UK 2026: Day 7: No Castle For You!

Location: Portree, Isle of Skye

We had some pretty significant rain last night. We were joined by 3 other vans in the not at all secret “wild camping” spot. Everyone was quieter than the rain and wind so all was good.

Prior to departing we went for a hike on the nearby trails. More amazing scenery. More wet hiking trails.

We packed up and drove the 3 minutes to the community washroom/dumping station/ water refill area and did all of those things.

Today was a big decision day. Do we do the Applecross Pass? This is a high mountain pass on a single track road with many switchbacks. The recommended maximum vehicle length is 6.0m and we are 6.5. However, it really came down to whether yours truly wanted to do that drive, and your honour, I did not want to do that drive. Also note that it would have reduced the time we could spend at Eilean Donan Castle. So no Applecross for us. We did the part of the peninsula to Shieldaig and then south along the “valley” route.

Hey, mostly dual carriageways today!

Off we went to Eilean Donan Castle, one of our must see things on this trip. As we approached things looked odd. And so they were. The castle is closed for movie filming. Aargh! And worst of all, the movie being filmed is a reboot of The Highlander. Castle blocked! We got some pictures from a nearby parking lot.

Well, let’s go to the Isle of Skye, we have some bonus time. Prior to crossing the bridge to the isle we stopped and the Spar and got some pasties, perhaps not my best idea. They were tasty.

We are now officially off the NC500 route.

Once on the island we did a left and stopped at the municipal parking lot to walk over to Castle Moal. It was a lovely hike over that can only be done at low tide. And it was low tide. Hint, don’t listen to the GPS when it says you can drive closer to the castle. And, when eventually you get to the end of that road, and the little spot that says “no parking in turnaround area” has three cars parked in it, well, your 74 point turn skills really kick in.

Next stop was a waterfall along the highway. We hiked up part way. It was pretty soggy. Mrs Milddogs was great at plotting a course while stop hoping her way along the “trail”. Good thing she brought those hiking boots!

The bay we overlooked features that beautiful turquoise water that Scotland is famous for. Almost looks wonderful enough to go for a swim.

Next and final stop was Portree, the capital of Skye and part of clan MacDonald territory. One thing that was unexpected is just how much traffic there is on the isle. Much traffic. We drove around town and decided to delay town visiting until tomorrow which allowed us to go and find a spot to park for the night. Makes for an earlier end to the day, but frankly, our driver is pretty tired. Or perhaps she’ll-shocked from all of the single track roads.

A few pictures of where we are parked. We hope it is legit, the app said it is.

Tomorrow we start the journey back southeast. If we were going to see a castle tomorrow, surely we would make sure the Highlander hasn’t overtaken it and that we can book a time for the tour. Surely, we would do all of that. And no, we are not going to make it to the fairy pools here on the isle.

Oh, I had a shower in the van. I give it a solid 10/10 for small camper showers. It’s much better than the one in our van. Sorry, van, we still love you. This one is like the one in the Winnebago Ekko.

Well, take care. Much for us to do tomorrow. Hope your days are full of amazing things at every turn.

One day I’ll publish a Google map of our route.