Day 13

Day 13 Sunday April 22
The hub bub over Sunday ferries to and from the Outer Hebridean isles has dissipated now one year after this service started. And we were blessed with smooth water on our Sunday morning crossing from Lewis to North Uist to Skye. Skye welcomed us with typical style and rained but still the green rolling hills and lush vegetation greeted us this peaceful island. As we left the outer Hebridian’s behind, we enjoyed listening to a movement of Mendelssohn’s “Hebrides Overture”

Eilean Donan Castle at Dornie was our destination. The castle sits on a small little island, making a picturesque view from every angle. Castles have stood on this site for 800 years. The site was a monestary until the 8th century. Vikings ruled here for 450 years. Alexander the 3rd evicted the Vikings and the MacRaes owned this castle from the 1300’s until today. In 1719 the building was destroyed as the castle was a stronghold of support for the Jacobites. The castle stood in ruins for 200 years. In 1912 they started rebuilding the castle and completed the present building in 1932. The renovation was based on the 16th century version of the castle. www.eileandonancastle.com

We drove down to Fort William to spend the night and enjoy our trip finale feast at the Lime Tree B&B and restaurant. I’m happy to say there we found Three Sisters ale for the 3 sisters on the tour, and a chocolate dessert rich enough to satisfy Evelyn, our chocolate connoisseur. This B&B has an unusal feature in that as a former church, one part has been converted to a private gallery space that has exhibitions of highland artists and also shows work from the National Art Collections. http://www.limetreefortwilliam.co.uk/