Winter Wishes from the Isle of Skye!
Spring special offer’s, winter walk and cute highland wildlife!
There is a cold crisp feeling to the air, the mornings are frosty the tops of the Cuillin’s are covered with sparkling snow, winter has arrived on the Isle of Skye. Grab yourself a cosy cuppa and enjoy our latest blog.
Winter Walk
From storms to snow the Isle of Skye in winter is a treat, from the stunning walks and spectacular scenery to getting warm in your cottage by a roaring fire with a hot chocolate.
Wrapping up warm with good hiking boots and equipment the Old Man of Storr in winter is a beautiful walk, hike up to the top and see the Old Man of Storr standing tall. This rock formation was caused by an ancient landslip creating what is now known as the Trotternish ridge. Legend has it that the old man was a giant who was laid to rest however his thumb was left uncovered.
Wildlife
Or how about a trip to see the very photogenic highland cows just by Sconser? They can also be seen by Dunvegan castle on the way to the coral beach or in the little village of Duirinish by Plockton.
Highland cows are the oldest breed of cattle in the world, in groups they are known as a ‘fold’. The crofter would keep the cattle in open shelter’s made of stone called ‘fold’s’ to protect them from the bad weather during the night. They have two coat’s the inner fluffy coat and the outer oily coat because of this they are very tolerant to the freezing temperatures and extreme weather they graze off the sparse land in the winter and go high into the hills in the summer.
Did you know the highland cow’s you see are mostly a red colour because Queen Victoria liked the red cattle the best and over time through selective breeding the darker cattle faded out. Nowadays we get blondes, brunette’s, redheads the full works!
*How do you tell when a highland cow is ready to on holiday? He’s got a wee calf!*
This is also the perfect time of year to see otters as they are much more likely to be spotted in the daytime, swimming in the sea or out on the shore. They are very camouflaged with the colour of their coats. Otters are brown in colour, they have the thickest coat of the animal kingdom and they have a pouch on their stomach which they use to keep their favourite rock or other things that they have found!
They are very active hunter’s so you may see them trying to catch some fish or crustaceans (crabs, lobster, mussel’s etc.). They also like to laze on their back’s hand in hand and float along calm waters!
Special offer!
This winter we have a special offer of 15% off from January to March on bookings for this period only. Using the code – spring15
We have some idyllic cottages to choose from:
We also still have some cottages available for Christmas and New Year for a last-minute getaway!
Our opening hours this festive season will be –
23rd & 24th December – 9am – 1pm
25th, 26th & 27th December – closed
28th & 29th December – 9am – 5pm
30th & 31st December – 9am – 1pm
1st, 2nd & 3rd January – closed
4th January – 9am – 5pm
As always if you have any enquiries or you would like to make a booking please email us at sales@ihcottages.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
All of us at Islands and highlands cottages would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2023.