On our recent trip to Scotland, Meredith and I spent a number of days exploring Skye – a place that both of us have desperately wanted to visit for as long as we’ve known each other. In all of our travels, I think it’s fair to say that the island is one of the most naturally beautiful places we’ve ever experienced, and it’s impossibly hard to put into words just how majestic Skye is – from its towering coastal cliffs, to its grassy spansive glens, and jagged mountainous center. In fact, I’ve never been more glad for Meredith’s photos, both to share some of Skye with you, but also to remember the beauty of the island for ourselves.

As the northernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, Skye is accessible by both ferry and bridge, and given our journey up the Scottish coast from Oban, the ferry from Mallaig seemed like the slightly more picturesque (and maybe adventurous) way to start or time on the island. After a beautiful ferry ride full of panoramic views of both Skye and the mainland, we began our slow drive up the coast – slow, only in that we stopped no less than ten times to take in the views of the mountains, countryside, and maybe a Highland coo or two.

In the ensuing days, we covered a ton of ground on the island. We saw Kilt Rock, the Quiraing, and the views from Waternish (where our car was literally herded down the road by two sheep dogs!). We spent an amazing sunset at Neist Point, visited the cliff-shrouded beach at Talisker Bay, and went for a windy hike to Coral Beach. We saw animals galore – coos, horses, and sheep around every corner (did I mention we were there just a few weeks after lambing season, so every sheep had a playful and curious little lamb closely in tow?). We had one of our top all-time meals at Three Chimneys, stopped by the Talisker whiskey distillery, and met Roger, one of the co-owners of Skye Weavers, where he and his partner Andrea weave stunning woolen textiles and tweeds with natural dyes on their bicycle loom. To say that we kept busy would be an understatement, but given how delightful every part of our trip was, it blew by in the blink of an eye.

Marking a visit to Skye off of our list of places to see was one of the more fulfilling adventures we’ve been on since we started Map & Menu. For me personally, Skye had been a dream for a very long time, and I think that Meredith would agree that it lived up to every part of our lofty expectations. If Isle of Skye is on your own list of places to see, I sincerely hope you make it there, and until then, I hope that some of Meredith’s photos help to supply your Scottish daydreaming needs!

All photos taken by Meredith Perdue for Map & Menu.