Day One –
Getting up and packing everything away to leave Skye was hard.
I didn’t want to go, I felt as though I was leaving a part of me behind in Dunvegan.
As hard as it was, I was intrigued and a little excited to see the Isle’s of Lewis and Harris.
So we packed up and drove to Uig, where we were to catch the ferry over the sea to our destination.
The crossing was calm and passed quickly, with me leaning over the side enjoying the sea air and watching the waves the ferry created as it sliced though the water. Seals were spotted, as well as two porpoises (according to mu mum, who was the only one to see them both) and a whole load of jellyfish being thrown around in the ferry’s wake.
A rather boring day so far, as soon as we got off the ferry we drove to the next campsite. The drive was amazing, there were so little houses and so much open space – i felt as though this was the a good place to be (especially for me, who hates cities and people in general…)
I think we were all surprised at the campsite (I cannot tell you its name or even where it was as I don’t know, which adds to the mystery of it all doesn’t it?) It was set behind a tall sand dune, and surrounded by hills.
A small dip created a gateway in the dune, leading to a white sand beach of which the campers had almost sole use.
Walking along, paddling in the water in our wellies, my and brother explored the beach – at one point a small flounder darted away from us, the same colour as the sand from which it made its home.
Here, the water was so clear and shallow that absolutely everything could be seen, which again gave the sense that it must be warm.
Standing on a small but high group of rocks with a beautiful setting sun behind me, I truly felt as though I had left Scotland behind and entered a faraway paradise (or, as my younger brother pointed out, Narnia). Sitting on the rocks, I felt like a mermaid, completely ready to jump into the enticing water – which seemed to have a siren-like quality, it seemed to just call you in.
We decided to call this place “The Lies of Scotland” (see the pun?), as not one of us could quite believe this was one of the most westerly points in Scotland, famed for it;s bad weather and cold (like the rest of the British Isles…)
My parents had gone out kayaking in the beautiful, clear water to have a quick look at all the small, rocky islands that were scattered off the shore. Having both gone round a few of the numerous islands (my dad trying to catch fish for dinner), they were followed back to the small bay, which the long beach we were on encompassed, by two seals.
My mum coming back while me and my brother were on the rocks, had a young female seal follow her back. She, who we later christened “Merida”, clearly was smart enough to know that boats tended to have people on, who may feed her fish.
My dad arriving back to the beach a long time after my mum (so long in fact, that we got a little worried that he may have been swept out to sea, and I was sent to wait on the beach with a pair of binoculars. He arrived soon after I’d settled down on a small sand dune however, and only snorted when told about the worry he had caused…) also had a seal tailing after him as he came into the bay. I, unfortunately, did not have my camera on me at this pint, and i wish with all my heart that I did.
For the seal (which we couldn’t be completely sure if it was Merida, though the likelihood was high) was following my dad very closely, even when he was a couple of metres from dry sand, clearly having noticed the fishing line and net (though neither had anything on or in). It came so close that I could clearly see every whisker, and it looked at me with a slightly nervous and confused expression, before looking back to the boat.
After my dad beached, it stayed for a minute, bobbing about in the water, before disappearing completely.
All this, while it wasn’t Skye, had earnt a new respect and love for the Isle of Lewis (on which we were staying), and I believe that this was the only place my parents could have taken me that could have even be on par with the Isle of Skye.
Ioukuoi 