitchenette area but drying clothes might be a challenge requiring cooperation with the weather when using the exterior clothes lines. There was no tumble dryer, nor room for one, and the alternative use of a rack provided indoors may have proved inadquate.

The combined toilet and shower room was small and akin that one might expect in a caravan meaning the hand-basin and shower was small and not particularly great for persons of larger stature. This author guesses that some fittings were actually designed for use in caravans. It's worth mentioning that our Scottish ancestors were typically of lesser height and stature and where entrance to the cottage might invite headral collision with a lintel above the front door. You have been warned!

One of the greatest factors that affected choice of this holiday venue was how pets were welcome albeit with prior knowledge of the owner and where the compound was surrounded by sheep netting, walls and a metal farm gate permitting entrance and exit. In practice, it meant our dog could safely roam around the forty acre compound and without worrying local sheep, not that we had any worries on that score. On a late night escursion beyond the limits of the compound, Zoe sat down and refused to budge while many sheep crossed our path. The walk was resumed only when the lambs had crossed too. Zoe never had a violent streak in her nature and if suddenly presented with a flock of sheep, she was more likely to try to make friends with them, lick them to death or flee! Sadly, she died from kidney failure on 26th July 2011.

Not every dog, however, is capable of controlling former wolverine instincts and it's obviously impossible for sheep to determine this easily and without risk. It's obviously wise of the cottage owners to take such care and for guests to take equal care. For the most part, the front gate remained closed and on the few times we ventured beyond the limits of the compound, a lead was constantly affixed to her collar.

On one excursion of this kind, we walked over the hilltop and down a path leading to a structure with most windows facing the quay area and with several cars parked there late at night. We stopped several times to let sheep pass without alarm. It wasn't a hotel or residential property and the precise function of this structure remains unknown to me although I wonder whether this might have been the pub and resteraunt described in the blurb before we visited and never found on our visit. If so, one might have imagined a sign at the end of the road or something indicating what it was but there was nothing to identify the structure or its function.

Serious hill walking affictionados with sufficient strength, health, good footwear and warm clothing would love this part of the World. Even on the sunniest days, the coastal breeze delivers a wind chill factor making local temperatures less than those experienced on the mainland. Indeed, we had neighbours for part of our stay and temporarily resident in the neighbouring property that the owners had tried to hide. They'd come up from Chester and hiked the hills for a few days before declaring hatred for the area and returning home after a few days. Parking had been accute during that time but largely because they couldn't park cars sensibly. There was no animousity but my wife and I got the distinct impression they were equally dissatisfied in the way they had been led to believe that the property existed in a solitary compound and rather than in close proximity to another. Although we would have had no objection; the 'wild' BBQ party they had planned might have been 'wilder' without us living in close proximity and trenches in the garden. One child described it thus "without granny looking on" and consigning us to an older generation in their eyes and presuming stereotypical attitudes in the process. They failed to stay more than a few days and where they complained about bad weather as having being the main cause of cancellation. By contrast, my wife and I found the weather conditions quite fine and that says a lot since my bride was a Texan Rose hailing from Houston City in Texas; and one of the most air conditioned cities in the World. There aren't many garden centres in the northern parts of Skye and perhaps with good reason. The land is harsh and barren although better in the south. Vodaphone mobile telephone reception is good although I couldn't comment on whether other services are equally well served in the area.

Stopping at Glendale one day afforded us the unique opportunity of watching a woman wading through a shallow stream then abandoning her Wellingtons in favour of lighter footware before shopping at the small grocer shop. I'm guessing she saved herself a lot of walking distance to the road bridge that crosses the stream. She emerged soon afterwards with a fairly heavy load of shopping then reversed the process.

I'm fairly sure she paid with cash because usage of a 'plastic card' seemed to cause problems when I tried to use mine at Corbeth to buy a bottle of whisky at the Tallisker Distillery. The transaction took six minutes to complete and the kindly lady behind the counter told me this was common on account of limited land line communications.

