Johnny, Elanor and I were delighted to be invited to preview the new visitors’ centre at Talisker Distillery, just 3 miles down the road. We were welcomed by Louise and Cameron, the new barman, made two of us wonderful Talisker cocktails (and one of us a coke, the driver, the hero). The centre is a wonderful space, the bar has the shape of a boat and the whole place is beautifully blue and super airy. The windows look out onto Loch Harport, hopefully there will be dolphins!

We then went to look at the tasting rooms. The main tasting rooms are for people on tours. A group have a super knowledgeable guide take them round the distillery then introduce them to a three of the signature drams of Talisker.

For those of you who’ve done a lot of tours before then there is the extraordinary Made By The Sea experience. You don’t take the tour but instead go to the most beautiful room and experience a tasting. I’m not going to post any pictures of this bit so as not to spoil the surprise. But suffice to say we’ve already decided to book this as a little staff treat.

Then there is the Cask Pour experience for the connoisseur. Pour your own dram straight from the cask, many of them will not be released, so you get a unique insight into the Talisker flavours.

Then you can pop to the shop. There’s naturally the full range of whisky, for all palates and pockets, a surprisingly chic clothing range, some brilliant books and a selection of eco friendly gifts – Talisker toothbrush anyone?

We had a lovely evening  – our friends in Talisker looked after us so well. 100% recommend – booking is only online and things get busy so reserve your tour or tasting NOW, you can book 6 months in advance and it would be such a shame if you missed out.9

Just to reassure you – from the TA family x

Before you arrive, you will receive an email from us which will help us to make your check in, check out and the time you spend with us as simple as possible.
You will be asked to confirm that you and your household are Covid 19 symptom free. If you have symptoms you will be asked to cancel your booking. If you arrive presenting symptoms or develop symptoms during your stay you will be asked to return home.
We ask you to let us know as accurately as you can what time you’ll be checking in. Check in is contactless and paperless.

On arrival
If you need help with your luggage when please let us know before hand so we can have the necessary precautions in place.
Everyone will have their temperature taken by touch free forehead thermometer when they arrive.

While you are here we know that you will wash your hands regularly, please also use the hand sanitisers that are to be found throughout the hotel.
You will be given my mobile number so if you need anything during your stay you can let me know without having to have contact (if you prefer)
The dining room and bar area are for resident use only. We will ask you to give us a time for your break fast sitting and, if you choose to eat with us, for your dinner sitting also.
Your bedroom will have been thoroughly cleaned before your stay under our enhanced cleaning procedures. If you prefer we will not service your room during your stay so that you are the only people in the room. Waste bins, damp towels etc can be left outside your room.
We will provide fresh milk and the tea, coffee etc that you need each morning. Just text me if you need refills. There will be hand soap in the rooms and we will provide shampoo and shower gel on request.
There will be a quarantine box for any books you might look at during your stay.

What you don’t see
Our updated risk assessments.
Our staff training on precautions to take at home and at work
Our detailed cleaning program between guest stays and each day in communal areas.
Social distancing in the kitchen
Staff are asked to certify themselves symptom free when they leave work each day. Regular touch free staff temperature checks recorded centrally.

It’s a worrying time for all of us, the Corona virus (I still don’t feel scientific enough to use its Sunday name COVID 19 – I only got a C in Physical Science O Level) is all we seem to talk about. But at the moment we can act responsibly and keep ourselves, and each other, safe and still make the most of 2020.

We know that you need to make your own mind up about travelling, and that some of you will have the decision taken out of your hands, but for the foreseeable we are open for business and ready to welcome you with namastes, Vulcan greetings (tho annoyinglyI can’t actually do that ) or the cool thing they have developed in Wuhan with their feet.

These are anxious times. Trust me as a congenital over thinker and self employed human, I know this. The hotel and bar have the strictest hygiene procedures, and we’ve popped in a couple more just to make us all feel better. All our team have been briefed on the correct way to work, at this time and indeed at all times.

We’re not going to run out of loo roll. We have amazing food made in the most part with Scottish ingredients, many local to Skye and some local to our little peninsula. We live on an island of open spaces, fresh air and the sort of views that can lift your soul from any despond the world might throw at you. The picture with the blog is from our beer garden – we’d love to share it with you.

Check out @keeptheworldtravelling on Instagram, and don’t forget to wash your hands xxx

…on over romanticising  Scotland.

