Scotland Road Trip: Isle of Skye to Fort William (Day 7)
River Brittle at Fairy Pools.
UPDATED: 2/5/2023
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Because it was included with our AirBnb, we ate breakfast at Portree Hotel again. Dustin opted for lighter fare with their continental buffet, and I had smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. After we’d loaded the car, we said goodbye to Portree.
The Fairy Pools
the fairy pools: what to expect
About a 40 minute drive from Portree and in a different direction that we had gone the prior day, we arrived at the Fairy Pools.
We had seen many people recommending this site online, and it is clearly very popular with visitors. The owners of the land have set up a large, extensive mountainside gravel parking lot which is the only real place to park. I don’t recall the exact price - it wasn’t cheap but wasn’t astronomical either. Some people try parking alongside the road to avoid paying, which given the windy nature of the roads is not the safest (in my opinion), and honestly, if this private land is being used as Scottish law permits, I think the owners should have every right to profit off of it given the significant crowds.
From the parking lot, there is a fairly steep downhill hike that places you at the bottom of the river. From there, the rest of the outward hike is uphill. In the distance far ahead is a steep cliff where the land up above drops off to the lower area where you are standing. Essentially, a waterfall runs down that steep cliff then winds its way downhill, forming pools in the rock as it continues on its path. The hike is right alongside the stream, pools, and eventually will take you to the waterfall, though that is a much longer hike.
At Fairy Pools people can hike through an area ripe with waterfalls.
The hike was a nice one on a cool day in pretty scenery and with the running water. While we enjoyed ourselves, Dustin and I thought the hike was a little overrated based on what we had read about it in advance. I think one reason for that is that a year before we had visited Iceland, a country of a gazillion amazing waterfalls, and this just couldn’t hold a candle to those.
The other reason was that the hike was pretty darn crowded. The Fairy Pools are one of those places that have become popular (apparently) for Instagrammers, who ratchet the colors up in their photos so that the color of the water in the pools looks way brighter than in real life (though they are somewhat colorful). It also means that a number of people there were videoing themselves, taking excessive numbers of selfies (making it hard for the rest of us to get person-free photos of the site at all), and also swimming in the freezing water for mere minutes to get a photo. To each their own!
Overall, it was a great hike, but I think those are good expectations to have for what you’ll find. If you prefer less crowded places, look elsewhere. Skye has many hiking trails less traveled. We spent an hour and 40 minutes in total and went a distance of about 2.5 miles. As mentioned before, the hike can continue further along to the base of the waterfall itself, but we didn’t have time or the interest in hiking that much further.
River Brittle forms as water runs off the mountains and down into the valley, creating a number of small waterfalls and pools.
This massive boulder likely rolled down from the above mountains, or was possibly dropped from a glacier at the end of the last ice age.
A number of unique waterfalls can be found at Fairy Pools.
difficulty level of the fairy pool hike
I also think it is important to define the difficulty level of the hike. Many people online described the hike as “easy”. That is a bit of a misclassification, though it isn’t a hard hike either. The route is very uneven with rocky ground so having the right shoes (hiking boots) is important. It would be easy to twist an ankle.
There are also 2-3 places where the trail crosses the water and where you have to step from rock to rock to get across. Some of the stepping stones are fairly wide apart, some are small footholds, and it is important to have good balance. It was clear that some people crossing were struggling, and with a line of other people waiting for you, it can create a pressure situation.
We came across a man who had been hiking with his family and had clearly fallen and hurt his leg. He was already awaiting emergency help - unclear for how long already - when we headed up the path, and it was well over 90 minutes later before men carrying a stretcher could make the way to him and haul him back up the hill to the awaiting ambulance. That is never a fun thing to see but made me realize just how difficult it is to get to people who get injured, even though the road itself was visible. This is not to scare anyone, but it was a good reminder how important it is to be extra cautious when hiking.
At the Fairy Pools, the water of River Brittle often collect in green and blue colored pools
This twisted waterfall was probably our favorite waterfall at Fairy Pools.
The entire valley of Glen Brittle was shaped during the last ice age by a glaciers slowly moving down from the mountains and curving to the left.
food near the fairy pools
Nearby was a hiker’s pub/bar called Seumas’ Bar that we stopped by for lunch. Most patrons were in hiking apparel, as it is near Cuillin Mountains. We were mere hiking pretenders from the Fairy Pool route! The restaurant was relaxed and casual where you collected your own silverware and napkins from a central table and ordered at the bar, though they deliver the food to your table from there.
Cuillin Brewery is nearby, so we got a few pints of their Pinnacle Beer. Dustin ordered a burger, I went for a healthier option of salad and tomato soup, and our in-laws both had fish and chips. The restaurant was a great spot to sit and talk and take our time eating and warming up, which is nearly always essential in Scotland!
