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September
5
I
met Roddie at the airport in Glasgow and the two of
us headed north up Lomondside, through Glencoe to
Fort William then on to Glenelg on the coast opposite
Skye. Its a road I have driven many times before but
never in the late summer. The scenery was spectacular,
as you can imagine, but time was of the essence and
it took the better part of the day to get to our destination.
September
6 |
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Roddie
at the War Memorial in Glenelg with Skye in the background |
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| Glenelg
is a nice jumping off point for Skye and the Western
Isles—there is a small, privately-owned ferry
that runs from Bernera to Kylerhea. The main attraction
for Roddie and I was the presence of a pair of well-preserved
brochs, Dun Telve and Dun Trodden,
in Glen Beag.
Brochs are circular stone
towers that were built during the Iron Age (c. 400 BC-
200 AD). Although they have a pronounced military aspect,
they were more symbols of power and prestige than fortified
strongholds. |
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Dun
Telve |
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| Like
most brochs those at Glenelg had double walls. The general
opinion is that the space was designed to reduce the
weight of the superstructure and make it less likely
to collapse, but it may well be that they were used
to conduct warm air to the upper levels. |
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Dun
Telve. Gallery and staircase |
Dun
Telve. Entrance passage looking out |
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| Dun Trodden is less than
a mile away, set on a hillside rather than the valley
floor. |
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Dun
Trodden, viewed from Dun Telve |
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Dun
Trodden from below |
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Dun
Trodden. View of the rear of the broch |
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| It
is a short drive to the ferry, one of a handful that
is privately owned and operated. From there, it was
over the seas to Skye. |
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Kylerhea.
Waiting for the ferry |
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| For
centuries the crossing was used by cattlemen who had
to swim their herds over every year to begin the long
drive to the markets of the Lowlands. The ferry service
began in the 17th century and for many years was the
only regular means of getting to and from Skye. Such
was its importance that, after the 1715 uprising, the
government built Bernera Barracks to guard it. Seals
are regularly sighted and otters are common—there
is a haven on the Skye shore. |
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Broadford,
Skye. View of the bay from Glen Arroch |
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| We
took the old drovers' road over the hills to Broadford
and then headed north to Uig. We had time for a couple
of pints of Black Cuillin at the Ilse of Skye Brewery
before taking the ferry to Lochmaddy on the island of
North Uist. |
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