Scotland in general is magical. Skye in particular. We have the most beautiful scenery which touches people in ways they can’t explain. People who came to stay with us when we first arrived still keep in touch because their memories are so precious. But it’s a real place, with real people doing real stuff.
Its tipping it down outside, not fluffy snow, wet sploshes of very chilly rain that soak right though my cardi. I turn on my lap top with my wee, frozen fingers. Someone on one of the Scotland fan pages on Facebook is in Glasgow. Should I go to Skye or Inverness in my campervan she asks? Not Skye, I reply. It’s foul here today. From across the world I am contradicted. No, Skye is beautiful whatever the weather, you’re so ungrateful, you’re so lucky to live there (actually not lucky, we sold everything we had and moved to the unknown to do a job also unknown, foolish maybe, brave possibly – not lucky). Trust me, today is not a day to be visiting Skye. The dog blew over, you can’t see a blimmin foot in front of your face… but hey what do I know, I’m only the one chasing the bins across the croft.
While I’m on one. It’s not coos (to rhyme with ‘ ooooh, aren’t they cute’) it’s cows (to rhyme with ‘ow I’ve been stabbed by a 12’’ horn while trying to pet the calf because I saw it on Instagram’) unless you’re actually speaking Scots. Also coorie is not the new hygge. In fact if you check with the Danes, hygge isn’t even the new hygge. Coorie is not about harris tweed cushions, tea cosies (tho I’m very in favour of teacosies, no one likes cold tea and the ladies of Portnalong make amazing ones) or paying £7 for a blondie. It comes from the Scots word meaning crouch for protection, families sheltering their children from the grinding poverty of the time – listen to the beautiful Miner’s Lullaby (Coorie doon) to get the idea. Or read Lesley Riddoch’s fabulous article in The National.

So come, eat our extraordinary food, sample our world famous malts, breathe in the fresh air of Talisker Beach, check out the dolphins at Fiskavaig Bay. Chat to the incredibly hardworking housekeeping chaps in your b & b, to Neily Beag on the bus who makes a point of escorting those who find their shopping hard to manage to their door, to the hilarious locals at the bar who’ll buy you a dram and tell you All The Stories. Take photos that people back home won’t believe are real. But you’ll know. They are. Because Skye is.

Also follow the fabulous @wodieskodie on Twitter to get the best take on island life.

It’s a fact. I’m a planner, My super power is planning. I’d have preferred an invisible plane but fate gave me planning. It’s a gift, just ask Johnny whose entire winter is sectioned into little job sized pieces interposed with directed fun.
And I can help you get the absolute most out of your holiday. Some of you will be epic organisers like me and just need the odd pointer and nugget of inside knowledge. Some of you will be more of the last minute lads and lassies who would benefit from all my planny goodness. So. how can we work together to make Skye 2020 your best holiday ever?

Accommodation: Obviously we think you should stay with us. And if you’d like to stay with us you do need to book as soon as you can, because we get very busy. But whatever, you do need to have your accommodation sorted before you come to Skye. I’ve looked on some Facebook pages and some people seem to think that you can rock up at 10 pm, find a friendly crofter who will provide you with a cosy bed, a plateful of haggis and lashings of ginger beer. This, my friends, is not the case. We’re a small island with a small population. The whole *Skye is full* drama llama event was a result of people arriving with no plan – don’t let that be you.

Eating out: your friendly local bar (Number 3 on Trip Advisor at the moment, I’d like to say) will serve fabulous seafood, locally foraged delights and quality pub staples with a Taigh Ailean twist. But you might want to go more chi chi for a night during your stay. A special occasion or just because you totally deserve it needs some forward thinking. There are a whole host of restaurants on Skye, many of them will need booking months in advance. We can offer you advice on whether you need a cosy Michelin star, a fancy pantsy formal do, a focus on steak or seal a l’orange avec shaved otters’ noses. We have the lowdown from personal experience and access to all the goss.

Things to do: wildlife guides, touring distilleries, foraging trips or jumping off cliffs (into the sea in a wetsuit obvs) all need to be booked. And if you want everything to fit together beautifully they need to be booked well in advance. Just email me and tell me what you want to do, or more generally where your interest lie and I can provide you with links and websites, phone numbers and names. We have our favourites of course but there are all sorts f activities to suit your budget, timeframe and the extent of your adventurous spirit.

: there are so many hidden treasures where you can spend your Scottish pounds. There’s the well known places with the big Insta presence that will give you some lovely Skye goodies. But did you know our local village hall has a gorgeous artisan market every Wednesday where you can buy ACTUAL SUE TATE teacosies like the ones we have in the hotel. Don’t spend all your money in the big cities, in the big shops on stuff that everyone else will have. Tell me what you’re after and I’ll let you know what the island has to offer.

I hope this has given you some ideas about how planning can add to your holiday. Just email me at katieheron1@icloud.com or drop me a message on the hotel Facebook page. Let the adventures begin.