“We hardly ever have snowfalls on Skye,” was one of the mantras we heard most often upon moving up to the island. That, and, “Ah, but have you been through a Skye winter yet?” We did our first full winter last year, quite enjoyed it too, thank you very much, and now at the outset of the second time of asking, we have had two snow-loads already. On the negative side, this has meant the school buses haven’t run and as such certain days haven’t been quite so tranquil as we might have hoped. On the plus… Well, the photographs here probably do all the describing necessary in that regard.
The snow has burnished the views from The Passing Place to the hills, and down the ribbon-road that runs through Fiscavaig and out across Loch Bracadale with an extra dusting of magic. Last week, we were driven out to Glenbrittle Forest by our neighbours, Nick and Kate, and got to walk on your actual virgin snow, towered over by the Black Cuillins and with a tangible sense that all was just as well with the world as could possibly be. Until, that is, one of the school-deprived urchins deposited a snowball down my back whilst cackling malevolently. Like a Roman galley slave, he has since been put to work humping wood for the it’ll-be-good-in-the-summer decking…