Today was a beautiful day to begin out journey through the Highlands and Islands of Scotland! After a delicious breakfast we split into two groups – one heading off to the Isle of Skye for a hike and the other to see castles.

The hikers enjoyed a drive along the island and a walk into the lovely ecosystem of the Cuillin Mountains. Castle folks first visited a small and mostly ruined castle on the tip of Skye before heading to Eilean Donan castle, perhaps the most photographed castle in Scotland. We enjoyed a tour of the castle, learning its fascinating history – it was blown up and later being reconstructed in the early 1900s. The inside is fascinating, complete with secret passageways behind walls and tapestries and a very entertaining recreated kitchen scene. Once all were back aboard, we sailed towards Armadale on the southern tip of Skype. Along the way we saw a variety of birds and a few porpoises.

At Armadale we walked and shuttled up to the Clan Donald Centre and Gardens, where we split into groups to explore the castle ruins, grounds, and museum. The building has its own history of construction, rehabilitation, and ruin and offered many photo ops along the way. The gardens are well manicured and everyone enjoyed seeing flowers and trees that are both native and introduced from all corners of the globe. The museum houses an excellent series of displays pertinent to the castle and clan.

Once back aboard, we set sail for Inverie on Loch Nevis, a quant town with a population of just 100, with lovely white houses all along the shore. We enjoyed an interesting Recap followed by dinner and a film on the return of the Lord of the Glens to Scotland.