If you love picturesque natural landscapes, feel free to go to the Isle of Skye. This is one of beautiful places not only the UK, but the whole of Europe. In addition, the island is interesting for its architectural monuments.
Isle of Skye: photo and description
Skye is an island in the western part of Scotland. Geographically, it belongs to the Inner Hebrides archipelago, and administratively - to the Highland region. The Isle of Skye is the second largest off the coast of Great Britain. Its total area: 1656 sq. km. The length and width of the Isle 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. Students and linguists from all over the world come to the island to study it.
There are two ways to get to the Isle of Skye. It is connected to the mainland (if you can call Great Britain so) only one bridge, near the town of Kyle of Lokolsh. Skye can also be reached by ferry that runs between settlements Mallay and Armadale. The length of the crossing is 7 kilometers. There is an airport near the city of Broadford, but there is no regular passenger service with it.
The island is mentioned several times in popular Harry Potter novels. So, according to the book, this is where the Hebrides black dragon lives.
Isle of Skye: attractions and points of interest
The Pearl of Scotland, a nature reserve of natural, pristine natural beauty. This is how the British often refer to the Isle of Skye. Here you can admire the amazing landscapes woven of gentle hills, rocky ledges and sea bays. Sometimes these landscapes are harmoniously woven or
Isle of Skye is not only picturesque nature, but also a huge number of legends, traditions, tales. And all this is carefully preserved by the locals.
Here is a far from complete list of must-see sites on Skye:
- Dunvegan Castle;
- Magic Bridge;
- the Kuirang plateau;
- Pools Fairies.
Dunvegan Castle
One of the most famous sights of Skye is located 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 Macleod dynasty, famous in Scotland. One of its representatives, Hugh Macleod, still lives in it. True, his apartments are located in one of the buildings, while the rest are free for tourists.
Dunvegan Castle is very interesting from an architectural point of view, as several historical styles can be traced in it. Around the fortress there is a wonderful park with flower beds, ponds, waterfalls and delicate bridges.
Magic bridge
This popular tourist attraction is located near Dunvegan Castle. A miniature arched bridge made of large boulders is thrown over a small stream near the A850 highway.
This bridge is connected with one of local legends... So, one of the representatives of the Macleod dynasty, Jan Kiar, was allegedly married to a fairy. They had a son, but a year later, the fairy spouse was summoned back to her magic land... Jan fell in love with his wife and did not want to let her go. But the fairy still soared into the sky and flew away to her people, leaving Jan a piece of the finest silk. “Three times he will save you in difficult times” - she managed to say goodbye. All this happened just on the bridge, later called Magic.
By the way, the flap donated by the fairy was used twice in history. It is now kept at Dunvegan Castle.
Fairy Pools
Charming, heavenly place on the Isle of Skye - Fairy Pools. This is a whole complex of waterfalls and cascades formed by the water stream flowing down from the mountains. The attraction is located in the southern part of the island, near the Glenn Brittle forest (3 km from the coast).
The waterfalls are surrounded on all sides by picturesque rock ledges. The water here is clear and clean. It is best to come here after heavy rainfall, when the Fairy Pools become particularly turbulent and full of water.
An interesting point: there is an interesting photo of this wonderful natural corner of Skye on the Internet. But in the picture, the Fairy Pools are surrounded by bright purple trees. Many tourists who come here have been trying for a long time to find these unusual plants in the area. In fact, the purple trees are nothing more than a Photoshop trick.
Quirang plateau
The Kuirang Plateau is another the most picturesque place Skya, located in the far north of the island. It is a grand plateau with sharp rocky peaks, deep depressions and colorful meadows. The whole area is generously indented with tourist trails. A walk here will be very impressive and informative.
The plateau began to form at the end of the Ice Age and is an actively crumbling massif of solidified lava. Many strange geological formations can be seen here. For example, the Prison ledge, which resembles a massive medieval fortress, or the sharp 37-meter Igla rock. Landscapes of incredible beauty open to the traveler's eyes from any point of Kuiranga.