It was a shade embarrassing though since it created a queue at the checkout. Tallisker Whisky has been a favourite of mine ever since and while acrophobia prevented completion of the tour, I did learn that the grain was grown in the regions close to Inverness before being shipped to the one and only distillery on the island.

Our visit to the distillery provided another hint about how tradition still held sway. It was hard not to laugh when told about a man still referred to as the 'new boy' and who had first been hired by the company twelve years ago! Given the volatile state of employment elsewhere in the World; one is compelled to wonder how this state of security can survive in our modern World. Of course, deeper probing unveils something else perhaps unique to island communities of this kind. During our visits to the island, we've either met or heard about many people with multiple employments or multiple sources of income.

I've heard claims about a distillery employeee with an early shift starting at 7.30am and lasting until 12.30 before he heads home and has lunch. According to what I was told; he then heads out to sea on his boat to catch local shellfish until eleven o'clock if the light and weather remains good. In other places, we heard about a baker who rises early and performs his daily task before retiring to bed again so he could perform the duty of local taxi driver from six o'clock to midnight. His wife apparently looks after the baker retail shop and adjoining cafe during the daytime. Even the chap digging the trenches at our holiday home seemed to have three jobs on the go!

It's this feature and in common with most Scottish island communities, that permits Skye to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the UK. According to the local newspaper, local unemployment rates were just 5.2% during the time of our visit and bettered only by Orkney at 3%. The national average at the time was about 9% and the Skye figure was actually comparable to the oil rich city of Houston, Texas on a bad day; the difference being that Skye has no oil revenue within its economy.

From an outsider viewpoint, it seems that smaller and more sheltered communities have a lower range of specialist activity or need and yet what is available meets the most insistant needs of that community. One can't imagine finding enough specialist work in fields of high technology in such a place nor is there any real need.

This is a part of the World virtually ignored by huge elements of the industrial revolution. The Tallisker distillery at Corbeth is about as much industry as the island has ever known. Crafts, art and music have been more central to the life of the Hebridean communities and the region perhaps benefits from this more stable form of lifestyle.

At this northerly location, daylight is at a premium during mid-winter at about seven hours per day. It's cold and dark for most of the time with far fewer visitors and one can easily imagine many craft occupations taking place in wintertime and forming much of the stock available for sale to visitors during the summer. Speaking to several local people, it was clear that many worked hard and long hours in summer to ensure enough income to see them through quieter times in the winter. For many then, tourism remains the driving force of the economy and even in deepest winter.

By sharp contrast, mid summer brings long days of daylight easily exceeding eighteen hours and where night is short and often never really reaching total darkness. Not surprisingly, Skye is popular with visitors but the local economy is highly dependent on these visitors and thus linked to the economic fortunes of elsewhere.

Our first visit to Skye started out as simple 'day out' and with no particular destination but my wife, a genuine Texan Rose hailing from Texas, was keen to see the Isle of Skye. At the time, it reminded me of how the owner of the small tavern in Kilconquer in Fife had advertised in the American Press and described his small establishment as being close to Avimore! It worked and drew no complaints. Americans don't seem to observe distance in the same way as we do and I recently met one American who travelled one hundred and thirty-two miles daily to his workplace in Chicago; the essential difference being that few roads in Scotland qualify to motorway or even dual carriageway status. The cheap cost of fuel in the US was undoubtedly a factor too and by the time we had reached Skye and made a cursory tour, it was time to go home. We were better prepared on our second visit and where we knew from the start that we would encounter single track roads and where progress could be slow and it made more sense to book 'Bed and Breakfast' accomodation before setting off.

Frankly, I didn't hold out much chance of this since the summer season was well under way and I expected all hotel rooms and B&B establishments to be fully booked. I did a quick Internet search and made a few phone calls. The first two calls went unanswered and by sheer 'good luck' (or so I thought) I struck gold on the third call; securing basic overnight accomodation at a B&B called 'Ceol na Mara', translating as 'Music By The Sea' and located at Kyleakin in the south of the island and close to the Skye Bridge. At the time, I didn't realise how 'my luck' had more to do with local economic circumstances prevailing at the time.

