A new month, a new year, a new decade, a new job and a new destination. January brought lots of new’s for me as I headed to the Isle of Skye to work for 2,5 months alongside my younger brother Brandon.
Starting the decade at home
What better way to start the new decade than at home surrounded by loved ones? I even began it with my cat in my arms as I jumped from a chair into the new year (a strange Danish tradition!).
The days at home were spent relaxing with my family and going for long walks in my beautiful hometown.
An afternoon in Inverness
On the third day of January, I flew to Inverness, the northernmost city in Scotland and the “capital” of the Highlands. Inverness was my gateway to the Isle of Skye due to a direct bus from there to Portree, the largest town on Skye and my new home.
But before going off to Skye, I spent a blissful afternoon wandering around the streets of Inverness and taking a stroll along the River Ness to the Ness Islands.
Arriving in Portree on the Isle of Skye
I arrived in Portree at midday, met up with Brandon and went to see the place that I’m now working and living in, the Isles Inn. Work started the very next day with a 10-hour introduction shift.
Brandon and I spent the first few days exploring Portree and getting me settled into my new home and job as a waitress/bartender.
Life in Portree
I’ve been working at the Isles Inn five days per week, which is perfect as it actually allows me to save some money as well as getting enough time off to explore the island! And with housing being free and us getting a free meal for every shift, there’s no way I won’t be able to save up by working here! It’s great.
I actually didn’t think I’d love working in hospitality, but I’ve surprised myself. I’m always happy about going to work and I really just like my job. Yay for that!
Other than work, the days in Portree have been spent hanging out with some great new friends, walking around the small town and working on this blog. I’ve also started painting again, although it’s slow going.
An abundance of adventures on Skye
Every day that we get off work is a grand opportunity to explore Skye! In January, we really made the most of it and saw many of the places on our must-see list. We climbed the mountain Ben Tianavaig, walked the Scorrybreac Circuit, hitchhiked (with a few mishaps…) around the island, visited the beautiful Fairy Glen, searched for dinosaur footprints near Staffin, climbed up the incredible landscape of the Old Man of Storr, came up close and personal with a seal, hiked through the Cuillin Mountains to the Fairy Pools, did some urban exploring at Neist Point Lighthouse and so much more. Every time with a Coop meal deal in our backpacks!
Skye is the island that just keeps on giving. There’s so much to do and see that one could spend years here!
Our main method of transportation is hitchhiking, which is…. difficult, to say the least. I could imagine it being much easier during the summer, but we’ve had some real trouble trying to get rides here in the low season. We’ve stood for several hours in the rain waiting for a ride, and even when we wanted to go to the popular Old Man of Storr, it took us 1,5 hour to get a ride! Hopefully February will bring better luck.
Destinations visited in January 2020
- Hov, Denmark
- Inverness and Isle of Skye, Scotland
Highlights
- Finding joy in my job as a bartender/waitress – something I enjoy much more than I’d imagined!
- Meeting some great people in Portree.
- Hitchhiking on Skye when it went well. We met some really interesting people along the way!
- The Storr. Soooo not overhyped! It can’t get overhyped. It’s just THAT beautiful!
- Coming up close and personal to a darling seal on Black Rock.
- The wonderful hike through the Cuillin Mountains to the Fairy Pools. It was raining most of the day, but even so the views were mesmerizing.
- Urban exploring at Neist Point Lighthouse – who’d have guessed that was even a thing at the westernmost point on Skye!?
Challenges
- Standing for two cold hours in the rain waiting for a ride near Kilt Rock – the downside to hitchhiking!
Most popular post
- My worst travel moments of 2019 – I made a real effort in January to write interesting posts (see below), but as always, this one was just unbeatable. Enjoy!
The other posts
- My 19 favourite new destinations of 2019 – From Melilla to Tasiilaq, these are the best new places I visited last year!
- My December 2019: Israel and a stopover in Riga – Everything I got up to in the last month of the last decade.
- My best travel moments of 2019 – The most epic experiences and life-enriching moments of twentynineteen.
- An afternoon at the Ness Islands in Inverness – A short photo story on my afternoon in Scotland’s northernmost city.
- Field trip to Djursland: Stone Age remnants on Denmark’s scenic nose – A post long overdue about a wonderful field trip in March last year.
- Welcome to Portree, Isle of Skye, my home for the next two months – Introducing my new island home!
- The 20 best viewpoints in Tasiilaq – A comprehensive guide to all the best photo spots in East Greenland’s largest town.
- First hike on Skye: To Camustianavaig and Ben Tianavaig – A post explaining seal spotting and falling on my butt seven times!
- Inside Melilla, Europe’s last frontier in North Africa – My favourite post of the month, giving an insight into Spain’s troubled exclave city of Melilla.
- Skye’s Scorrybreac: A hiking paradise near Portree – The best hikes in close proximity to Portree.
Most popular Instagram picture
The beautiful harbour of Portree! This picture got lots of love and was even noticed by a Danish newspaper, Politiken, who asked permission to publish it (I don’t know if it has been published yet – any Danes who can help!?).
Coming up in February 2020
Much more Skye!
I will be on the island for the entire month, working, walking, painting, writing. During our days off, we will continue to explore the island, and also hope to make it out to the nearby island of Raasay as well as the Outer Hebrides, Harris and Lewis, North and South Uist and Barra.
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