Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing,
Onward the sailors cry,
Carry the dog that is born to be king
Over the sea to Skye.*
*Readers well-versed in Scottish culture will recognise this lyric as a variation on the well-known 'Skye Boat Song'.
Were the 'Young Pretender' Bonnie Prince Charlie escaping from the King's men in 2023 and not 1746 he would not have needed a boat, as these days a bridge links the mainland to the Isle of Skye. But that would not have made for such a memorable legend and song.
Yesterday Gail and I went with our visitor Helen for a two-hour boat trip on the Kyle of Lochalsh-based Seaprobe Atlantis. The boat took us under the Skye Bridge - see the last of the photos.
I was a Good Quiet Boy throughout the excursion, despite not being allowed downstairs to the underwater viewing area of the vessel. I did not bark at the seals, even though, with just their heads peeping out of the water, they could have been mistaken for Labradors out for a swim.