Scotland: Isle of Skye 2 – At The Talisker Distillery

An account of a tour of the Talisker distiller on the Isle of Skye.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the latest installment in my series about my Scottish holiday. My previous post contains links to all its predecessors in the series.

ARRIVING AT THE DISTILLERY

Tours of the Talisker Distillery are rather popular, so we had an hour to fill in before our tour started. There was an exhibition to look at and a gift shop. These occupied us for about half the time, and then we took shelter in my parent’s camper van for the rest. Here are some pictures from this preliminary period…

THE TOUR

Most of the distillery itself was off limits as far as photography was concerned due to the possible triggering of dangerous chemical reactions. To give you an idea of the scale of the operation the whisky is produced in tranches of 30,000 litres at a time. Talisker whiskies are classified as mid-range peaty – not as peaty as the likes of Ardbeg, Islay, Lagavulin or Laphroaig but plenty peaty enough to taste.

The whisky here is double distilled (they used to triple distill until recently). By the time it reaches the end of the distillation process it has an alcohol content of between 64 and 74 percent, and is then diluted with distilled water to reduced this to the desired level which varies between 40% minimum and 57% for the variety which is called 57 Degrees, linking its alcohol content to the latitude of this part of the world.

The fermentation room contains eight giant containers, each at a different stage of the process, while there are two sets of stills. The first set consists of two each with a capacity of 17,000 litres and the second of three each with a capacity of 11,000 litres.

At the point at which it goes into the casks to mature the liquid is clear – the colour comes from the casks.

After we had seen the final stages of production there was the warehouse and a sampling session (a pub single each). In these closing stages photography was allowed again (I, unlike one of the others of our party had actually been listening when we were told this – I was annoyed when this individual piped up when I started photographing in the warehouse implying that I should not have been doing so, but the guide confirmed what I had already known by listening a few moments earlier – I was in the clear).

546 — The barrel loses 2% of its content to evaporation per year – after 38 years which this barrel has been there for the amount left would be 0.98 to the power of 38 where 1 stands for a full barrel.

Whisky Samples — A few drops (emphasis on few) of water brings out the flavour

DEPARTURE

We decided that the prices in the gift shop were just too high, especially as only one of our three gift vouchers could be used per purchase. The 57 Degrees was priced at £68, while the less strong local stuff was in the region of £40 per bottle. There were also some super-expensive (“Oligarch Prices” as I termed them at the time) bottles. The biggest price tag I saw was £2,400.

Scotland – Isle of Skye 1: Ferry Cottage to Talisker Distillery

The first of several posts about the Tuesday of my Scottish holiday.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the latest post in the series about my Scottish holiday. We are now dealing with the Tuesday (May 30th), most of which was spent on the Isle of Skye. The day contained so much of interest and yielded so many splendid pictures that I am splitting it into a number of posts. Previous posts in this series:

THE FIRST MAJOR ACTIVITY

We decided that our first major activity would be a tour of the Talisker Distillery (the tour itself will be the theme of the next post in this series). As you will see from some of the photographs the weather was suitable for a day most of which would be spent under cover.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF SKYE

Although Kyleakin is the more northerly of the settlements on Skye to have historic connections to the mainland (Armadale, with its ferry connection to Mallaig, is the other), it is still the case the most of Skye is to the north of Kyleakin.

PHOTOS OF THE OUTWARD JOURNEY

The outward journey yielded some good pictures and gave me an idea for the way back as well…

blurry waterfall — This waterfall is more than a bit blurred, but still worth showing.

Stone bridge — I made a mental note that this was an area to get closer attention on the return journey, as you will see in a later post.

500 — This is the approach to the Distillery Car Park – and distillery visitors are understandably strongly discouraged from parking elsewhere in the village.

Scotland: Walking From Ferry Cottage To Kyle of Lochalsh

An account of the walking route from Balmacara to Kyle of Lochalsh.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the latest installment in this series about my Scottish holiday. Today we deal with Monday’s principal activity, which was a trip into Kyle of Lochalsh. Previous posts in series:

Setting The Scene

Getting There

Kyle of Lochalsh

Ferry Cottage and its Environs

THE DECISION TO WALK

We had noticed the presence of a footpath to Kyle of Lochalsh, and I was particularly keen to sample it. I was not expecting the walk to pose too many problems as the distance was only three miles. However, I had seriously underestimated the difficulty of the terrain. Thus it was that after a brief period in Kyle of Lochalsh we got a bus back.