Isle of Skye - unexplored Europe, here time seems to have stopped. For some, the island is a European backwater, for others it is the amazing beauty of Scotland. In general, Scotland is striking in its beauty, and the Isle of Skye is proof of this - a mountainous area with little vegetation and abundant rainfall at any time of the year, it would seem that it could be worse, but after visiting the island you understand that this is a real fabulous paradise. 
The Isle of Skye is the second largest island in Great Britain, apart from Great Britain itself, located in the Inner Hebrides archipelago, in the west of Scotland. Administratively it belongs to the area of Heilen, Scotland and is a rare area where local population speaks the almost extinct Gaelic language. The island's population is small, just over 10 thousand people. The main town is Portree.
- Area: 1656 km²;
- Water area: Atlantic Ocean;
- Population: 10,000.
Get to the island
The only sure way to get to the island is by crossing the Sky Bridge, which connects it to the mainland at the village of Kyle of Lochalsh. This can be done by bus or car. In addition, you can consider the water option, since both Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh are port settlements. 
A selection favorable air tickets via Aviadiscounter (looking for both Aviasales + selection of airline promotions and sales).
And for the selection intercity transport(planes, trains, buses) try Europe, the service offers the best ways to travel along popular routes.
Or and plot your route.
sights
Nature itself is the main attraction of the island. V summer time and in sunny weather, the island looks just great, combining juicy green and blue colors. The black basalt cliffs along the horizon give this landscape a more unrealistic setting. All the same, it is best to go to the island in your own or rented car, since the island is not developed. transport infrastructure... And here are the voters on the road locals happy to give a ride. To get the best view of the island, you do not need to work out any route - follow the road and stop at each View Point. These are kind of observation platforms, where there are signs with a description of the place. 
Mandatory places to visit can be recommended such - these are the rocks "Old Man of Storr", which from a distance resemble the Cambodian temple complex... There is a lake nearby. The next observation deck is worth visiting, called Diatomite Road, where mining villages were once located. Today only ruins remain of them. There is a gorge next to the Diatomite Road. Another interesting place is the Kilt Mountains and the famous waterfall here. This place is definitely worth a visit if you are visiting the Isle of Skye.
Services for tourists that will allow you to save or get more for the same money:
- Insurance: the journey begins with choosing a profitable insurance company, allows you to choose the best way according to your requirements;
- Flight: Aviasales are looking for the best tickets, you can also find promotions and sales of airlines in Aviadiscounter;
- Trains: reliable service for finding railway tickets ZHDBILET.COM;
- Accommodation: first, we select a hotel through (they have the largest database), and then we look at which site it is cheaper to book through RoomGuru from;
- Movements: you can book an inexpensive transfer to and from the airport, you can also rent a car on (Economybookings). In some countries, car rental can be cheaper than public transport (eg in Portugal);
- Entertainment: order excursions from local Russian-speaking guides around the world at
Starships in No Man's Sky are an integral part of the gameplay, because it is thanks to them that players can explore outer space and land on various planets. All ships in the game are divided into several classes, namely:
- C - budget starships with a small capacity and satisfactory performance. It is on such a "pelvis" that you will start the game.
- B is the real average that most space travelers fly.
- A are excellent ships that have good defense, lots of cells, and good speed.
- The S are ideal starships that excel at absolutely everything. A pilot's dream.
In the Next update, the class system has not changed, however, it has not done without innovations. Immediately, we note that finding S-class ships is still as difficult as before, but now there is an opportunity to somehow influence the likelihood of their detection.
Where to find the best S-class ships in No Man's Sky
First of all, let us inform you that, as with many other aspects in this game, we cannot tell you the exact place where you can purchase the highest class starship, since many of the elements in it are generated randomly. You can be incredibly lucky to stumble upon a similar ship in the nearest space station, however, the chances of this are no more than 1 percent.
For this reason, we recommend that you get an economy scanner for your cargo ship. It can be purchased from the Geks for Nanite Flocks. Using it, you will open a line on the galaxy map with information about the type of economy, as well as the percentage of purchases and sales of any star system without visiting it. What is it for? The point is that the most expensive ships can be found in the most economically prosperous sectors. The better the economy in a planetary cluster, the higher the chance of finding an S-class starship in its station.
