Broadford

So called because, I will bet, that is at one time exactly what it was. At this point the Broadford River enters Broadford Bay. Nowadays there is a road bridge over the river. In the old days it would literally have been a broad ford.

A lot of major road improvement took place on Skye in the 1970s when money from the European Economic community became available. When I first visited Skye large parts of the major roads were still single track and, in places, decidedly hair raising.

The village is the first community of any significance that you will come to after travelling west from Kyleakin. Local attractions include a serpentarium. I don't know if it is any good. I have not been. I do not like creepy crawlies. This may not be terribly politically correct but my natural instinct when I come across a poisonous and endangered species is to make it an even more endangered poisonous species.

I hope that this is a coincidence in view of my previous comments and that I do not have previously undiscovered paranormal powers, but on June 28th 2006 the "Daily Telegraph" reported that the serpentarium had burned down and almost all of its stock had perished.

The Serpentarium website states that, contrary to the information given in the press, not all the serpentarium was destroyed, only the breeding room.

I have always preferred honesty to political correctness which is why I stated earlier that snakes and reptiles are definitely not my thing. This is a prejudice on my part, or an irrational phobia, like fear of flying or claustrophobia.

Many people do not have my genetically programmed prejudices and my heart goes out to the serpentarium owners, who have lost a large slice of their work. The deaths of the animals in such appalling circumstances also distresses me..

I will plead guilty to prejudice, but not to being an animal sadist, for I am not.

For those who do not share my problems, the serpentarium needs your support and it has a website which you may wish to look at.

Now, back to Broadford:

Just before you reach the village you may notice an airstrip to the right-hand side of the road if you are coming from Kyleakin. To my knowledge there are currently no regular air services to the airstrip although they used to be at one time.

A couple of my friends once visited Skye by flying into the airstrip. It was their first time on the island and they assumed that they would be able to hire a car at the airport. Once the plane had departed all that was left was a strip of concrete, my two friends, two suitcases and a few sheep! The airstrip is roughly opposite the road which goes down to the Kylerea to Glenelg ferry.

Also at Broadford are to be found the roads which go off to a Armadale and to Elgol respectively.

Just on the right after Broadford Bay itself and as you leave the village in the direction of Portree you will pass the entrance to the hospital which, is the island's principal hospital.

There is also a little industrial estate (don't worry it is not very industrial at all) where there is to be found the "West Highland Free Press" This is an excellent little newspaper which serves the Hebrides and the north-west of Scotland. I was greatly impressed with them when they published a letter of mine ridiculing the local Constabulary after they attempted to give my disabled parents a parking ticket for parking in a disabled space.

The views across Broadford Bay are beautiful and on a clear day it is possible to see back across to the Scottish mainland. Two years ago the area was especially interesting because a pair of whales had taken up residence in the bay.

To be perfectly honest, it was rather like watching paint dry, or cricket. Not an awful lot seemed to happen. As far as I am concerned, if you really want to look at an awful lot of margarine which is not going anywhere then why not try Portree Co-op? At least it has an off-sales department (or for the non UK resident a beer store). However, journalists, TV crews and ecologists rave about this sort of thing.

We were there when the whales came. OK at first, but after a while a bit like watching cricket, or paint dry.

Whales are sufficiently politically correct to attract the attention of the media.

Broadford fire Brigade deal with a forest fire during exceptionally dry conditions in June 2000

As Above

Firing from the hip, literally. I was walking along the Broadford road when I startled an otter. I just had time to undo the camera cover, whip off the lens cap and shoot. There are otters on Skye and there is an otter hide at Kylerea but, believe, me, to see one is rare indeed.

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