LEAVING THE ROAD – WOODS

The footpath began by climbing up through some woodland, before emerging into the open.

Shelter — This shelter framework had been built straddling the path and left there.

ON THE HEIGHTS – TO SCALPAIDH BURN

The middle point of the walk, until we crossed a footpath running between Scalpaidh Bay and Loch Scalpaidh, took place high above Lochalsh. This junction came at the crossing point of the only major waterway on the route (there were numberless minor waterways cutting the path at various points – this is northwest Scotland we are talking about!).

THE DESCENT INTO KYLE OF LOCHALSH

The final stages of the footpath were on a steady downhill gradient as we approached Kyle of Lochalsh. The whole walk took two hours due to the difficult terrain (there were points when the path was almost indistinguishable from what as around it). We walked it on a warm day during what had been by the standards of the area a dry period.

Kyle of Lochalsh from above — This was the first sight of Kyle of Lochalsh from the footpath.

Kyle Co-op — Kyle of Lochalsh Co-op – it has an adequate but overpriced stock.

Footpath Sign — The footpath marker at the Kyle of Lochalsh end of the path.#

LUNCH AND THE RETURN

We had lunch at Hector’s Bothy, also making use of their wifi before getting a bus back. This bus service runs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and although its first scheduled stop is Balmacara Square they acceded to a request that we be dropped at the turn off leading to Glaick (pronounced Glike) wherein Ferry Cottage is located. The fares were remarkably cheap at £1.20 each (central King’s Lynn to the Hospital costs more for example). The bus is the smallest vehicle I have ever seen running what purports to be a public bus route:

Scotland – Ferry Cottage and Environs

The .latest in my series of Scottish posts.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the latest installment in my series about my holiday in Scotland. This one deals with the immediate area around the house where we were staying. It features pictures from a small walk on the Saturday evening, a longer walk on Sunday morning and the house itself.

FERRY COTTAGE

Ferry Cottage is part of a large estate, the Balmacara Estate, which was given to National Trust Scotland in lieu of death duties in 1946 and has been administered by them ever since. As the name suggests a Ferry service used to run from just outside it. Here are some pictures…

Map, Ferry Cottage — The first of two maps on display at Ferry Cottage

View from window FC — A view through the kitchen/diner/sitting room area

THE FIRST WALK – LOCHALSH HOUSE AND BALMACARA SQUARE

Lochalsh House was pretty much rebuilt in the 1930s – a total of £230,000 was spent on it then, and it reflects that heritage.

Lochalsh House1 — Lochalsh House through the treers

Having seen Lochalsh house we went back in the other direction, and walked by way of a Visitor’s Centre to Balmacara Square…

WALK TWO – RERAIG

On Sunday morning we walked to the village of Reraig where newspapers and food can be bought. Rather than retrace our steps we walked back along the foreshore of the loch (under British law no one can own foreshore). Here are the pictures…

Reraig info board — Info board in Reraig

P1000378 — One of many and various shells I saw – there is a special post coming about this aspect.

AMONG THE ROCKS
OUTSIDE FERRY COTTAGE

I subsequently ventured out again although I did not go very far. Here are the pictures…

Goose2 — large swimming bjrd (pos greylag goose)

Scotland – Kyle of Lochalsh

Continuing with the Scottish holiday, covering Saturday up to meeting up with my parents.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the third post in my series about my holiday in Scotland. Having set the scene for the series in one post and described the journey up in another this post deals with the first Saturday.

KYLEAKIN TO KYLE OF LOCHALSH

Having checked out of Saucy Mary’s I headed towards the mainland. I started taking pictures almost as soon as I was on my way – at this stage of the day it was warm and sunny, to the extent that I was wearing shorts and to put it mildly I had time to spare.

Skye Bridge2 — The bridge from just outside Saucy Mary’s

In the opposite direction to the bridge lies Castle Moil

Skye Bridge both bits — The full link from Skye to the mainland.

Under Bridge View — looking under the bridge from Kyleakin.

ON THE BRIDGE

Naturally I made full use of the walk across the bridge…

Here is the island between the two bridge spans…

Tarka's Isle — The author of Tarka the Otter lived here, and apparently one can still sometimes see otters hereabouts (although I did not).