We crossed the Skye Bridge shortly after noon arriving at a point just north of Kyleakin and elected to explore the island before returning to our B&B destination. There were few road choices here and where the northward journey to Broadford offers greater choice overland towards towards Dunvegan in the north of the island or Portree by following the coastal route. The singular alternative is south-west to Armadale.

On this occasion, we chose the northward coastal route and which snakes around the Cuillen Mountains that dominate the central region of the island with the regular two way road cirumnavigating the mountains on the eastern side. Low engine capacity cars and others towing caravans may struggle with some of the steep inclines and generally slow traffic in some places. We stuck to the coastal route and arrived in Portree, the largest town on the island and where we briefly stopped to take a look around.

One shop was particularly intriguing in that it offered craft goods more likely to be seen in mid-Africa rather than this Scottish town and including Zulu shields and masks! Portree is also where the only public swimming pool is located and although fairly basic, I'm guessing it gets good attendence since there are few sandly beaches on the island; the best of which lies close to Dunvegan.

Pushing north from Portree and still following the coastal road, we are finally compelled to use narrow single track roads and where stopping can cause conjestion of traffic. It's where I stopped and risked a quick snap of the 'Old Man Of Stor' - a needle of volcanic rock - before driving on towards another geological feature known as the 'kilted rock' and close to the northernmost part of the island. We stopped for a rest near the ruins of Duntulm Castle whose name translates as 'fort near the sea' and reminding us of how the McDonald clan once ruled this area but abandoned it around 1730 in favour of ownership by the Clan McLeod.

Duntulm Castle is pretty much as far north as one can drive on the island.

It's hardly a secret that many of the older clans found cause to fight in conflicts with each other and akin to many other tribes of humanity elsewhere. On the island of Skye, the main protagonists became members of Clan McDonald versus members of Clan McLeod.

Although the photograph on the right was actually taken during our second visit to Skye, I include it here as an illustration and explanation about the political and warlike culture of the past. It's the ruin of the church at Trumpan in the Waternish peninsula and where many members of Clan McLeod were murdered in reprisal for attacks against Clan McDonald. In 1578, the McLeods made several attacks on McDonald communities and where several women and children were slain. In response, the McDonalds of Uist sailed across the sea during darkness and landed close to the tip of the Waternish peninsula at a place known as Trumpan.

It was a Sunday and as the congregation worhipped inside the church, the McDonalds locked all doors then set the church ablaze. Almost all within the church perished but one lithe woman was able to escape and raise the alarm.

The attackers, confidently thinking their work was done, returned to their boats only to discover the tide had left them stranded and where they were compelled to fight the hastily assembled army of McLeods.

The McDonalds were slaughtered to a man by the rallied forces of the McLeods and their bodies dumped in ditches without proper burial.

Returning to our first island visit, and suitably fortified with a few sandwiches and some coffee, we found what must be one of the most remotely located museums in the United Kingdom. It comprised a series of traditionally built cottages linked by stone paving and enclosed within a fenced off area. Sadly, the museum had closed about the same time we were sipping coffee just a few miles further back down the road and it wasn't until the second visit that we got a better chance to see the exhibits and learn more about the harsh island life in the past.

Outside the fenced area were public toilets and although locked on that first visit, it was worth knowing about for the future. While still thinking about history, there's a graveyard off the main road but close to the museum and where the grave of Flora McDonald is to be found. If you don't know who Flora McDonald was then the following brief explanation will be useful.

In 1745, Charles Edward Stuart aka 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' arrrived in Scotland with a view to leading a Jacobite army into England and overthrowing the Hanovarian monarchy and restoring a Stuart monarchy. He summoned clan cheifs to join him in this quest and while many joined in this ultimately ill-fated venture, there were others who chose alliance with the English.

Initially the campaign went well with a substantial victory at Prestonpans near Edinburgh and ultimately taking the Jacobite army to within 130 miles of London. In London, King George had begun to pack and was ready to abdicate his throne but was persauded to remain at the last moment. At the same time, the Jacobite army was starting to realise that while success was possible; remaining in control of the city might prove impossible amid growing opposition. While the 'Bonnie Prince; wanted to press forward, his military Commanders advised the converse. Bonnie Prince Charles would later refer to this decision as a betrayal.

