We hadn’t planned ahead for our trip through Scotland, preferring to see where each day ended. Late October is not the height of the tourist season, however, arriving on the Isle of Skye we found accommodation scarce. We were very fortunate to find a room at Uig Hotel, a beautiful old coaching inn dating back to 1831.

We settled in at the bar to enjoy some local beverages. A Red Cuillin ale for Michael, brewed locally since 1995 and a Talisker single malt for me from the only distillery on the Isle of Skye. We absorbed the stunning view of Uig Bay and Loch Snizort.

The tower in our sights was a 19^th century folly, known as Fraser’s Folly. The tenants of Kilmuir Estate, owned by Major William Fraser in 1855, would go to the folly to pay their rents. The tower was later turned into a family home and eventually abandoned in the 1950s.

We enjoyed a superb meal in The Folly restaurant at the hotel, Michael honouring his Scottish roots with a main course of venison haggis. The next morning, we awoke to severe stormy weather. We had decided to explore the island in an anticlockwise direction and see where the road led, we weren’t going to let the elements stop us. The camera stayed safely tucked away until we came across Sligachan Bridge.

Built in the 1820s, it was taking quite a beating from the waters whipped up by the gale force winds.

Apparently, the views of the Black Cuillin mountains are spectacular on a clear day. Legend has it that if you dip your face in the river water by the bridge for seven seconds, you will stay young and beautiful forever. I certainly wasn’t going to try on this day.