scotland
Ididn ’ t expect to see a coiled adder sunning itself upon a rock as the first creature encounter on our trip to Scotland . A pod of dolphins , a friendly seal , perhaps , or even an otter backstroking in the nearby loch — but not a snake . Scotland ’ s craggy , black-bouldered west coast has witnessed Viking raids , Norman conquest and Highland clearances , but today it ’ s all incredibly peaceful . Lush green ferns act as ground cover to the damp soil , and wrack — a brown , hair-like seaweed — litters the shoreline as the sun fights for dominance over a weight of dark gray clouds .
Clad in waterproof boots and hooded jackets , my extended family and I have gathered here for our annual overseas odyssey . On this balmy August summer morning , after months of planning , email exchanges and Instagram tracking , I finally meet local guide Mitchell Partridge and his black and white border collie .
Before we arrived , Mitchell and I had discussed a fishing excursion but scuttled the idea when we amassed more travel companions . Instead , he suggested foraging for mushrooms and edible plants on a forest trek , which intrigued my teens , so we signed up for a walk to explore Scotland ’ s wild coast , which included a history of the Isle of Skye .
Our adventure begins at the doorstep of our guesthouse , the ancestral hunting lodge of Clan Macdonald , one of Scotland ’ s
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