Skye Day 2 Misty Mountains part 1

 I was staying at Kylearkin - just near the bridge across from Skye, about a third of the way up the island.

In retrospect, I would have been better staying at Portree because it was more central.

Skye is VERY mountainous, so there are basically 2 loop roads and a single road from Portree to the east and then south, so I drove the road from Portree to Kyleakin many times, and it was very busy.

The top loop has the big mountains and big walks, but with limited time I could only do short bits.

I left early and headed up to Portree then turned west to do the top loop clockwise, hoping that the weather, which was very misty, would clear before I got to the
major places.

First stop was Fairy Glen and the carpark was already packed when I arrived! 

A sheep being 'king of the castle'.  The landscape was dotted with these hillocks.

This is what everyone comes to see

but I found this on the web also:

The Fairy Glen is a unique and unusual landscape, a geological wonder on the Isle of Skye. Created by an ancient landslip which has left plateaus separated by cliffs at the higher levels and small steep hills at low levels. The often photographed stone circle does not belong here and was first created in 2013 by visitors. Locals work hard repeatedly clearing this sham stone circle. Please help us maintain the NATURAL beauty of the Glen and do not alter anything when you visit

I've decided that Scotland (and particularly Skye) uses 'Fairy' as a way of attracting tourists and they make their money on the parking fees.

Here are some of the 'real' Fairy Glen

This last one reminded me of my Form 1 English teacher who told us that a Haggis was an animal like a sheep but they had two legs longer on one side than the other, so that they could walk around the hills of Scotland, and the way to catch them was to walk the other way.

No sign of any haggis here, but I could see their tracks.

Next stop was right at the top - the Skye Museum of Island Life

This was a series of genuine Blackhouses with displays showing the traditional crofters' lives.

Everything inside had been collected by a man who was determined that the way of life would be preserved for future generations.

https://skyemuseum.co.uk/

Warm, durable, and economical in their use of scarce resources, croft houses were well adapted to the harsh climate of Skye. Their low, compact forms helped them withstand severe winter gales - an effective vernacular solution developed long before modern engineering theory.

The design of the Highland croft house was shaped almost entirely by the availability of local materials. With little means to import supplies, crofters built using what could be gathered nearby often constructing their homes themselves over weeks or months. Housebuilding was commonly a communal activity, with neighbours sharing the labour.

Site selection was critical. Houses were usually located near a water source, as all water had to be carried by hand, and access to suitable stone often determined where a dwelling could be built. On treeless islands, roofing timber was scarce and typically sourced from driftwood or, at times, from shipwrecks washed ashore.

Traditional Skye cottages featured stone walls up to three feet thick and hip-ended roofs with overhanging thatch. Roofs were formed using a couple-and-purlin structure, topped with branches, turf, and a final layer of rush or reed thatch. Originally the roof was held down with a rope made from heather but had no longevity so from the mid 1900s wire netting became the preferred method. Once commonplace, thatching is now a declining craft, with few skilled practitioners remaining.

Low ceilings and dark inside, but the thick walls and peat fires would have kept them warm.

There is chicken wire over the thatch and the stones keep it on - the wind in Skye is ferocious!

The roof structure from inside

The Blacksmith's - look at the size of these bellows! The man was real size

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This was the blacksmith’s workshop, where iron objects were forged and repaired by hand. Every community relied on a smithy and with horses to shoe and tools to mend, the blacksmith was rarely idle. The rhythmic ring of hammer on anvil accompanied the shaping of red-hot iron, while the smell of burning hoof often announced the workshop before it came into view.

The smithy also served as a social hub, where men gathered to exchange news and stories, occasionally helping by working the bellows. Kept deliberately dim, the workshop allowed the blacksmith to judge the iron’s temperature accurately. Beyond metalwork, the blacksmith frequently acted as a healer providing home remedies

This small cottage often functioned as a busy workshop. On the Isle of Skye, flax was grown to produce linen for shirts and bed sheets, while wool was used to make tweed for heavier garments and blankets. Flax and wool were sometimes blended to create cloth for women’s skirts.
Sheep were shorn in summer using hand shears, and the wool was washed in streams, dried, and dyed in iron pots with natural plants. Once dried again, it was combed, spun into yarn, and woven into cloth. The finished cloth was then shrunk and weatherproofed through a process known as waulking, or luadhadh in Gaelic, during which the fabric was soaked and pounded to set the dye and strengthen the weave.

 

To survive islanders needed to be adaptable, combining farming with life at sea. Until the mid-20th century agricultural work was carried out by hand and with horses using simple tools and implements, many of which are now housed in the Old Barn. Sheep and cattle were the main livestock, native breeds were typically small and hardy, well suited to harsh winters with minimal additional feed.
Peat (a soil rich in organic matter formed in wet conditions) was cut in spring and summer using basic tools, left to dry and used as fuel for cooking and heating. Families with larger holdings sometimes used Highland ponies for heavier tasks such as ploughing, harrowing and transporting crops. Hay was cut by men using scythes, while women cut corn

Built over 200 years ago using locally sourced materials, this house was occupied until 1957 and later opened as a museum in 1965 to preserve and interpret traditional Highland life for future generations. Cooking took place over an open fire, and early examples of this house type lacked chimneys and windows, resulting in poor light and smoke-filled interiors—features that led visitors to describe them as “Black Houses.” Light was provided by a crusie, a lamp burning fish oil or animal fat. Designed for practicality rather than comfort, the house was well suited to the harsh landscape and climate of the Highlands. Families lived largely self-sufficient lives; rearing livestock, fishing, growing crops and using locally made furniture often crafted from driftwood.

The Gaelic word “Ceilidh” describes a small, informal gathering of friends. This house was once home to the local tailor, Mr MacKinnon, who owned one of the first wireless radios in the area. Most evenings, local men gathered there to listen to the news.

During long winter nights, these meetings featured traditional singing and storytelling, with tales of Clan battles and heroic warriors passed down through generations, helping preserve local history. Many participants memorised extensive song repertoires.

Of course Flora MacDonald features - actually she is buried just down the road.