As we woke to Day 2 on Skye the clouds parted, the heaves opened and we were blessed with a warm day and nothing but blue skies and sunshine. Wasting no time and hoping to capture Skye’s beauty, we had a hearty breakfast, hit the kid’s hotel playground and then jumped in the cars to get a glimpse of the magical Fairy Pools.

This time we took the 2^nd loop, the A863, A850 and even cut across the heart of the island and dodged roaming sheep, cows and horses via the B885. The hike to the Fairy Pools topped Glen Affric and was one of the best we have ever had. We skipped and jumped over stones across rivers (the kid’s favorite part), hiked down into the valley and then up the side of the mountain skirting in and out of the river and Fairy Pools. Melting snow from the mountain tops rushed down the countryside creating surging streams and flowing waterfalls where the land was sloped and calm, cool blue pools where the land was flat. We may have even saw a few fairies weaving in and out of rock crevices and the mist from the waterfalls. The land was rugged, rocky, every shade of brown and green imaginable and framed by white and blue of the never ending mountains and sky. Taking a mental picture or two that we will never forget, we now understood how this famed island got its name.

After the hike to the Fairy Pools, Gammy was wore out, but we were ready for more. We dropped Gammy off in the biggest Skye town of Portree for some shopping and then headed back out again for more hiking and adventure seeking. We visited more waterfalls, darted down slips (English for side roads) and hiked the base of Quiraing. Unfortunately we were unable to complete the entire hike to the cratered bowl of Quiraing because our Gammy pickup clock was ticking and we didn’t want to leave her stranded in Portree. Picking up Gammy, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed R&R before heading back to Portree and dinner for the evening. We were all wore out, but filled with awe and wonder at the sights and sounds from the last few days.

Skye, you were amazing, we will be back! Spending our last night on the island, we helped Gammy prepare for the voyage home and back to the states. Tomorrow we would make our way south again towards Glasgow to say goodbye to Gammy.