Still raining this morning but we knew that would be the case from the forecast, which is why we had already planned to do some indoor sightseeing today.

For me the day started off traumatically as, after breakfast, I heard a cow moo-ing close by. When I looked out of the window there were a group of cows in the neighbouring field and the calves had been separated from their mothers. The distressed mothers were calling to their babies. Feeling sorry for the cows, we left to drive to our first destination which was to be The Raven Press Gallery in Colbost. It did not bode well that at the foot of the driveway in the small parking zone beside the road stood a form of horse-float, which was obviously for transporting animals. It was hard not to think the worst.

As we drove south towards Portree and then turned around the end of Loch Snizort (don't ask how you pronounce it - I have no idea) and towards Dunvegan. Driving past the castle of the McLeod Clan we made a side trip to Claigan on the east side of Loch Dunvegan and discovered Coral Beach. This is a popular walking area but as we arrived the rain was closing in again and we weren't about to go walking only to get drenched when we had other places to be. Turning back, we drove once again past Dunvegan Castle and headed for Colbost (this time on the west side of Loch Dunvegan).

Here we visited the Raven Press Gallery - a tiny studio focusing on Kathleen Lindsley's limited edition prints from engravings on box wood and printed with an Albion Handpress. The studio also exhibits works by award-winning book-binder, Laura West; photographic prints by Nick Carter and painted and resist-dyed silks by Isabella Whitworth. A charming little place, we spent some time browsing through the proofs of the engavings, all of which were for sale. I was very tempted by the leather bound notebooks but at 90 pounds I decided to think on it in spite of my passion for paper and stationery! I plumped instead for a book-binding kit as an introduction to the fascinating art. Alex, on the other hand, first debated getting a small engraving of a pub sign but she was spoilt for choice between two of them. Browsing further we realised that the framed prints on the wall were also available loose and Alex found a lovely engraving of a highland cow. This was a larger engraving and cost 50 pounds but as luck would have it there was just one loose print of the engraving left and it was Number 1 - the first print of the run. Normally the artist would keep the first or second print but she sold it to Alex and kept only the proof, so the only print left of that engraving is the framed one in the studio.

Leaving the studio we moved on to Skyeskins in Waternish. After a quick look at the goods in the shop - sheepskin, leather and some traditional woolen fabrics - I made a small purchase and we set off again on our sightseeing road trip. This time we headed just south of Portree to the sea eagle exhibition centre - Aros.

As we drove into Portree we saw the Market in full swing and, sadly, we understood now where the calves from neighbouring property had gone. the pens were full of young animals and the road was lined with livestock transports from small trailers to huge trucks. Having just been taken from their mothers, the poor confused calves were more than likely destined for the slaughterhouse.

At Aros we learned all about sea eagles. The centre houses a restaurant, a retail section, the RSPB exhibition as well as a cinema. We made use of the restaurant first as it was after 1pm, then discovered how sea eagles (also known as white-tailed eagles and, more descriptively, as the "flying barn door") had been hunted to extinction in the UK by 1918 and were only reintroduced to Scotland in 1975. After a shaky start the breeding programme literally took off and the first wild-bred chick hatched on Mull in 1985. Today the eagles are breeding successfully in the wild and becoming a more familiar sight in many areas of the highlands. We also learned how to differentiate between the golden eagle, the sea eagle and the more common buzzard and it seems likely that we have, indeed, sighted eagles since arriving in Skye; not surprising since Uig Bay is one of their haunts.

The next leg of the sightseeing road trip took us still further south to Broadford where Alex was certain we may finally be able to make contact with the outside world via a 3G signal or at least find somewhere where a wi-fi internet connection was possible.

We pulled into the car-park and success! A 3G signal. So we spent some time walking along the foreshore as Alex caught up with her social networking. Then the rain started to close in again so we dashed into the Co-op and bought a few essentials before hopping back in the car and starting back for Uig.

The livestock trucks were on the move and we saw a number of large trucks heading south, probably for the mainland, but as we passed the sale-yards the pens were still crammed with young beasts awaiting their fate. A sad and disturbing sight for me although I know many would not feel a shred of empathy for their plight.

We arrived back at Sea Loch View to the incredibly mournful (and increasingly frantic) sound of the mother cows still calling for their missing calves. A sound that was to continue all through the night.