The Journey Home

The journey home from Glasgow was a much more leisurely affair last week.  I drove up the West Coast of Scotland to Balmacara Square just before the bridge to Skye and met David and Molly who had driven up from the Borders.  Actually Molly didn't do any of the driving: she left it all to David.

 Coming up to Rannoch Moor I was astonished to see that there was still snow on the North faces.

Close up

 Looking across Rannoch Moor: as bleak and remote and beautiful as anywhere in Scotland

 and again

Kyle of Lochalsh and the Skye Bridge

The Bridge approach road from the car's onboard camera

Nestled in the bosom of the hills 

The grandeur of the mountains of Skye 

 The Cuillins from Sligachan

Uig on Skye: the Harris ferry approaching the jetty

Arriving at Tarbert on Harris

The Skye Bridge

In 1995 the Skye Bridge was opened replacing the car ferry between Kyle of Localsh and Kyleakin on Skye. The construction of the bridge was funded by the contractors (rather than being paid for from public funds) and in exchange they were granted a licence to operate the bridge and charge travellers tolls. The initial toll for a round trip in a car was £9, slightly less than the cost of the ferry it replaced but by 2004 the round trip was £11.40. At the end of that year the Government purchased the bridge and immediately abolished the tolls.