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Quiraing and a rainbow
“This is the best view in Great Britain.” That’s what our Scottish guide told us about this place. And while I haven’t seen all the notable views, I tend to believe him…
It’s called the Quiraing, and it’s a geological formation on the very top of the Isle of Skye. Parts of it are still moving, and as a result, the road up requires frequent repairs.
There’s a lot of weather there. We had drizzle. We had rain. We had sleet. We had driving rain. And then we had sun…and a rainbow.
The Quiraing
Isle of Skye, Scotland
photographed 11.7.2023
Old Man of Storr waits for the sun
OK – so here’s a more traditional sort of landscape photo (because it includes, you know, landscapes and stuff.)
Specifically what this includes is Loch Leathan in the foreground and the famous rock formation Old Man of Storr way back there on the ridge.
Here’s a legend about the Old Man:
A giant was minding his own business on the Isle of Skye until he fell over and died. Just like that. Pretty short story, don’t you think? The earth covered him, and the big pointy bits of rock are said to be his fingers. Well, this is the polite version of the tale.
Some say that The Old Man of Storr’s original Gaelic name translates to the ‘Penis of Storr’.
Yes, you can stop giggling now.
When the historians discovered this, they were too polite to keep this name, so they incorrectly translated it to the ‘Old Man of Storr’. So, when the giant died, the locals didn’t say his fingers were sticking out, it was his…his you-know-what!
The ancient Gaelic tribes even worshipped this large piece of rock as a symbol of fertility.
So, there you go.
Loch Leathan
Isle of Skye, Scotland
photographed 11.7.2023


