Our last full day on the Isle of Skye was marred by heavy rain. Our (adult) children decided to make the most of the cosy holiday cottage and remain indoors for the day. But my wife and I had our hearts set on seeing the world -famous dinosaur footprints, which were located just around the corner from us at Duntulm Bay.
 |
| Duntulm Bay, Skye |
It was cold and wet and the path down to the beach was not easy to navigate. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, we found ourselves alone on Duntulm Bay. Thankfully, the 170 million-year-old Sauropod footprints were easily located, so we did not have to linger outside for long :o)
 |
| Duntulm Bay, Skye |
The footprints, which are only visible at low tide, are ranked as some of the very best in the world. They were formed when the area was a brackish lagoon and the huge Sauropod dinosaurs used the swampish waters to help support their lumbering weight.
 |
| Sauropod Dinosaur Footprints, Duntulm Bay, Skye |
It is difficult to imagine how different this location looked back in those times. Skye would have been filled with swamps and dense vegetation and its climate would have been warm and tropical. In fact, at the time these footprints were made, the island was actually located south of the equator!
 |
| Sauropod Dinosaur Footprints, Duntulm Bay, Skye |
It was a strange feeling stood amongst these dinosaur footprints, knowing that a huge beast, now long extinct, had walked this very path.
 |
| Sauropod Dinosaur Footprints, Duntulm Bay, Skye |
 |
| Sauropod Dinosaur Footprints, Duntulm Bay, Skye |
Feeling somewhat small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, we finally headed back to the cottage to dry and warm ourselves and to make the most of our family time together.
You can learn more about these dinosaur footprints in this interesting Guardian article
here.