THE MAINLAND

Just on the mainland side of the bridge is a detailed information board:

It was also in this area that I got this picture…

Here is a direct shot Saucy Mary’s where I spent the Friday night…

I found a seat near the bus station and spent a while resting, taking a few photographs…

Welcome to Kyle — This picture and the next were taken before I had sat down.

Ferry — In this part of Scotland the battle was between the SNP and the Liberal Democrats.

Island — I noticed something on this island which prompted me to zoom in even closer…

Cormorants — …and I was rewarded with this.

After a while I moved on, and after a brief examination of what the town had to offer visited Hector’s Bothy for a drink and a nibble. I also made use of the free wifi. I then did some more exploring and took some more photographs…

I visited a bakery/ coffee shop and the £5 note I got in my change immediately caught my eye…

£5 obverse — This is a Scottish £5 note, which I had not seen before.

I next headed for the train station…

Finally, my parents arrived in Kyle of Lochalsh at about 6PM and we headed for Ferry Cottage.

Scotland – Getting There

Post 2 in my Scottish holiday series (there will be more later today). This post describes the journey there.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the second post in my series about my holiday in Scotland. This one focusses on the first day, when I travelled from King’s Lynn to Kyle of Lochalsh and then walked across the bridge to Isle of Skye, where I stayed the night at Saucy Mary’s Lodge.

THE FIRST LEG OF THE JOURNEY-
KING’S LYNN TO PETERBOROUGH

With my envisaged train for the next leg of the journey leaving Peterborough at 9:46 and the bus journey reckoned at 1 hour 20 minutes or thereabouts I decided that prudence dictated being on the 7:34 rather than the 8:04. The journey ran fairly smoothly and I arrived at Peterborough Train Station at just after nine o’clock.

PETERBOROUGH TO EDINBURGH

The 0:946 to Edinburgh Waverley, scheduled to get there at 13:20 arrived in time and was not absolutely packed, although it is clearly a popular service. I got a window seat in a designated quiet coach (both parts of which represent significant bonuses to me – the latter even more than the former). This was the start of the portion of the journey that is not so familiar to me, and also therefore represented the point at which the camera got pressed into service…

Spire — Taking photos through the windows of moving vehicles can be frustrating (and all bar a few taken when the train was at rest were taken thus)

York Model Railway — On the approach to York, the first stop after Peterborough

Darlington1 — At Darlington, one terminus of the world’s first passenger carrying railway, the Stockton & Darlington.

North Sea 1 — A first glimpse of the sea just north of Newcastle

EDINBURGH TO INVERNESS

A slightly late arrival at Edinburgh meant that I had to move fairly fast to make the change to the train to Inverness. A combination of the fact that some idiot at Scotrail (part of Abellio, the profit-making subsidiary of the Dutch state railway company) had deemed three carriages sufficient for this train and the heat of the day made this leg of the journey like travelling in an oven on wheels. However, neither of these factors kept me from taking photographs…

INVERNESS TO KYLE OF LOCHALSH

Arriving at Inverness over half an hour late I then discovered that the train I had expected to catch to Kyle of Lochalsh was being replaced by a bus service. There were two different buses, and there was some confusion of who should go on which, but we set off at the appropriate time. I continued to ply my camera…

P1000266 — My first sight of the Skye Bridge, and a by then very welcome sign that the journey was nearly complete. When I first travelled this way in 1994 there was no bridge, just a regular ferry crossing.

P1000267 — The approach to Kyle of Lochalsh, with Kyleakin visible in the distance.

THE WALK TO SKYE

It was still pretty hot even at 8:45PM as I began the walk to Saucy Mary’s, which according to my instructions was 2.5 miles. The reason for this is that the bridge to Skye actually starts a good half-mile beyond Kyle of Lochalsh, is itself a longish crossing and then on the other side one has to go back along the Skye shore to Kyleakin which is directly opposite Kyle of Lochalsh. I arrived at Saucy Mary’s thoroughly exhausted and went straight to reception. There I was greeted with news that I had been relocated from my dorm bed to a room normally used only by staff. The reason for this was that the people who had booked the other four beds had revealed at the 11th hour, having not mentioned it while booking, that they were travelling with two babies, and the manager had decided that it was unacceptable to put me in the dorm room in that circumstance (absolutely right, and thankyou very much).

