This posting was originally supposed to show some of the magnificent scenery that I have come across during my time back in Scotland. Unfortunately, it seems to have been largely highjacked by my negative thoughts about Portree, the capital of the Isle of Skye.Whilst the beauty of Skye amazed me, the apparent deterioration of Portree disappointed. Perhaps I am better placed to see the changes in Portree because I visit intermittently. Others might say I have just become out of touch. Anyway, whatever the case, Portree has become more of a town than a village. The small-town heart and camaraderie that once existed did not seem readily apparent anymore and I really did not enjoy retracing some of my steps. In one bar (The Camanachd), the place fell silent as soon as I entered. Soon after I had ordered my pint, one of the twats in the bar accused me of being in CID i.e. an undercover policeman. This combined with being hassled by some scum-bag who claimed he was a surgeon, led me to finish my pint half way through and escape into the relative safety of the town square.
The Camanachd Bar was then followed by The Isles. To be fair, it was not a bad couple of hours as I got talking to about 5 tourists who seemed to be having a lovely time on the island. However, I had been warned that The Isles has turned into a bit of a shit hole and was now a magnet for all sorts of low life. I guess I got lucky.
After chatting with a few people regarding present day Portree, it would seem the place is in decline. Feral youths seem to be roaming the streets, sometimes beating up people walking home at night, regularly breaking into businesses and homes, and trying car doors to see if they are unlocked. Whilst Portree has had problems in the past, these were generally self policed and people were quickly brought back into line. Today, this control seems to be absent.To be fair, some things in Portree have improved, but overall, the place seems to be losing elements that made it special. Hopefully, by the time of my next visit, some action will have been taken to arrest the decline.
3 comments:
Sad but true. Portree is disappointing now. Not sure when the decline started but something should be done. Basically its hard to find a place to drink that is smart and not full of drunks! Perhaps its a case of 'if you cant beat them join them'! But I certainly will not be doing that!
Maybe he meant sturgeon
Or perhaps he had recently been knighted by the Queen and his name was John......
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