Edinburgh: Part 4 - Day 4 First Half: Fairy Glen, The Quiraing

Day 4 first half

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 4 First half of the day. . 

26/9 Day 4 first half: Trotternish Loop - Fairy Glen, The Quiraing. This is our plan for Trotternish Loop. 

Costs

(1) Parking fee at Fairy Glen - £2 for 2 hours

(2) Parking fee at The Quiraing - £3 for 3 hours

The Story

26092023: Today is my birthday! I woke up feeling so happy that I am able to celebrate my birthday in Isle of Skye, that we have reached here safely and going for a hike today! The weather is as expected cloudy and the skies looked clear! Good weather, maybe? But we were wrong. First, we have our breakfast. The evening before, George, the husband of the pair Carol and George who runs the place, informed us that we have to tick our choices for our warm meal that will be served during breakfast. 

We wrote that we will have breakfast at 8am. When we entered the dining room, the cold breakfast was on our table. Yoghurt, sliced strawberries, mangoes and peaches. We had that first with granola. 

Then, George entered the dining room and asked if we would like scones and toast too. We said yes! We love food. The food was warm and we enjoyed the scones!

Then, our selected hot meals came out. I chose potato scones, egg, tomatoes and bacons. I was gradually beginning to feel full. I had a very full breakfast. Plus I had coffee and a glass of orange juice. Luxury! I am so glad that I had a full breakfast because I did not feel hungry when I hiked in the rain and the strong wind. I had lots of energy inside me to continue the day. 

Here are som jam choices to have with toast. 

There is a mini fridge in the dining room. We did not use it. A small coffee maker on the right.

This is the piece of paper where we picked our hot breakfast. My boyfriend ticked pancakes for the next day. 

Here is our room with the king-size bed. It was spacious and there was a coffee maker in the room, so we brewed coffee and poured into our thermos. Good thing I brought a thermos to Edinburgh. I thought that I will need hot water with the rainy weather or maybe lemon and ginger drink if I fall sick. Who knew it will come in handy for hot coffee!

Now, we are ready to drive off! The bed and breakfast has sufficient space for parking. Also, it has a beautiful view of the island. This is the sign to our bed and breakfast. 

Our plan is to drive the Trotternish Loop. Trotternish is the northernmost peninsula of the Isle of Skye.

First stop of the Trotternish Loop - Fairy Glen! We arrived at 10am and were thankful that there were parking spots available as the place can only accommodate 20 cars. We knew that there was a parking machine but were unsure if it can accept card but it did. There were two options to choose from - 2 hours for £2 or 4 hours for £3. We chose two hours. It was raining when we arrived so we put on our rain pants. We waxed our shoes before our trip and it was the best decision! Our feet stayed dry the whole time. 

My first encounter with a sheep here.

We hiked up a short trail and when we reached the top, the view was breathtaking! The conical hills were so unique and the dried fern made a contrasting background to the green grassy area. 

We ascended to a top of a rocky mound and saw a panaromic view of the surrounding area. One can hike here for hours. We were here for an hour and felt satisfied with the hike.

We walked back to the carpark and saw that the carpark was already full. 

Next destination - The Quiraing! By now, the rain was pouring! We saw some hikers walking towards Fairy Glen as we drove away and I admired their perseverance in continuing in the heavy rain. The drive from Fairy Glen to Quiraing takes 30 minutes. There is a huge parking space. There are 2 options to choose from - 3 or 6 hours. The 6 hours cost £5. We saw some tourists in jeans and sneakers and they walked further enough to see the view. That will take about 10 to 15 minutes. 

From Quiraing trail, one is able to see the view of the Scottish Highlands. It was cloudy but the clouds eventually dispersed when the rain stopped for a while. Thankfully, the rain did stop during the hike. We chose to walk the entire trail on Quiraing and that took us about 1 hour. At the end of the trail, it was a fence and a wooden gate. We chose not to walk past the wooden gate. It took us 1 hour to get back to the parking space.

There were parts during the trail where we had to cross over water from the flowing waterfalls. It would have helped if I had a walking stick. My boyfriend helped me to cross over as my legs were not stable. Thankfully, our shoes were waxed so I did not mind stepping inside the waters for a brief moment.

I see a rock that resembles a goat!

We stopped here where the enclosures' border is.

Can you see the green box on the left side of the photo. That is a food truck called The Teapot. It was not opened when we were there. I took a photo of their food and prices.