'My Journey Through Scotland' - Part Three: Plockton
After the first two days, which were kind of wasted given our plan, we were craving to experience the nature and the beautiful sights we had come to see. Our friend had to work, so she left the house early, leaving us behind to explore on our own. She told us about Plockton, a beautiful village outside Skye that we could visit first and where we could spend the whole day exploring. She would join us after work and take us back by car. She showed us the train station and explained how to get to Plockton before heading on her way. We walked through the now-iconic Skye Bridge that connects the island with the rest of the world, and we were lucky to have some sunshine clearing the clouds before us.
We took the train from Kyle of Lochalsh, the first town after Kyleakin outside the island. Eli specifically told us to sit on the left side of the train so we could observe the beautiful scenery of Scotland. She also mentioned that we could take this train back to Inverness and that the route is full of majestic panoramas—it’s her favorite ride in the country. She was right; twenty minutes and one beautiful coastal ride later, we arrived at the station in Plockton.
First, we decided to visit the Coral Beach. The walk from the station to the beach was short. The whole time, I was taking pictures and videos, wondering how there could be a coral beach in this cold habitat. When I think about corals, I imagine tropical waters with Nemo and Dory swimming around. Also, when I thought about a coral beach, I pictured those tropical places. The path was easy and very charming, and the nature that blew me away from the train continued to impress. I had never been to the UK, and Scotland was a brand new experience for me.
After twenty minutes of slow and unbothered walking, we saw the path to the beach. Among the small trees, there were natural stairs that led to the rocky shores, full of pink and white corals left by the tide. We considered taking some, but it felt wrong, as if we were disturbing a sacred place, so we decided to leave them alone. There were a few people and dogs around, and we had a great time.
The panorama revealed one of the most exciting trips we were about to embark on—the view of the Dùn Caan volcano, which you can spot if you squint your eyes in the picture. You can see the volcano from many places; it’s about 444 meters high and situated on the Island of Raasay, with a peak shaped like a bed. Although it’s 444 meters tall, climbing it was very challenging for us, especially starting from sea level—but more on that adventure later. For now, we were on the beach, having a great start to the day. We had many things on the agenda, and we decided it was time to move on to the next point.
Our next trip was the loop hike to Duncraig Castle, which is located on the shore in front of Plockton. On the way there, it started to rain. Fortunately, we were prepared for that. Over the next few days, we would be very proud of our raincoats, though we remained blissfully unaware of the other water sources that would catch us by surprise and, on numerous occasions, leave us drenched like wet rats, even with our raincoats on.
If you find yourself in Plockton, do this hike. It offers incredible views, is easy to do, and at the end, you can see the beautiful castle. Though it was closed when we were there, it still looked 'sexy,' as our friend loved to describe most of the views we saw in Scotland. To be honest, they were really sexy—she was right. Plus, there were a couple of workers who were so hot that they were an attraction on their own. So, the castle hike was worth it, and we made our way back to Plockton, changing direction to see as much as we could. After two days stranded in Kyleakin, this was a breath of fresh air.
Next, we wanted to eat something. There was a great restaurant in a two-star hotel named 'The Plockton' that offered the best fish and chips. Even I, who rarely—if ever—ate fish, loved it. Before our food was ready, our friend arrived to give us some direction for the next hike. She told us about Carn na Frith-aird Viewpoint. There, we saw seals, which blew my mind. They were so far away that our cameras couldn't record their games, but they were swimming around a small island in Loch Carron. Meanwhile, the most beautiful sunset was slowly exploding in a pink cotton light that took over the sky. Loch Carron reflected the colors and took on a misty appearance in which the seals playfully and calmly existed. The view and the seals were so surreal and transformative that a picture couldn't capture the feelings they evoked. We tried to take photos and videos, and here in this video, I was able to capture that incredible sunset better than the photos.
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