Isle of Skye (Scotland): description and main attractions

If you like picturesque natural landscapes - safely go to the island of Skye. This is one of the most beautiful places not only in Great Britain, but all over Europe. In addition, the island is interesting and its architectural monuments.

Isle of Skye: photo and description

Sky is an island in the western part of Scotland. Geographically it belongs to the archipelago of the Inner Hebrides, and administratively to the Highland region. The Isle of Skye is the second largest in the UK. Its total area: 1656 square meters. Km. The length and width of the island of Skye are 80 and 42 kilometers respectively.

The terrain here is hilly, and the highest point reaches a height of 993 meters. The sky above the island is almost always covered with gray clouds. The local climate is characterized by high humidity and frequent precipitation.

About 10 thousand people live on Skye. Many of them speak a special language - Scottish Gaelic. To study it, students and linguists from all over the world come to the island.

You can get to the island of Skye in two ways. With the mainland (if you can call the UK), it connects only one bridge, near the town of Kyle of Lokolsh. You can also get to Skye by ferry, which runs between the towns of Mallay and Armadale. The length of the crossing is 7 kilometers. Near Brodford there is an airport, however there is no regular passenger service.

The island is mentioned several times in popular Harry Potter novels. So, according to the book, it is here that the Hebrides black dragon lives.

Isle of Skye: sights and places of interest

Pearl of Scotland, a reserve of natural, pristine natural beauty. This is how the British often refer to the island of Skye. Here you can admire the amazing landscapes, woven from gentle hills, rocky ledges and sea bays. Sometimes these landscapes are harmoniously interwoven with ancient castles or stone bridges.

The island of Skye is not only a picturesque nature, but also a huge number of legends, legends, legends. And all this is carefully preserved by local residents.

Here is a far incomplete list of objects that must be visited on Skye:

• Dunvegan Castle;
• The Magic Bridge;
• The Kuirang plateau;
• Pools Fairies.

Dunvegan Castle

One of the most famous attractions of Skye is in the western part of the island, in the vicinity of the village of Dunvegan. The castle was founded in the XIV century and belongs to the famous Maclawd dynasty in Scotland. It still lives one of its representatives - Hugh MacLeod. True, his apartments are located in one of the buildings, and the rest are free for tourists.

Dunvegan Castle is very interesting from an architectural point of view, because it traces several historical styles. Around the fortress is a wonderful park with flower beds, ponds, waterfalls and openwork bridges.

The Magic Bridge

This popular tourist site is located near the Dunvegan Castle. A miniature arched bridge, built of large boulders, is thrown over a small stream near the A850.

One of the local legends is connected with this bridge. So, one of the representatives of the Maclawd dynasty, Jan Kier, was allegedly married to a fairy. They had a son, but a year later the wife-fairy was summoned back to her magical land. Jan fell in love with his wife and did not want to let her go. But the fairy nevertheless soared into the sky and flew to her people, leaving Jan a rag of delicate silk. "Three times he will save you in hard times" - she managed to say goodbye. It all happened on the bridge, later named Magic.

By the way, the flap given to the fairy was used twice in history. Now it is kept in the castle of Dunvegan.

Fairy Pools

A charming, heavenly place on the island of Skye - Fairy basins. It is a whole complex of waterfalls and cascades formed by a water stream flowing down from the mountains. The attraction is in the southern part of the island, near the Glenn Brittle forest (3 km from the coast).

Waterfalls are surrounded on all sides by picturesque rocky outcroppings. The water here is clear and clean. It is best to come here after heavy rains, when the Fairy basins become particularly turbulent and full of water.

An interesting moment: on the Internet, a curious photo of this marvelous natural corner of Skye is walking. But in the photo, Fairy Pools are surrounded by bright purple trees. Many tourists who come here, long trying to find these unusual plants on the ground. In fact, the trees are purple - no more than the trick of Photoshop.

Quirang Plateau

Plateau Kuirang is another picturesque place of Skaya, located in the extreme north of the island. This is a grand plateau with sharp rock peaks, deep depressions and colorful meadows. The whole area is generously cut by tourist trails. The walk here will be very impressive and informative.

The plateau began to form at the end of the glacial period and is an actively collapsing array of frozen lava. Here you can see a lot of strange geological formations. For example, the ledge of Prison, which resembles a massive medieval fortress, or the sharp 37-meter-high Igla rock. From any point of Kuirang the gaze of the traveler reveals landscapes of incredible beauty.