Eilean Donan Castle
Eilean Donan Castle is both a tourist attraction and an inhabited house.
The drive to Eilean Donan Castle was about 45 minutes long, and we got there in time to spend just about an hour before closing. That seemed to be the right amount of time.
You may recognize Eilean Donan as a movie location from a number of films, a listing of which you can view here on the IMDB website. Perhaps most famously, it featured in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.
The castle sits on small island at the intersection of three sea lochs - Loch Long, Loch Alsh, and Loch Duich - so it is quickly clear how it would have made for a solid fortification and stronghold over the centuries.
eilean donan castle: a brief history
Crest of Clan Macrae at Eilean Donan Castle.
The island on which Eilean Donan Castle sits is believed to have had early fortifications dating to the Iron Age or Early Medieval eras. By the 13th century, a fortification had been built that was the precursor to the current building, and was connected the the MacKenzies and related clans.
Over years and wars, the castle was visited by kings, passed through different owners, and during the 1715 Jacobite rising, it faced substantial destruction when it was fired upon and then taken control by the British who bombarded it from ships in the neighboring lochs. Having taken minimal damage from the ships due to the depth of the castle walls, the British loaded the interior of the castle with gunpowder and blew it up from the inside. The castle was left as a heap of ruins and remained more-or-less in that state for a couple of hundred years.
By the time John MacRae-Gilstrap came along in the early 1900s, the site was in very poor shape, age and time wearing away at the destroyed site. He was responsible for building the very photogenic stone bridge out to the island and undertaking significant restorations to turn the ruins into a functioning family home that used liberal artistic license to create a romanticized castle home.
Eilean Donan has the most amazing view across Loch Duich (and Loch Alsh in the other direction).
Low tide at Eilean Donan Castle. There is still a narrow strip of water under the bridge.
Looking from Eilean Donan Castle toward Dornie and Loch Long.
Algae and the reflection of the clouds and sky remind me of an abstract painting…. maybe Monet’s Water Lilies?
Loch Duich; serene and peaceful on a summer day.
touring eilean donan castle
There is a parking lot close to the visitor’s center, and we had no trouble finding a spot to park. Inside the visitor’s center, you can purchase tickets. There is a gift shop and a place to grab a bite to eat.
We showed our tickets at the start of the bridge that carries visitors out to the island castle and from there, were on our own to explore.
The island itself is teeny tiny, essentially just large enough for the castle that stands on its banks. The tour of the house follows a numbered self-guided tour that first goes through some rooms that cover more of the history of the site before leading to the modern-built home.
The home has a large banquet room and then the tour route travels through the bedrooms, kitchen and storage rooms, and other rooms that the MacRae-Gilstrap family lived in. In fact, part of the home is still used today by the family, but that part is not open to the public.
Seeing a (relatively) modern take on the romanticized view of an ancient castle made this stop unique, though for visitors hoping to explore an ancient castle as they truly existed, the castle could be a disappointment. Infused in the visit is the family history of the MacRae-Gilstraps with family photos to the modern era in various rooms.
While we had an enjoyable stop and tour at the castle, I don’t consider this to be a must-see, though lovers of the early 20th century homes may find it particularly interesting. The best part of the castle in my opinion is the view of it from outside - the castle set against the three lochs provides for beautiful photos!
Destination: Corpach
From there, we had another hour and 40 minutes or so of a drive to get to our overnight stop of Corpach, a town right next to the larger town of Fort William. Corpach seemed to be a sleepy, walkable town. We stayed right on the main street that connected the town a short distance away to Fort William.
These gorgeous and steep mountains rise on either side of the road to Fort Williams.
Enroute to our next destination, we had to stop and say hello to a Scottish “Hairy Coo.” One of our companions had been looking for one our entire trip!
Most restaurants that looked appealing to us were in Fort William, and at the end of a long day, we opted to stay closer to home and avoid more car time. From our AirBnb, we could walk to the grocery store, which we did to pick up some dinner and breakfast foods.
Most travelers describe the Fort William area as a good entry point to hiking and exploring in the surrounding areas, which are picturesque. Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK (at 4,413 feet) is visible from the city, though good luck finding a day clear enough to see the top! The city of Fort William itself is not particularly appealing as somewhere to visit in and of itself. The fort after which the city is named is no longer in existence, in case you were wondering.
A very short walk from where we stayed and just down from the main street through town are the train tracks that carry trains in and out of Fort William. One of the trains that runs on that track is known for covering the pretty route out to the coastal town of Mallaig. One option for that route is to ride on the Jacobite Steam Train, made famous as the train in the Harry Potter movies. For those who have seen the movies, you may recall the scene where the steam train passed over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is on this route out to Mallaig. We had booked tickets prior to our trip and would ride that route the following day.
Our route for the day:
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All aboard!
The next day, we took the Jacobite Steam Train, made famous by Harry Potter, from Fort William to Mallaig.