Nature and wildlife on Skye
You will have good opportunities on Skye to experience the great outdoors up close and personal. We took the photos, linked below to our Facebook page, fairly close to Pooltiel House. The speeding dolphins in the header of this website were photographed from a small boat, after a fishing trip in Loch Dunvegan and with some luck you can spot the dolphins from the kayak (link below). The dolphins on this page were photographed during a kayak trip in Loch Pooltiel.
Whales can be seen from or around the Neist Point area and over the water from Pooltiel House is Dunvegan Head, where the eagles live. You can see the eagles from the house with your binoculars as they cruise over the Loch and sometimes you can even see them from the garden of Pooltiel House.
Boat trip
It’s a great experience to take a boat trip from Elgol. The drive from Pooltiel House brings you across Skye and, as you approach Elgol, around Loch Slapin. Furthermore Elgol has spectacular views towards the Cuillin mountains and Loch Coruisk. You can choose from several trips at Elgol, but we really like the one with the RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) because it will take you out to Rum and Canna. Also recommended is Gordon MacKay from DIVERS EYE. Gordon operates from the Stein Jetty at Waternish so you can easily reach him from the house. Therefore with a short drive by car from Pooltiel House you can be out on the water and looking for whales, dolphins and seals. You can find more photos on our FLICKR page or on our FACEBOOK page.
Pictures to inspire
You can find a small selection here. For instance:
- WHALE meet and greet at the Neist Point cliffs, close to Pooltiel House.
- DOLPHINS racing the boat during a fishing trip in Loch Dunvegan.
- BASKING SHARK photographed during a walk at the Neist Point cliffs.
- WHITE TAILED EAGLE photographed during a boat trip on Skye.
- SEAL at the rocks in Loch Bay.
- DEER in the garden of Pooltiel House and photographed from the house.
Orcas – John Coe and Aquarius
In the early morning of Tuesday May 21st, 2019 we spotted, from the kitchen of Pooltiel House, Glendale two Orcas far out in the mouth of Loch Pooltiel. With our photo bag at the ready we jogged to the coast and spotted them again in The Minch, travelling South. Luckily they did some hunting fairly close to the shore and we were able to take pictures from the cliffs overlooking The Minch. It turned out to be John Coe and his friend Aquarius, two well known members from a pod called The West Coast Community. Killer whales on Skye, what a great experience. See HERE for the Facebook reactions.