Returning to Skye - Day Three

I left the accommodation for Dunvegan Bakery (apparently the oldest bakery on Skye) and chose a Chelsea bun and a latte, plus a sausage roll and chocolate cake for lunch later. Then I headed to Dunvegan castle for a look round the gardens. This is when the apathy kicked in. It was a nice garden, but I was struggling to find the enjoyment that I usually would have gotten from it. It was just not as satisfying being there on my own. It felt like I was ticking a box becasue I had decided it was something to put on my list of things to see. I wandered round the pretty and perfectly regimented flowers, the immaculate and spectacularly diverse greenhouse, the tranquil water garden and felt...nothing.

It was time to head to the Fairy pools to round off the trip with a final swim. At least it was sunny, although somehow (only in Scotland) I could still feel a light mizzle at times despite no sign of any responsible clouds. The road to the Fariy pools got busier and busier the closer I got, and when I arrived I found a huge, heaving car park that cost £6! The machine was a bit odd and only charged me £3. Watching the stream of people heading off on the walk my idea of a quiet swim in a pretty little pool became a very public splash, literally swapping places with another girl just coming out. But before that, a walk...up hill, naturally. The pools to swim in were at the top of the winding trail on the photo below, which took me about 20 minutes to get to. It had clouded over a little but it was still a lovely dook in crystal clear, aquamarine water, albeit not quite deep enough. The waterfall shoulder pummel gave it an extra dimension as I sat in the icy water and enjoyed the infinity pool effect of the falls below me, and for a few minutes I was all by myself. I do wish I had been braver and scrambled down the rocks to the much deeper and more impressive pool a hundred yards down-stream as that would have been more adventurous and given me a proper swim ... next time!

Returning to the car I found a note on my windscreen asking me to pay the rest of the parking fee - I had not gotten away with it today. I guiltily bought a second ticket to make up the difference. And with that I had ticked every box on my itinerary and it was time to go home. I was looking forward to it, and with every turning I took I shed a little more of the holiday traffic, and it took me closer to my sanctuary in the glen and my lovely cats.

Below are my four swims of the holiday, although I think Torrin pools were my favourite for both beauty and privacy.