One thing we’ve observed several times during our trip so far is that Scottish people tend to underestimate distance between places, whether measured in yards, miles, or time. On our first full day in Scotland, some hikers told Gee Gee and Amanda to trek 300 yards for an even better view at the Fairy Pools ; they went much further only to find no significant change in view. Roadsigns for several attractions have been either missing or very hard to find and rarely include any detail beyond an arrow.
Today, we encountered another flavor of this issue when we inquired about Coral Beach, which is located just a few miles north of our prior stop at Dunvegan Castle. I inquired about the beach with one of the castle’s staff, who gave excellent (and specific) directions outlining the 2.9 miles of required driving but failed to give accurate warning of the ensuing walk after reaching the parking lot, labeling it one for which we should allot 20 to 25 minutes.
A group photo shortly before the second part of the trail began.
We left the car and began the walk as a group, looking forward to some time at the beach, an activity Noah has been particularly excited about since the trip began. The obstacles we took in stride, like carrying Emmie to avoid the large, uneven rocks, and finding the most efficient way to pass over the streams dividing pieces of the path. After more than 20 minutes of walking, we snapped some pictures and Grandma Mac began the return trek to the car. The rest of us continued, hoping to somehow find the beach and not just the rocky shoreline.
We next had to not only cross the largest stream on the path but also maneuver through a field of cows. It was less impressive than it sounds, given the waterway was still relatively small and the cows pretty much stayed in place eating their grass, but was just the beginning of the second leg of the walk effectively doubling the time required when compared to the estimate.
Walking across the stream in the middle of the pasture of cows.
Ultimately, the trek was well worth the time. The beach was beautiful, consisting of coral pieces rather than sand. While the water was fairly cold, the warm sun helped keep the beach reasonably warm and we all managed to take off shoes and at least dip our feet into the sea.
On our way from the beach back to our home, we stopped once more in Portree, this time to check out the standalone Co-Operative grocery store, which was significantly larger than the downtown location where we had previously shopped. I love a good grocery store and despite having a fair selection of goods at our house, managed to buy several new things to sample, like milk chocolate cherry cola yogurt and Doritos chili heatwave flavor.
The classic stand-in-front-of-the-grocery-store vacation picture.
Before baths and bedtime, we took the short five minute drive from our house to the Staffin Bay Beach. While the shoreline itself wasn’t as pristine or pretty as Coral Beach, the mix of rock and background mountains still made for some sharp backdrops. And, most happily, Noah was able to add new shells to his growing collection.
Noah shows off his shells with Mommy…
…and with Gee Gee.