Don't use this method if you don't have the money to buy an expensive starship. Prices for these spacecraft range from 20 to 75 million units. However, we wrote a small guide on how you can quickly earn millions of units. Be sure to read it if you do not have enough funds to buy a ship.
Once you've found a system with a thriving economy, head to the nearest space port and start choosing ships. The type of starships will depend on the race operating the station. For example, the Geks mainly sell merchant ships, the Vai'keins are combat ships, and the Korvax are research ships.
Isle of Harris is a small Scottish island that smells of wildflowers and surprises with a variety of landscapes. In the north and east - rocky mountains (Mount Klisham - highest point all the Hebrides), in the west - numerous lakes, yellow sandy beaches and emerald water, dolphins and eagles, whales and seals.
The island does not have such clearly marked historical monuments, and there is no need for them in the moments of enjoying the untouched civilization of these wildly beautiful places.
There is a ferry from Harris to the largest of western islands Scotland - the Isle of Skye.
Coordinates: 57.91042500,-6.82997700
Isle of skye
The Isle of Skye attracts with its enchanting uninhabited landscapes, the Kulin Mountains, ancient castles and endless coasts.
The island is the fourth most populated island in Scotland. According to the 2001 census, it has over 9,000 inhabitants. The largest populated city is Portree. The most spoken language on the island is Scottish Gaelic.
The highest point of the island is Mount Kulin, 993 meters above sea level. The tops of the mountains are almost always shrouded in fog, since the climate of Skye is maritime, humid and with frequent precipitation. Nature enchants with its sea lakes, coastlines, hills, lush vegetation, peatlands, forests, cliffs and rock formations, waterfalls, and beautiful castles. On the Waternish Peninsula is Dunvegan Castle, where the leaders of the Macleod clan live.
The island can be reached from Glasgow or Inverness via the Skye Bridge, or from Glasgow to the village of Mallague, and then by ferry to Ardwasar Pier.
Coordinates: 57.25528100,-6.20178200
Isle of Bute
Isle of Bute is located in Argyll Bay, which is west coast Scotland. This island was once an aristocratic Victorian resort.
The climate on the island is temperate, sunny and almost calm. The island is dominated by hills and coastal lowlands. Its largest city is Rosesey, where the ruins of a 13th century castle are preserved, which testifies to the aristocratic history of the island. This castle used to perform a defensive function. Now the island is home to one of the richest families in Great Britain - Mount Sewart Castle. There are also many architectural monuments indicating military history Bute and surrounding areas.
The waters around the island are cold and swimming is cold but fresh sea air, parks and gardens are conducive to a successful walk that can bring true pleasure and relaxation.
Fishing is one of the main components of the local economy of the island.
Coordinates: 55.83383100,-5.10014500
Isle of Arran
On the north side of the island there are high mountains and deep gorges, and in the warm, soft south - swamps, forests, agricultural land and even some excellent sandy beaches, which, however, are quite difficult to get to. On southeast coast there are the more accessible resorts of Lemlash and Whiting Bay, and to the west are the vertical stones of Mehri Mur, where six stone circles have survived since Neolithic times.
The Britons, Romans, Varangians lived on the island for thousands of years and they all left their mark, which now represents a large collection of archaeological sites. The island offers a wide variety of outdoor activities and has a beautiful cyclist trail that runs around the island.
On east coast, by a wide bay, surrounded by mountains, located main city Arrana and Ferry Pier - Brodick. And at the foot of high mountain Goat Fell, just to the north, is Brodick Castle with wonderful gardens containing one of the finest collections of rhododendrons in Europe.
In the northern part of the island, you can visit Lochranza - this is a remarkable village with the ruins of a 13th century castle that stood on an isthmus. The northern territory of Arran is the territory of amazing golden eagles. The bare granite cliffs and enchantingly rugged surroundings provide an incredible opportunity for walking and climbing.
Coordinates: 55.58261400,-5.20820600
Scotland landmarks
Skye - the second largest island in Scotland, part of the Inner Hebrides archipelago, in the Russian Wikipedia is devoted only a scant couple of paragraphs.
