Ben Tianavaig

On our last day in Skye we climbed up the mountain we had gazed at all week from our little cottage. It was a stunning walk and the whole way up we had magic views and lots of interesting play of light with the gathering clouds. Literally the second we reached the summit it closed in with clouds so we didn't actually get to see the view on the other side of the peak.

Elgol and Lake Coruisk

Another glorious day on Skye - we caught a boat from Elgol to Lake Coruisk and had a picnic lunch by the lake. On the way back we stopped at Broadford so I could visit the yarn shop The Handspinner Having Fun - where I displayed remarkable willpower by resisting the urge to buy lots of yarn.

Dunvegan Castle and The Coral Beaches

Still travel blogging, belatedly, about the Isle of Skye. The day started off a bit wet so we visited Dunvegan Castle and its lovely gardens. The weather cleared just in time for a short walk to the nearby "coral beaches" - beaches that from a distance look like white sand but on very close inspection are made from tiny pieces of coral.

Coire Lagan

We got a bit lost on this walk, taking twice the time it should have - luckily the diversion was just as scenic! The destination was a perched lake, surrounded by steep peaks in the Cuillin Ranges.

The Fairy Pools

Another lovely walk on the Isle of Skye - you can make it as long or as short as you like, it doesn't take long to reach the pools.

Henri Cartier Bresson

Lucky we ran out of time to visit the Henri Cartier Bresson Foundation in Paris....because an exhibition of 260 of his photographs was waiting for me here at GOMA in lil ol' Brisbane when we got home. It was fantastic!

Meall Tuath

This was a coastal walk around the most northerly hill on the Isle of Skye, with great views to the Outer Hebrides. The heather was in bloom and abundant. There aren't many trees on Skye, apart from forestry plantations - not sure if this is because they were all chopped down to make way for sheep years ago, or because they just don't grow very well there. Anyway, the lack of trees means there are views in every direction!

Quiraing Circuit

I think this was my favourite walk on the Isle of Skye - the scenery was spectacular - many dramatic pinnacles and buttresses.

The Braes Headland

On the Isle of Skye we stayed in The Braes area which is made up of lots of little "crofting" communities. This was a nice little walk around the headland, with views to the Isle of Raasay.

The Old Man of Storr

This was a fantastic short walk (4km) just north of Portree, the main town on Skye. The Old Man of Storr refers to one of the rock pillars that is visible for miles around. We started walking up in the rain with the pillars shrouded in mist but were lucky to have the mist and rain lift to leave us with dramatic menacing clouds and the occasional shaft of sunlight.

Senna Movie

As an aside to all this travel blogging....I absolutely hate all car racing, especially formula one, and I had never heard of Ayrton Senna before...but I loved this movie!! Saw this one in Brisbane on the weekend.

On route to the Isle of Skye

Driving through the Scottish highlands....

....we stumbled upon a castle by a loch, serving lunch in the drawing room.

We finally made it to the Isle of Skye, to be greeted by this fabulous view from our wee croft in Ollach, complete with baa'ing sheep and a gale force wind.

"The Cottage"