Today we left Edinburgh to head Northwest to the Isle of Skye. It is roughly a 5 hour drive. Once we got out of the city we were met with beautiful views of mountains, lochs, and trees. This was a feast for the eyes and totally different from the city hustle and bustle we have experienced the last few days.

One of the best parts of the drive was all the sheep and Highland cows we saw. Or as we now know the Scottish call them “Hairy coos.” We have only ever seen pictures of these cows and they really are just as cute and fluffy in person. Hoping to see some up close during our trip. For our journey we packed a lunch complete with sandwiches and chips(or I should say crisps…..). We found these festive flavored Pig in a Blanket crisps to try. They are surprisingly good and taste like smoke sausage.

After a long but beautiful drive we arrived at our destination, the Bracken Hide Hotel. It’s a luxury wilderness retreat that opened earlier this year. Guests have their own little tiny house on a hill with a view. After arriving we settled in then decided we needed a walk after sitting in the car all day. Scott and I headed off down the hill toward the town of Portree. We discovered a sign for a path and decided to take it. It was a delightful little forest path going to a stream. I did think to myself that this is the kind of forest you think of in fairy tales when a troll is about to spring out from behind a tree or a fairy is about to ask for your help on a quest. Upon crossing the stream on a bridge we went a little further down to a pond with ducks floating around. We continued our walk down the road until it started getting dark so we headed back to get ready for dinner.

We ate dinner at Frasers restaurant at the hotel. We got a table by the window but it was really dark outside so you couldn’t see much. We ordered some Spanish red wine and an appetizer of salmon roulade with fresh slaw. For the main course, I got sea bass with a potato cake and fresh veggies. For dessert, I got chocolate delice with fresh fruit sauce. It was some of the best food we have ever had and I enjoyed every course. Our waiter also happened to be the owner and head chef so we got to chat with him which was really nice. After dinner we went into the beautiful hotel bar to hang out for a bit. It is decorated with jewel toned velvet chairs and exotic green carpets with tigers. So far everything about this hotel is my aesthetic and I love it. We may have to come back in the future.