The following is said: the island from the point of view administrative division refers to the Highland region (that is, the "highlands"), by and large, the only region of the country where the population still speaks not only English, but also the almost disappeared Gaelic language; there are several castles on the island, and the main town of Skye is the small fishing port of Portree. In short, nothing special, ladies and gentlemen, a typical Scottish backwater.
However, sometimes a lack of information is preferable to an overabundance, since it excludes the moment of overestimated expectations. At least that's the case with the Isle of Skye. Going there, I did not expect anything special, but ended up in a real fairyland.
You get to the island from the mainland of Scotland via a bridge that is invariably shrouded in fog. Because of this, while crossing the bridge, there was a feeling that our little Fiat 500 was literally diving headlong into the clouds, when the fog cleared away, as in an old Soviet song, suddenly "everything around was blue and green."
Only the black basalt rocks on the horizon gave the landscape a light touch of drama, otherwise the feeling that we were suddenly inside a photograph processed by a designer who did not know how to reinforce the colors would have been one hundred percent.
Isle of Skye and Old Man of Storr Rock Outlines
You need to move around Skye by car, public transport the island is not particularly observed, but you notice hitchhikers voting on the road every ten minutes.
You don't have to work out the route in advance, just move along the road and stop at each View Point. Of the must-see places, I would like to recommend the Old Man of Storr rocks, and the gorge near the diatomite road, the rest - as the map will lie in the literal sense of this expression. It is easy to recognize the observation deck - opposite there are signs with the description of the place in English and Gaelic.
Famous rocks Old Man of Storr The silhouette of which resembles the Cambodian temple complex of Angor Wat is the first thing that guests of the island tend to see, including many Scots traveling on Skye on motorhomes.
With the Scottish old man Storr (this is how the name of the rocks is translated), as expected, is connected mysterious story, in which the Vikings are involved. The fact is that at the end of the nineteenth century, among the stones of the Old Man of Storr, researchers discovered a "stash of silver" left in the Scottish rocks by the Norwegians. The scientists dated the coins in 935 AD.
It is curious that, according to the chronicles, the first Norse Vikings arrived on the island a little later, at the very end of the tenth century, and now scientists think: these are the chroniclers telling about the migration of the Vikings were mistaken for a couple of decades, or the Vikings hid a treasure in Old Man of Storr with old coins.
Lakes near Old Man of Storr
However, tourists are not too interested in this small inconsistency in dates, but prefer to climb on foot to the rocks that arose after the ice that covered Skye during the last ice age came off the top of the island.
The duration of the walk is about 40 minutes, but contemplating the Old Man of Storr rocks is still more interesting from the valley, from below they seem to be such formidable giants who have been silently watching everything that is happening on the island for many centuries.
The second observation deck- right on the course, located next to Diatomite Road, that is, the place of extraction of diatomite - sedimentary rock, the main material for the production of dynamite.
Observation deck next to Diatomite Road
Previously, there were villages of miners, but today you can only observe on the green slopes near Diatomite Road, and only ruins remain of the local diatomite processing factory.
The cliffs covered with soft green grass hanging over the azure sea, like the eyes of northern beauties, look like scenery for a fantasy film with a story about how she "waited, waited until she waited."
Indeed, if somewhere beautiful ladies should live, every day going out to sea in the hope of seeing a boat on the horizon with a betrothed returning from an overseas campaign, then better place than the cliffs of the mountains with the true Scottish name Kilt and not worth looking for.
Of course, in reality, on the coastal cliffs, one can observe not at all sad ladies, longingly peering into the horizon, but tourists desperately photographing local beauties.
However, all without exception at some point catch themselves thinking that constantly clicking the camera in an attempt to capture the changeable colors of the sky and the sea is nothing more than a deliberate refusal of the pleasure of contemplating the amazing beauty of this place, and therefore put the camera aside and do not care on caution, they sit down at the very edge of the cliff and begin to peer into the deep blue sky, thoughtfully clinging to the transparent sea surface.