Scotland: Setting the Scene

Setting the scene for a series of posts about my recent holiday in Scotland.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this first in what will be a substantial series of posts about my recent holiday in Scotland. Although I still have a lot of photo editing to do from said holiday I do now have enough photos at my disposal to start the series, and I will look to interleave the rest of the editing with producing posts for you.

THE HOLIDAY TIMELINE

I travelled up on May 26th and back on June 4th. These two dates were entirely taken up with travelling (14 hours each way approximately). In between these two days there were:

Saturday – most of the day spent waiting for my parents to arrive so we could go up to the house that would be our base for the week, three miles from Kyle of Lochalsh.
Sunday – a quiet day featuring some walking in the immediate vicinity of the house
Monday – A walk to Kyle of Lochalsh, lunch there and a bus back. A quiet afternoon.
Tuesday – a visit to the Talisker Distillery on the Isle of Skye.
Wednesday – a brief visit to Plockton to book the a table at the Plockton Inn for supper, a trip to Applecross and then back to Plockton for the supper (the birthday meal).
Thursday – The Jacobite Rail Journey (steam train between Fort William and Mallaig, a section of railway known to vast numbers of movie goers as the route of the Hogwarts Express).
Friday – the final full day.

THE LOCATION

Kyle of Lochalsh is on the mainland of northwestern Scotland, very close to the Isle of Skye, to which it is nowadays linked by a road bridge. Ferry Cottage, where we were staying is located at Glaick (pronounced Glike), three miles from Kyle of Lochalsh. Here are some maps for further clarification:

SOME PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE AREA

Here are a few photos from the immediate area in which we were staying:

Kyleaking from above — Kyleakin viewed from high above

Balmacara House to Craggan Cottage2 — These last two pictures show the stretch of shoreline that includes Ferry Cottage.

THOMAS’ CALENDAR CHALLENGE

I saw some quite amazing scenery while in Scotland, and it has become something of a tradition to produce a photographic wall calendar each year. A number of my Scottish pictures will undoubtedly feature. If in the course of this series of posts you see a picture that catches your eye as worth a place in the calendar there are two things I invite you to do:

Post a comment identifying the photo that has caught your eye and/ or…
Create a blog post about the picture that has caught your eye explaining what it means to you and why you think it should be included. If you do this I will reblog your post.

Should you succeed in convincing me to include the picture in my calendar I will give you credit for doing so. I end with two final pictures, the second of which is almost certain to be in the calendar:

	Thomas on 49
	Shaun Bradford on 49
	Thomas on Reaching Back to WG Grace Twic…
	Elena Delle Selve on Reaching Back to WG Grace Twic…
	Thomas on Two Contrasting Routes to…

INTRODUCTION

ARRIVING AT THE DISTILLERY

THE TOUR

DEPARTURE

INTRODUCTION

THE FIRST MAJOR ACTIVITY

THE GEOGRAPHY OF SKYE

PHOTOS OF THE OUTWARD JOURNEY

INTRODUCTION

THE DECISION TO WALK

LEAVING THE ROAD – WOODS

ON THE HEIGHTS – TO SCALPAIDH BURN

THE DESCENT INTO KYLE OF LOCHALSH

LUNCH AND THE RETURN

INTRODUCTION

FERRY COTTAGE

THE FIRST WALK – LOCHALSH HOUSE AND BALMACARA SQUARE

WALK TWO – RERAIG

AMONG THE ROCKS OUTSIDE FERRY COTTAGE

INTRODUCTION

KYLEAKIN TO KYLE OF LOCHALSH

ON THE BRIDGE

THE MAINLAND

INTRODUCTION

THE FIRST LEG OF THE JOURNEY- KING’S LYNN TO PETERBOROUGH

PETERBOROUGH TO EDINBURGH

EDINBURGH TO INVERNESS

INVERNESS TO KYLE OF LOCHALSH

THE WALK TO SKYE

INTRODUCTION

THE HOLIDAY TIMELINE

THE LOCATION

SOME PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE AREA

THOMAS’ CALENDAR CHALLENGE

AMONG THE ROCKS
OUTSIDE FERRY COTTAGE

THE FIRST LEG OF THE JOURNEY-
KING’S LYNN TO PETERBOROUGH