We arose to an overcast but dry day on the Isle of Skye. In the breakfast room Betty, the owner, served breakfast cooked by her husband Freddie. Out on this remote place on a remote Scottish island these two have opened a B&B with every convenience imaginable. Freddie was in the hotel industry before “retiring”. There is a major binocular telescope on a tripod for spotting. On the distant Isle of Uist, merely a shadow on the horizon, a village of white houses can be seen in the scope. All TVs in the lounge and in the rooms are high definition. Each room has a laptop computer with high-speed wireless. But best of all are the personalities of these lovely, sometimes sarcastic to me, owners. I spilled my orange juice on the first morning and heard about it, in good-natured ribbing, until we left two days later!

Back to the breakfast. We sit at one of the three tables (there are only three B&B rooms) looking out over the end of a sea loch, past the end of Skye toward the Outer Hebrides. I don’t think it is possible to have a more lovely view. Oh yes, and the breakfast was outstanding. Bacon sausage, tomatoes, eggs from their chickens out front, porridge, juice, toast and perfect coffee. Marian even had scrambled eggs with slices of smoked salmon one morning. Apparently she is back to full strength now.

Our first adventure this morning was Neist lighthouse on Neist Point. We drove three miles from the B&B and parked the car. From there it was a nice little mile walk to and another mile back. Let me explain this “little walk”. On the promontory where we parked, the lighthouse and point are down a hill then up a hill then down. In this desolate place the trail is asphalt fortunately. Beginning the walk down the hill (actually descending down across the face of cliff), the trail is so steep there are steps. I counted the steps to the bottom of the cliff – well over 200. From there a long walk across a sloping meadow to again climb up and around the point to get to the lighthouse.

On the way back, the climb UP the steps was a thigh-burner. I was puffing like a steam engine by the time I scaled the last step - a nice morning constitutional. I wanted to go back to bed. Instead, we drove back to Carters Rest B&B to walk down to what can only be described as a fishing village in the most liberal sense of the term. This is true old Scotland at its best. Since A&M like Skye, I am sure they will like the completely different nature of the Isle of Islay tomorrow.

Feeling very healthy but tired, we drove to Portree (Port Righ in Gallic if you care). This is the “big town” of the island. It takes an hour to get there from our B&B. It is not many miles, either. Wow, tourist. Well a few since this is the tourist place on Skye.

For dinner Freddie booked us into the Old Schoolhouse Restaurant in Dunvegan for eight o’clock. The food was of the highest quality, prepared with care by a chef who knows his stuff. Allan and I had an entrée I had never tried before - pheasant. “It tasted like chicken” as the joke goes. A bottle of Chilean sauvignon blanc washed this fine meal down. Driving back was Allan’s job. Now comfortable with the wrong way driving and the left handed gear shift a new challenge awaited him: Driving in the pitch black darkness of NO lights whatsoever except his headlights. It was easier though since he knew when a car was coming on this wee road for miles.