Guests staying at The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By need look no further than the loch outside their windows to see some exciting examples of Skye’s wonderful wildlife. Common and grey seals can often be seen basking on the rocks just off the seashore at Colbost. Otters have been seen on the rocks here too. Dolphins have displayed their dancing skills, leaping from the loch directly opposite and sea eagles have swooped and soared over the water. Herons are frequently to be seen on the shore, silently watching for fish to catch, as are oystercatchers, curlews, greylag geese, eider ducks, and a huge variety of sea and garden birds. Otters, dolphins and eagles may be more of a chance encounter, but a single sighting of any one of these will live on in your memory forever. There is a telescope in the Morning Room for guests to use at their leisure. Many have been delighted to see some special sights from the windows overlooking Loch Dunvegan.

Visitors can also get a closer look at the seal colony by taking the boat trip from Dunvegan Castle. A walk to Neist Point could result in an opportunity to watch minke whales in The Minch, spot basking sharks, see porpoises or dolphins. The cliffs in this part of the island are among the highest in Europe and are home to several pairs of nesting sea eagles, distinctive by their white tail feathers. Golden eagles have also been spotted, usually quite by chance, by guests walking in the nearby hills. They are impressively large birds with a huge wingspan. Once spotted, they will never be confused again with the more common sight of a buzzard hovering as it hunts for prey. These are large birds too, but not nearly as big as an eagle. The call of the buzzard wheeling high above in the sky is a plaintive one. The songs of a skylark on a summer’s day, the cuckoo when it arrives in spring, sandpipers and oystercatchers, piping their shrill notes, or curlews in autumn, will always make you turn your head to hear them.

There are red deer in the hills too. Sometimes, particularly in winter, they stray near the roadsides. Drivers need to be wary, but the close sighting of a proud stag with huge antlers is awesome. They are shy beasts and a whole herd is more likely to be seen grazing quietly in the distance, or their white rumps heading off for safer ground.

The wild otter is another shy beast that is difficult to encounter, but a joy to see when you do. A protected species, they have been seen from The Three Chimneys, sometimes at very close range, but this is rare. For a better opportunity to see them, it is worth a trip to the Otter Hide at the Kylerhea Otter Haven managed by the Forestry Commission. The viewing hide overlooks the Kylerhea Narrows, the narrowest sea crossing between Skye and the mainland at Glenelg, used by the Glenelg Car Ferry. It is an ideal otter habitat and there are resident wild otters to be seen, as well as many other sea birds, seals, eagles and dolphins on the shore and at sea. The trip there includes a lovely walk along the forest road and it is an ideal picnic spot.

The International Otter Survival Fund is based in Broadford and a great deal of conservation work and research is done on the Isle of Skye and its surrounding waters towards protecting this endangered species. Gavin Maxwell’s book, Ring of Bright Water, about his remote West Highland life by the sea with wild otters has given its name to the visitor centre in Kyleakin. The Eilean Ban Trust and Brightwater Visitor Centre is a local environmental project connected with the island in Loch Alsh that the Skye Bridge arches high above. There are boat trips from the Brightwater Centre to the island of Eilean Ban where the Trust has restored Maxwell’s house using many of his original furnishings. There is a wildlife hide on the island and a nature trail around it, giving visitors the opportunity to photograph some dramatic views of Skye and the nearby mainland.

The wild flowers of Skye are something else to behold in all their dainty glory and riotous colours. Whatever the time of year, there is something special to see. From snowdrops, primroses and wild violets in early spring, banks of gorse and broom in full flower, to tiny wild orchids hiding in long grasses, there is always something new and fresh emerging. Trees covered in white blossom in May and thick carpets of bluebells beneath them, give way to tall yellow irises and foxgloves in midsummer, followed by bell heather, wild thyme and clover, plus fields full of meadowsweet in high summer. The hills will be clad in purple heather in late summer and the berries on the rowans ripen in all their scarlet glory as autumn approaches and the trees begin to change. Even in winter, the stark beauty of bare trees against the backdrop of Skye’s silver landscape, is unforgettable. Come to stay with us at The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By and discover the delights of this beautiful island. Stay awhile. Enjoy the whole experience. Savour every memorable moment.