The Jacobite army retreated north and back into Scotland. In Glasgow, they were jeered at by the people and were glad to move on north to Aberdeen and where they had been promised military aid delivered from a French fleet.

By then, news of a well-trained English army commanded by the Duke of Cumberland and heading towards Aberdeen became known. The Jacobites could wait no longer and decided to retreat towards Inverness and stopping at place known as Drumossie Moor. Three days after leaving Aberdeen, the fleet from France arrived but upon receiving no confirmation signal, the fleet returned to France.

On the 16th April 1746, the Jacobite and English armies met and fought what would become the last ever battle fought on British soil and where the advantages favoured the army led by Cumberland. The Battle of Culloden; as it is now better known; completely devastated the starving and weakened Jacobite army with many clansmen loyal to the Stuart cause slaughtered. 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' fled the field at an early stage and earning disparaging comments from his military commanders. In the aftermath if the battle, the 'Bonnie Prince' fled to Skye while soldiers of both sides were searching for him.

Ultimately, he was assisted by Flora McDonald and presented to English soldiers as her maid, 'Betty Burke' and thus enabling his escape back to France. I'm guessing the facial features of the 'Bonnie Prince' was useful in this respect. The man who might have been King died in Italy after being rejected by the French Royal Court and a hopeless alchoholic!

A former attempt by James II had led to the infamous 'Battle of the Boyne' in Ireland against William of Orange in 1690 and leaving 'political baggage' lasting centuries in both Ireland and Scotland. In common with the later Battle of Culloden, James II ran from the battlefield and well ahead of his defeated army. In Ireland, this earned him the Gaelic nickname of 'Seamus a chaca' which translates as 'James the shit!' In short, Culloden was the end of Jacobite aspirations and Flora McDonald was a part of that final drama!

Returning to present times, the museum is located beside public toilets; something worth knowing if you're on a trip of this kind and especially with kids in the back seat! At this most northern tip of the peninsula, there is no other choice but head southward and back towards Portree on a much better and standard two-way road and where progress was much better.

On return to Kyleakin on that Sunday, we were famished and in need of nourishment before we went to our B&B. That proved harder than expected. We visited several places and were immediately turned away with an explanation that the kitchens were closed and that we were too late coming in at just after six o'clock!

Later, we could laugh heartedly about the waiter in one establishment who responded in an obviously fake French accent yet when challenged with the language was completely unable to reply! We were and are thus indebted to the entrepreneurship of a business owner whose building was right at the southern end of Kyleaken and where his small gift shop fronted a bar and restaurant at the rear and beside a sizeable but empty car park during this visit. In reponse to our plight, he cooked our meal personally and I learned much from him.

Frankly, it had never occurred to us that getting a meal would be a problem at that hour in the mid holiday season. Over a beer, our kindly host explained to us how prevailing political circumstances at the time had severely reduced the number of travellers to the island and how many local hotels were desperately cutting back on costs by closing their kitchens early to save on staff wages and other costs. I sympathised with him albeit recognising how hard some times were for an island economy so reliant on tourism. On this, our second visit to the island, his establishment became our lunchtime favourite venue on several occassions whenever we explored the southern part of the island and not just because he had been saviour that day but because the food is good, fairly priced and the service lacks pretence. To get there, turn left after leaving the Skye Bridge and head as far as you can without crossing another bridge. It has a gift shop at the front and ample parking on the left side of the building. Despite this, I'm saddened to say that we never met him again and despite visting his establishment several times during our subsequent visits and in support of what he had done for us.

Moving on to our B&B, 'Ceol na Mara', meant crossing a narrow metal bridge close to this location and where our bedroom window overlooked a narrow channel in which several boats were beached that night on account of the tide. At 5am in the morning, and with daylight firmly established, my wife woke me so I could look outside and see 'what was happening'. The tide was in and many boats were being made ready for sea.

