How the Isle of Skye inspired my new novel

When author Sue Moorcroft decided to set her next trilogy on Skye, she visited the largest island of the Inner Hebrides in both summer and winter to get a better understanding of the place.

When I was planning to write a new trilogy, I wanted a setting that was remote from Suffolk in England, where my characters Thea, Ezzie and Valentina Wynter are brought up. Thea and Ezzie need somewhere to hide from the past and I fancied an island. The Isle of Skye looked beautiful. Better yet, it could be reached from the north-west coast of Scotland over the Skye Bridge, rather than via ferry – I’m not overly fond of boats. Happily, my editor agreed that Skye is exactly the kind of destination that my readers love.

Although it’s prominent in ‘Highlands and Islands’ tours and administered by the Highland Council, Skye is not part of the Highlands. It’s the largest island of the Inner Hebrides, in the county of Inverness-shire, 50 miles long and home to about 10,000 people. Tourists from around the world enjoy its gorgeous scenery and friendly atmosphere; and the island’s beloved of hikers, climbers, campers and cyclists as well as the more leisurely tourists interested in scenic drives and tearooms.

I’ve now enjoyed both summer and winter research trips to the island. Skye has cast its spell over me. The Cuillin mountains change colours along with the weather; nearby islands and rocks like Raasay and Scalpay disappear and reappear in the mists; and I’ve never seen the sea anything but calm. One moment it looks to be made of silver and the next it’s depthless blue glass. Skye air doesn’t just have a soft, luminous quality, it tastes clean and pure to breathe. Days are long in summer and short in winter, and either is likely to afford stunning sunrises and sunsets, and night skies full of stars.

Portree Harbour with its colourful houses

My June trip was concerned with locating the right spot for the fictitious village of Rothach and a restored grand house, Rothach Hall; and all research for the first book in the trilogy, Under a Summer Skye, the story of Thea Wynter. My husband helped with the driving from Northamptonshire in the middle of England, and we stayed overnight in Dumfries, which happens to be the home of another central character, Deveron Dowie. I try to get the most from my research trips.

Our Skye hotel was in the second-largest town on the island, Broadford. From the map, I’d thought I’d create ‘my’ village of Rothach just north of Broadford Bay. Once on the ground though... somehow it didn’t quite fit. We drove south to the Sleat Peninsula, home to the ruins of Armadale Castle and Clan Macdonald of Sleat and there, close to the village of Camus Croise, I found a spot sloping down to the sea that seemed scooped from the land by a giant hand. Back at the hotel, I created a plan of Rothach, with a beach, Harbour View and old Fishermen’s Cottages and, high up on the slope, Loch View, where Thea lives in a tiny purple cottage called Thistledome or ‘this’ll do me’. It has a view of a bay rather than a loch, and Chapel Road, where her sister Ezzie has her home, has no chapel – though it does have a pub called the Jolly Abbot.

Armadale Castle, Dunvegan Castle and Knock Castle might all have fallen into ruin, but I elected to have Rothach Hall restored a decade before my trilogy begins and having met a Swedish-Norwegian couple who owned fish processing plants on the coasts of Sweden and Norway, I based the owners, the Larssons, on them. As they have a mixed Scandinavian history, I was delighted to learn that the history of Skye has Scandinavian links. In the 13th century, King Haakon IV of Norway moored his fleet in Loch Alsh. After fighting Scotland’s King Alexander II, Haakon died and, under the Treaty of Perth, Scotland was given the Hebrides and Isle of Man and Norway got Shetland and Orkney. Kyleakin is popularly supposed to be named after King Haakon. Also, a Norwegian princess, now known as Saucy Mary, stretched a chain across the strait of Kyle Akin to extract a toll from boats other than from her native Norway. The wife of a Mackinnon chief, she’s buried on top of Beinn na Caillich near Broadford. Fun fact – two of the mountains on Skye and one on the nearby mainland at Knoydart are all named Beinn na Caillich (mountain of the old woman). This has caused me the occasional head-scratching moment when describing the surroundings of my characters.

My winter sojourn in Skye was aimed at helping me write middle-sister Ezzie’s book – A Skye Full of Stars. Again, we overnighted in Dumfries, and it wasn’t until we were several hours north that I realised I’d left my winter coat at the hotel. We weren’t prepared to turn back, so I bought a waterproof shell jacket and wore that over three fleeces and my hiking trousers, which gave me the grand sum of 14 pockets in which to lose my car keys.

Skye is touched by the gulf stream and sheltered by the Outer Hebrides, which means plenty of mild and wet weather, but for our visit it was freezing – literally. Curtains of icicles hung on roadside rocks and what had been splashing burns in summer were now snakes of ice. Bracken and heather made golden flames of the hills and the sky was touched by the most beautiful lavenders and pinks I think I’ve ever seen. I’d believed salt water couldn’t freeze until I stood in Broadford Bay and saw for myself that the edges had turned to lacy ice, which steamed when the sun began to melt it. Snow arrived a few weeks after I’d departed, but I’d made a friend on the island by then, and she sent me photos of the mountains looking as if they’d been poured from colossal sacks of sugar.

Every person I met in Skye was friendly, whether local or a visitor. Gaelic is widely spoken, but so is English. One evening, I was fascinated to sit near a group of men who slipped constantly from English to Gaelic and back again. (They’re in the Jolly Abbot pub in Rothach Village, if you want to meet them.) I wish I had that facility with language. The best I could manage was trying to conquer the throaty pronunciation of ‘ch’ in words like ‘loch’, rather than anglicising it into ‘lock’.

My research included full Scottish breakfasts, haggis – and haggis burgers – Scottish ice-cream, and whisky. OK, I knew what Scotch whisky tasted like, but it would seem rude not to try the local Talisker or Torabhaig. When I visited the capital, Portree, I acquainted myself with scones in cafés, kilts and hand-knits from the tourist shops, and I took photos of the colourful houses around Portree Harbour. In fact, my editor agreed with me that although most Hebridean homes are traditionally white, Rothach village could have colourful cottages ranging up the hillside. I hope the local planning authority won’t mind. Colours are OK for Portree after all.

Skye is a refreshing, welcoming, beauty spot and I recommend it as worth a visit. I feel lucky that I have a third book to set there – so maybe another trip to the Isle of Skye this summer...?

Under a Summer Skye by Sue Moorcroft is published by HarperCollins, priced £8.99, out now.