Isle of Skye

This year we decided to escape for the Christmas break, although as the weather worsened prior to Christmas we were regretting planning such a long drive! We woke on the 24th to blizzards in Yorkshire and a recommendation not to travel, so we set off anyway. Yorkshire had the worst of it and by the time we hit the M6 the weather and the roads were clear. We made the cottage by tea time and well ready for a trip to the local.

Christmas Day -  With blurry eyes we dragged ourselves out of bed and into the car, our goal was Blabheinn before Christmas dinner!
The car thermometer showed -7C and as the sun came up there was not a cloud in the sky. The going was slow and as we headed up to the first corrie, plenty of snow, big patches of ice on the path and loads of hoar frost. Hoar frost crystals are created by vapour rising up from layers of deposited snow and then freezing on the surface, quite rare and very beautiful, also a precursor to a high avalanche risk when more snow falls on top! We reached the summit at 2.30pm and were treated to some of the most stunning views I have ever seen in Scotland. We could see as far as Assynt in the North, Rum in the West and the Nevis range in the South East. One problem! It was too cold to loiter and now we were all thinking about Christmas dinner! So down we went, powder snow cushioning every step. Just time for a pint of Red Cuillin in the pub, dinner was cooked and eaten by 8pm, what a day!

A big thanks do Dolly and Frank for sorting the accommodation.

Looking forward to the next trip!

Simon