On American road trips, I'm always looking for the Blue Highways which take you through the prettiest country and most interesting places. In Scotland, that's just about any road except they're mostly green. Very green. The Road to the Isles took us west to the coast past a railroad bridge in Glenfinnan used as a location in the Harry Potter films.
Just across the road is a monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie, a Catholic. Protestants forced his grandfather, who ruled England, Ireland and Scotland, from the throne during the Glorious Revolution ending the reign of the Catholic Stuarts. Charlie tried to re-claim it with the support of Jacobites who believed that English laws regarding succession were bogus because kings were divinely appointed. It's a little hard to parse the meaning of this statue unless it's nostalgia for Catholic rule which ended for good more than three centuries ago (although two more Stuarts with Protestant blood, Queen Mary II and Queen Anne, did rule the three countries). 🤷
These homeowners must be Catholic. They have excellent views of the monument.
The road ended in Mallaig where the vibe and murals were nautical.
We caught the CalMac ferry to Armadale, on the Isle of Skye, part of the Inner Hebrides. Chris and Thom thought our stay there was the trip's high point.
Talk about tight squeezes! But it was relaxing to be a passenger for a change.
Thom took sun on the ferry deck with a couple of Dutch motorcyclists dressed even more warmly than he.
The chilly, crowded ride lasted less than half an hour. Skye is one of the UK's most popular destinations. "No Vacancy" signs were posted everywhere.
The views looking towards Skye
. . . and back to the Western Highlands.
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