I’ve had a little break from the holiday tales, but there are still some more wonderful pictures to come…

Our route took us next to Mallaig, where we travelled to last year on the Hogwart’s Express (Jacobite Steamer, to give it the proper name), but this time we were taking the ferry across to the Isle of Skye.
Just before reaching Mallaig, we stopped at a viewpoint, and I learned that Skye is actually the result of an old volcano!

From this picture, it was blindingly clear, just not something I’d known before.

Booking our ferry passage had been a bit of fun because, as luck would have it, for the first time in living memory one of the Skye ferries had crashed the week before, putting it out of action and cutting the sailings. We’d booked onto the 4pm crossing, with check in at least an hour before, and we were in plenty of time. What we didn’t expect was that they’d reinstated the earlier crossing, and there was one space left which they squeezed us into at the very last moment.

The island ferries vary dramatically in size and facilities, and this one took just a handful of cars and a couple of camper vans, with no passenger facilities – thank goodness it was a dry day! We stood up on the deck, above the vehicles, and watched by a bemused Frodo,

Poor lost little soul! I didn’t fancy chancing dog overboard, so he wasn’t invited to join us up top, but he’s  such an experienced traveller that before long he’d tucked down and gone to sleep.

Skye ferry leaving Mallaig

Leaving Mallaig

First view of the Black Cuillin (pronounced Coo-lin)

Here’s the guy driving the ferry

And our lifeboat – not sure how they think we’ll all fit into this one…

But fortunately we didn’t need it – phew!

We did have the excitement of catching a few glimpses of dolphins fishing in our wake, though not close enough to capture on film. Instead, I photographed this one – the ferry we should have been on, going the other way!

And then we were coming in to dock, just a 40 minute crossing

And here we go, driving on to Skye…