Scotland’s majestic Isle of Skye
clan, who claim that this is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland. The castle provides an interesting look at rural Scottish aristocratic lifestyles and their antiquated clan system.
For whisky lovers, a tour and tasting at the Talisker Distillery is a must. This Skye institution, which has been distilling here since 1830, is situated at the base of a hill with 14 springs. Island whisky tends to be smokier than mainland whisky due to the amount of peat smoke used during malting. It’s fun to taste and compare.
If you know where to look, you’ll find that the island is strewn with the scant remains of past civilizations. Just off the road between the distillery and castle hides Dun Beag, an Iron Age fort. From the parking lot, a 10-minute walk leads to a 2,000-yearold stone tower capping a hill — a stony remnant of a long-forgotten, protoScottish people. It was likely built as a lookout tower and/or safe house, where families and their domesticated animals would gather in times of attack.
Looking at the number of broken stones surrounding it, it’s clear the tower stood much taller at one point.
Scrambling around Dun Beag is particularly evocative. Surrounded by 360 degrees of deep-green views, it feels as if you’re uncovering yet another dimension of this fascinating land. And that’s the appeal of this island. It’s vast, beautiful, inviting and marinated in clan lore, luring the traveler ever deeper.