Hebredian Half Marathon Series: Part 2 - Isle of Skye

A fortnight on from Stornoway and Joanne and I were on the road again, this time to do the Isle of Skye Half Marathon.  We had decided for this journey, due to the time we were leaving EK on the Friday, that we would stay at Kyle of Lochalsh.

We woke to a lovely Saturday morning and after breakfast (we were envious of the full cooked breakfast that was on offer but that would have to wait till Sunday) we set off for Portree, on the Isle of Skye, a journey which involves crossing the Skye Bridge.  We arrived in Portree in plenty of time for the race and even had time to do a warm-up and get some pre-race sightseeing done.  It was obvious even at this early stage it was going to be warm for the race.

The Skye half marathon was going to be the biggest of the half marathons we had entered as part of the series.  This half was to be run on closed roads.  Like Stornoway a piper led the runners to the start line.

The first mile and a half involved a gradual climb out of Portree before a steep climb at Druimuie.  This then led to a downhill section to the Kensalyre turn.  The race was a constant up and downhill and in the heat I was finding this hard going.  It was a welcome sight at around about mile 7 when a resident had set up a hosepipe outside their house.  The last mile was all downhill and should have made for a good finish but I had nothing left in my legs and the last half mile felt more like a mile.  The race finished at Portree high school.

All finishers received a bottle of Eagle Ale (a local ale) and a t-shirt (note to the ladies in the club - the t-shirt came in women’s sizes as well and not just your generic small, medium and large!).  There was a food village set up in the school car park and this had a wide variety of local produce.  Your race entry also entitled you to a free swim or spa and there was plenty of showering facilities.  With it being such a lovely day Joanne and I headed into Portree and got ourselves a well deserved ice-cream.

As I mentioned in my first report the trips were all going to be characterised by a gin from each location.  So while wandering around Portree we stumbled upon Misty Isle gin, distilled in Skye.

And for the history lesson - we stopped on the way back at Eileon Donan Castle, just outside Kyle of Lochalsh, one of the most picturesque castles in Scotland.  The castle was founded in the thirteenth century.  At least four different versions of the castle have been built and rebuilt since then.

Yet again we both had a great trip and the run was only half the trip, with the trip also giving us the chance to visit and explore new places.

So we move on to the last of our races in the trip (and the last race overall in the Heb 3 series) the Isle of Harris half marathon, when we are joined by Karen and Alison as we celebrate the end of the Heb 3 series.

For anyone wanting to see our progress in the Heb 3 series then the results after the first three races can be found on Stornoway Athletic Club’s website.

Julie & Joanne