The Skye Coast is a place of amazing energy
From the point of view of meditation and contemplation, the shore near the diatomite road is an ideal place, and this is not only due to the amazing beauty of Scottish nature. Here, every stone breathes with majestic tranquility, it's hard to believe that material for dynamite was mined in these mountains earlier, and in the thirteenth century Norse saga with the difficult name Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar this place appears as a bloody battlefield.
Having meditated a lot, we decided to become like mountain sheep and went down to the waterfall rustling at the foot of the mountains. Although the Kilt slopes from the top seem to be absolutely impassable, you can go down and ascend along their paths, however, slowly and carefully.
And the local waterfall, as it turned out, is an excellent place for swimming. In shape, it resembles a deep bowl, into which you can easily and naturally dive from a stone side. While swimming in the waterfall, I remembered a scene from my favorite childhood movie "Robin Hood" with Kevin Cosner in the title role, in about the same conditions the king of robbers "took a bath" when he was noticed by Lady Marianne who arrived in Sherwood Forest.
While swimming in a mountain waterfall, you experience an amazing sense of unity with nature.
Unfortunately, few decide to go down to the waterfall, and only the most stubborn get to the local bay, which is located near the gorge and the abandoned factory.
The fact is that the entire coast near the bay is dotted with large smooth boulders, on which you have to step with extreme caution so as not to injure your leg. Thoughtfully sitting on the shore of the blue-blue sea is also unlikely to fail - the local boulders, although smooth, are not at all a pillow chair or even a soft carpet of grass.
Of course, from the point of view of the impressive views, it is best to stay at the top rather than crawl up and down the mountains, but descending into the bay is a full-fledged exercise on the theme of "feel like a real Scottish Highlander."
A destroyed factory that used to produce raw materials for dynamite.
Having admired the duet of the blue sea and green mountains from the bottom of your heart, go inland. Here you find yourself in a country of a thousand shades of green, where the blue of the sky already seems to be nothing more than a background shading the green slopes of the mountains.
In the center of the island, the mountains are covered with a green carpet of grass.
Arrogant, but at the same time fearful Scottish sheep jump out on the road every now and then, but people and cars, on the contrary, are not present at all. It seems that you somehow ended up on a planet that people left behind a hundred years ago, and now you are the only one who can observe these green slopes frozen in silence.
You won't find people and cars in the center of the island.
Lonely sheep in the center of the island
By the way, the fantasy on the theme of "the last man on earth" is not too far from reality, because a little more than 10 thousand people live on the island, whose area is 1,656.25 km², and in the largest local city - Portree, according to official data, it does only 2490 inhabitants.
Although, in fact, Portree is just a small fishing village with colorful houses and a promenade, on which there are even more seagulls than people, after being deserted mountainous areas the place seems to be full of life.
Fishing Boat Harbor, Portree
Shoppers swarm at fish stalls, in pubs (here the word is pronounced with a Scottish accent, which makes it sound like "pub") visitors have an evening pint of ale, and from cafes you can hear the recognizable buttery smell of Fish & Chips, which locals take away and eat right on the embankment, not embarrassed by the greedy glances of the eternally hungry seagulls.
In Portree, it makes sense to take an example from the Scots - to sit on the embankment bench, devour Fish & Chips and periodically feed them to the hungry birds. After the desolate expanses of Skye, go to the relatively Big City- the decision is not very successful, it is still worth returning to human noise gradually.
And finally, another interesting one historical fact associated with the Scottish Isle of Skye. When I wrote about, I did not mention one interesting document that was created in Ravenna in 700 AD. It is called the Cosmography of Ravenna and is a map of the world. The Isle of Skye on it is also designated under the name Scetis, which means that the ancient Romans or Byzantines visited here long before the Vikings.
Photographer Davide Bacelle
Did you like the material? Follow us on facebook
Yulia Malkova- Yulia Malkova - founder of the site project. In the past, the chief editor of the internet project elle.ru and the chief editor of the website cosmo.ru. I'm talking about travel for my own pleasure and the pleasure of my readers. If you are a representative of hotels, tourism office, but we are not familiar, you can contact me by email: [email protected]
