Visiting relatives in Broadford and Duirinish

Fiona lives in Skulamus, east of Broadford, and I often call in on her on visits to relatives at Duirinish on the mainland over the Skye bridge.

The road to the bridge from Kyleakin to Kyle has a pavement for a few miles on the right hand side but this was not felt to be necessary in the light traffic. Over the bridge there is varied and appealing scenery and undulating ground.

In a shortish visit to relatives it was uplifting to learn how Helen’s academic career was progressing and being enjoyed despite less cerebral jobs being easy to find for those with good social skills and unafraid of hard work. Heather will have some work in Rosario’s new Elgol cafe during her summer holidays.

Skye Local Tours was getting lots of bookings at this time of year and Glenda and Stuart’s son Calum had moved to Broadford and would be able to help with the driving and commentary.

On my return ride I stopped for a picnic tea in Kyle and then noticed that Hector’s Bothy Cafe was open until 8 pm. Wanting to encourage late opening, I managed a soup and was told that this was the first day of late opening and that the 8pm finish would be confined to Thursdays and Fridays.

This delay resulted in being held up in traffic waiting for newly-laid tar to be fit for use. At the red light there was a group of car occupants chatting about this and that. On being asked where I was heading I struggled for the name Skulamus. On unlikely suggestions for the place name’s origin, I said that it was thought to be Norse, much as Elgol is derived from Helga’s Hill.

He’s got a house in Elgol.
I was there yesterday. Whereabouts?
Just as you are approaching. “Rockbank”.
“That was Auntie May and Uncle Lachie’s House.”
I bought it from Ann Bethun.
Cousin Ann married Donald Bethune.
It’s a small world.
That sort of thing happens here.
I was in the old byre yesterday. This is an incredible coincidence.
We met at the sub-aqua club at Hatfield Polytechnic before it became The University of Hertfordshire
Hatfield Poly wouldn’t allow me to do my teaching practice there.

I spent 35 years in Herts.