At first glance, this may appear to be a scene from an upcoming fantasy-themed movie, but it’s actually a fairy pool in Scotland. For those who are fortunate enough to live in the area or are planning a trip to Scotland, “you will need walking boots and an afternoon to spare in order to reach these pools; but what better way to cool down on a hot day’s hike?” Continue reading for two videos, more pictures, and additional information.
Video
If you were a mischievous fairly with eternal life and the power to enthral people, it’d make great sense to live here, bewitching passing walkers to take off all their clothes. The spell of the Fairy Pools is that they look as if they must be warm – with the kind of vivid blue water associated with the Maldives – but, having come straight down from the Black Cuillins they’re anything but. A local swimmer warns us they’re on the usual Scottish temperature range: cold, bastard cold or freezing.
The pools are, however, delightful, and few are immune to their charms. We visit them in late autumn, when the Isle of Skye is springy with marsh grass and ablaze with bracken. We approach from the bottom of a wide, smooth glacial basin, the glen marking out a single deep groove like a linocut.
