Tides of Time on the Isle of Skye
A Renton couple developed a helpful habit as they drove 736 miles through Scotland “on the wrong side of the car and road” compared to what they were used to.
“We chanted, ‘Stay left, stay left, stay left’ at each intersection to remind ourselves,” Ryan Northrup says.
He and his wife, Kristen, celebrated their 10th anniversary with a 17-day trip across Iceland, Belgium, Scotland and Ireland. While in Scotland, they worked the gearbox of a manual transmission rental car on a road trip from Edinburgh to Perth, Aberlour, Inverness, Loch Ness, Colbost, Carbost, Oban and Glasgow, with stops for castles, whisky distilleries, tea and meat pies, chocolates, scallops and oysters along the way.
One evening in Colbost, they visited Neist Point for an incredible view from the Isle of Skye’s westernmost point. On the way to Carbost the next morning, they were stopping for photos of Castle Dunvegan, rivers, bridges and cemeteries when they came across a beat-up boat.
“Luckily, the owner of the land and boat was there and happily let us in the gate to take pictures,” Northrup says. “Though the picture came from just an unplanned, roadside stop … it turned out to be one of favorite photos of our trip.”
“We have a copy now hanging in our house, and I smile every time I see it as it brings back so many wonderful memories of our time in Scotland,” Northrup says. “We will definitely be returning someday, and I’d be interested to see if that boat is still there and how it may have changed.”
– This story originally appeared in the November/December 2020 edition of the AAA Washington member magazine, Journey.
