Eilean Donan Castle

This day, we were traveling from Glencoe to the Isle of Skye. We had two choices: take a ferry or the bridge. The road to ferry is shorter, but we wanted to visit the Eilean Donan castle, so it had to be the less exciting road.

But first things first. Our breakfast at Clachaig Inn was a full Scottish breakfast. I don’t know how many calories there was on that plate but my guess is more than 1,000. Well, we hoped that hikes would compensate our overindulgence in food.

Our second stop for that day was Eilean Donan Castle. It is a nice little castle with most of its beauty outside its walls. The castle looks picturesque from any viewpoint. I wish we were there at sunset or sunrise to capture it in the right light, but the road trip is not fair for photography. Road trippers are always on schedule, and good pictures are subject to good luck. We were partially lucky that day. We had good clouds, which added to the dramatic setting of the castle.

After spending some time exploring the surroundings, eating, buying souvenirs and using the facilities, we went to see the castle from the viewpoint on A87, up north from the castle just immediately after the first bridge. I still regret going there (but not because it was an unworthy viewpoint, quite the contrary).

There is a small parking lot there, a small beach and a couple of buildings such as public restrooms and a cafe. After we parked, I immediately started to scout for the best location to take long exposure pictures. I decided to go down the beach to take some shots from the ground. Being in a rush, I jumped off a pier and landed on my right leg. I did not realize that the pier was quite tall, and as a result my knee snapped. Writing this right now still gives me the chills, when I remember the excruciating pain I had and all the unhappy thoughts that went through my head at that time (such as our vacation is ruined, where is the nearest hospital, how am I going to get there, etc.).

When I was able to open my eyes and look around, I found Alex happily taking his pictures up on the pier and completely oblivious to my misery. However, a couple nearby was also enjoying the view. They saw me fall and asked if I needed help. The man realized that I needed ice and sent his wife to get some from the nearest cafe (only a few steps away, luckily). After that I decided to inform Alex that we had a problem. He helped me figure out that my knee was not broken and went to get more ice and ibuprofen. He also did not forget to take a picture of me trying to drown my pain in a fit of creativity. Thank you, dear. (Editor’s note: You’re welcome, honey.)

Here is the result of my accident. My knee is still unstable, 8 months after that. The only good thing that came out of this is the picture below and me being (probably) more careful in the future.