Sgurr An Fheadain

What a rollercoaster day.

It started badly with yesterday's weather hanging about and the dreich, overcast feel backed up by a bit of a wind. So we started the day indoors with a trip to Skye's 'Serpentarium' - one of the oddest things to find on Skye, but it's basically turned into a sanctuary for smuggled reptiles. It's small, but really well laid out, with incredibly friendly staff, and the chance for every visitor to hold a snake. Highly recommended if you're in Broadford.

Coimng out the gloom was still around, even so we headed up to Glen Brittle but it was still just as miserable, until we decided to head somewhere else to see if the weather was any better. At that point it seemed to clear a little, so we decided to pop into Glen Eynort, not too far away, to see if the brighter weather would settle in, and then return to Glen Brittle if it did.

And I'm really glad that's what we did. First off, in Eynort, we got sight of a massive bird of prey and as it turned in a sudden patch of sun there was a flash of bright brown tinged with orange. Annoyingly I had the camera in a different bag to usual, so he was a distance away by the time I had the right lens on, but we're 99% certain it was our first Golden Eagle of the trip.

The sun continued to clear so we headed back to Glen Brittle, for a couple of miles walk up to the 'Fairy Pools', a collection of waterfalls and pools running off the Cuillin mountains. The water was just so beautifully clear, and the sun made it an even nicer place to be. The power of the water had obviously been increased by the rain of the past 24 hours, but even so this was only a fraction of the force that can be present here.

Over the course of about a mile there is just waterfall after waterfall and pool after pool that are truly astounding.

With the cloud gathering again we headed back to the cottage to go out for dinner at Coruisk House for a second time. Going there on our last night on Skye has become something of a tradition. And it was at this point I realised I'd lost my wallet. It's a sickening feeling, and not so much for the couple of bank cards (which would be easily replaced) but more for the fact that it's a very nice Paul Smith wallet, with a stripey Mini inside, that Mel got me for my Christmas one year. And it could have been lost in any number of places.

Strangely, though, an unknown number had tried my mobile while we were out. Without reception at the cottage we decided to go to dinner, then afterwards go to Broadford where there was reception to see if there was a message, then the following day try calling the number, before visiting a few places we had been to try and find the wallet, all before then having to come inland for a couple of nights in Aviemore.

Remarkably, after another great dinner, when we got to Broadford there was a text on my phone. The Carbost postie (who we had seen driving down to Eynort as we were leaving) had found my wallet, so the call in the morning (since it was now 11pm) would simply be to arrange to meet up with him to get it back.

Coincidences. Odd things.

On the way back from Broadford there was even time to stop in the gathering dark to see a ghostly figure at Kilchrist Kirk.