Early this morning we arrived at the island of Skye in perfect conditions - bright sunshine with scarcely a puff of wind to ripple the surface of the sea. In next to no time guests were involved in various activities - some on scenic tours in Zodiacs, others in kayaks or ashore hiking beside Loch Coruisk (Heron Lake) and along the trails that led deep into the glen beneath the rugged Cuillin Hills. The stillness of the Loch and of the whole area was broken only by the voices of some Arctic Terns nesting on a little island and by the occasional thin "see-see" of Common Sandpipers teetering on stones at the water's edge.
The evocative call of a cuckoo that echoed and re-echoed from somewhere at the inner end of the glen perfectly captured the mood of the morning.
In the afternoon we went ashore elsewhere on the Isle of Skye. This was to view the ruins of an ancient Viking settlement near Loch Brittle. The stone-lined canal (pictured) which they built more than a thousand years ago is still quit clear-cut and would no doubt again fulfil its original purpose if called upon to do so.
Landing and departing from this area was not the easiest we have done but was completed successfully under the continual scrutiny of a little party of Grey Seals lazing on nearby rocks. Another great day!
