November 7th, 2022
OVER THE SEA TO SKYE
It’s been ages since I posted a Journal entry. But then it’s been another strange year and my mind has been on other things.
To cut a very long story short, Richard spent two months in Peterborough City Hospital but he is back home, not quite fully fit yet but the ship is steadier than it was!
To put this year behind us, we thought it would be fun to plan a nice little trip for next year, somewhere we can take the pugs, Bertie and Bindi, a beautiful, quiet and restorative destination was in mind.
We’ve had a few very happy holidays in the North West of Scotland and Richard thought a trip to Skye next year would be something to really look forward to. We’ve booked what looks like a rather special little contemporary wood and glass bothy right on the seashore near Broadford. Corry Bothy, booked through Boutique Retreats.
Although we’re not up for scaling the Cuillins, we’ll enjoy pootling around Skye in the car, pugs in the back, marvelling at the wonderful scenery, visiting artists’ galleries and studios and eating ourselves silly at many wonderful places, the Loch Bay at Stein is a must – superb seafood straight from the jetty in front of the restaurant. The Three Chimneys at Colbost has also been in our sights for a long time.
A few years ago, on another trip to Skye, we visited the lovely people at Isle of Skye Sea Salt. The salt is harvested from clean, clear, mineral-rich seawater of Loch Snizort, dried using only the wind and the sun. The result is a lovely pure crystal sea salt.
I use the Isle of Skye Sea Salt in my Tawny Seville Marmalade with Islay Malt Whisky and Hebridean Sea Salt. The tangy salt and the peaty, smoky whisky seem to work really well with the bitter Seville oranges. I have a loyal following of this variety of marmalade, one chap in St John’s in the Vale in Cumbria orders six jars at a time!
It’s a long way to Skye from Lyddington and back again, a round trip of 1000 miles. So we will look for a couple of nice pubs with rooms to stop off at as we head north and then again on the way home. We’re looking for pubs with good food, comfy bedrooms (ground floor to suit the pugs) and attractive environs. Quite a tall order – this time next year I will tell you how we got on.