Saturday 9 August 2014

Skye

In the midst of examination gloom, a friend mentioned a little road trip adventure she was taking the following week. After a few conversations and some tentative plans, a merry band of four were soon zooming through the highlands in search of the spectacular Isle of Skye.

I came to the south of Skye with Trees For Life last year. We were mostly tree planting in the south of the island but spent a day off taking the ferry to loch Coruisk and then walking back to the fishing village of Elgol. This time we were staying in the very north of the island near the town of Uig, a place none of us could properly pronounce.


Quiraing
The Edinburgh second semester runs from January to May with only a few sparing weeks separating lectures and exam season. I spent my Easter 'break' this year studying Italian in Modena which elongated the desperation to finally reach the freedom of summer. With one exam left and a whole week to put some revision work in, it was an easy decision to rediscover this special place one more time.


Skye is one of the most incredible places to experience. Sparsely populated, it feels strangely peaceful to simply drive for miles along the winding Scottish coastline. We were there Friday - Tuesday and with the aid of Bel's powerful vehicle we wandered around the island from beaches to fairy pools to incredible walks along the coast.


Old Man of Storr
Walk from Neist Point
Neist Point
Neist point in the most westerly point of the island with a lighthouse pointing out towards the north Atlantic ocean. Amelia and I were walking around the deserted buildings that surround the lighthouse and found a Canon 5D just sitting on the floor. After we picked it up a bearded man turned the corner and reclaimed the camera before walking off again. Later we found out it belonged to Jared Chambers who was there with a group of photographers. Scroll down his instagram to May to see his work from Skye.








The Quiraing and Old Man of Storr are two areas on the north east side of the island, apparently they were formed through subsiding ground leaving these impressive rock formations behind.

Pembo, Meals, Bel, Povo





On the Sunday evening we jumped in the car and drove to an open area of fields that looked out over the west coast. Living in a city means it is often easy to miss such simple extraordinary things like a sunset. Everything was still apart from the wispy clouds that floated around the bay. The orange glow of the sun replicated itself onto the water before disappearing beyond the horizon. 

Portree



I'm 6 weeks through a 10 week internship based in London. I've spent the last few days in one of their Edinburgh offices. August brings the excitement of the fringe which is a far cry from any bleak 2am revision moments in May. When I arrived into the airport on Wednesday it still felt like home.

Exams were passed which means next year will be spent abroad in Italy. I will be studying philosophy at Sapienza, Universita di Roma. 

25 days till the big move...