Our overnight stay at 'Ceol na Mara' was excellent and where we learned more about the difficult economic circumstances prevailing at the time. The man of the house had already left long before we left and was employed on a new road project to create a standard two lane road between Armadale in the South and the main town of Broadford on the east side of the island. By mutual consent, my wife and I decided we had enough time to make a detour towards Armadale before leaving the island.

As before then, we headed for Broadford but then took the left turn towards Armadale before actually entering the town. The new EC sponsored project offered the best road on the island, until that is, we encountered what remained of what had existed before; a single track road with passing places and crowded with vehicles coming the other way and recently landed by the ferry sailing out from Fort William. Progress was thus slow and sporadic and largely depending on courtesay often seen lacking in many drivers determined to make progress at all costs. By the time you are reading this in 2010 or later; I'm guessing this road project has been completed.

It's at this point that I should mention the duality of Skye in which northern lands beyond the Cuillen Mountains dominating the centre are typically sparse and rough with volcanic outcrops often determining the route of roads. It's the land that Clan Mcleod fought for and where the clan home is located in Dunvegan.

In truth, it's hardly the region where one would expect foundation of a garden centre and it's obvious that the fortunes between north and south reflect this.

The Mcleod Clan Centre centred on the castle at Dunvegan is supported by a chalet style restraurant and large parking facility and close to one of the only sandy beaches on the island. Even so, parking was restricted and close to impossible during our visits. Trying to get a buffet style meal near the castle involved long queues and where we gave up trying. The castle gardens are impressive given the harsh countryside but it's really the boat trips to see the basking seals that form the highlights of this venue. On our visits, doors to the castle were locked and closed. According to local sources, the top floor of the castle was in a poor state of disrepair and the roof was in desperate need of multi-million pound restoration work. In 2011, I've been told that restoration work has begun.

In sharp contrast, the land south of the Cuillen Mountains is far more gentle, less severe and better able to support arable agriculture and even garden centres!. The McDonald Clan Centre located near Armadale reflects this change in fine measure.

The McDonald Clan Centre is located in a well maintained garden of mainly lawn but sporting many circular patches of colourful flowers and there is a wooden hut beside the car partk selling flowers. The building is in good condition and includes a busy shop selling tartan material, mugs, tablemats, books and much more. It's likely that proximity to the ferry terminal at Armadale helps too and prevents a fair comparison with the Clan Centre at Dunvegan. If looking for criticism though, and it's hard to be critical of the McDonald Centre, parking is sometimes at a premium!

If you're fit and healthy, the centre is within walking distance of the ferry terminal at Armadale and where car parking is easier. It's also where a different kind of expertise and craftsmanship can be observed when the ferry from Mallaig docks there. From a land-lubber viewpoint, it seems as if the ferry is incorrectly positioned as it approaches but then seems to slip neatly sideways and into the quay with hardly a scrape or jolt.

It's a wonderful display of marine captaincy and knowledge of local tides and currents. The terminal itself though seems akin to a bus station with waiting seats.

Time will tell how this service will fare in the future and following the abolition of bridge tolls. Using the Caledonian MacBrayne services isn't cheap and if these are affected by reduced usage then this will obviously impact on the island communities reliant on mail and cargo services carried by these ships.

In closing, I've deliberately avoided mention of Skye's magnificent range of visitor attractions with good reason; they're already listed and described on other web sites and in great detail and since one of the definitions about this web site is to present a different perspective, listing various attractions would merely be repeating information presented elsewhere.

Having said that, this author feels obliged to pick out some highlights that were fascinating and became favourites as a consequence. The small business processing sheep skins provided insight into this local industry while the Tallisker whisky distillery at Corbeth was about as industrial as the island could offer. The Orbost Gallery near Dunvegan had some of the best local art exhibits I have ever seen and proof that there are many talented artists on Skye. Ultimately though, the greatest experience belonged to the island itself; and in terms of society, community and people; the buildings and economy; and always surrounded by scenary representing some of the best in Scotland.