Let me introduce the hosts of the B&B I’d imagined for my main characters. Welcome to a photo tour of Greenacres Guest House, the basis for the imaginary Shelter Hill Guest House in my debut novel, Man in the Mist.
I had hoped to write the manuscript after visiting the Isle of Skye, staying at Greenacres Guest House, and immersing myself in the area’s majesty, but COVID-19 shut the world down, and I used research and imagination to create Raey and Nic’s world.
By the time the world opened and my husband and I arranged our trip, Greenacres Guest House was being sold and running at limited capacity with no vacancies during our stay, but Marie and Ewen Macrae graciously invited us for tea and a tour of their B&B on our final day on Skye.
Greenacres Guest House overlooks Portree Bay.
Raey, my main female character, walked the distance to the city center from her cozy B&B. Like Raey, we walked into the quaint small town of Portree in about twenty minutes. We ate at the Isles Inn on the corner of Somerled Square, and I bought a Celtic trinity knot, or triquetra, necklace which is a series of three-pointed loops drawn seamlessly in a triangular shape. Christians have used the Celtic symbol to represent the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To ancient Celts, it represented the three stages of life—youth, adulthood, and old age.
While Nic and Raey didn’t venture to as intimate a restaurant, for my birthday, my husband and I ate at The View, an upscale restaurant at the Cuillin Hills Hotel which overlooks the Portree Bay area and the Cuillin mountain ranges. We also celebrated the one-year anniversary of Man in the Mist being published.
Before visiting Skye, I’d only corresponded with Marie via email. Upon meeting Marie in person, she was as warm as my fictional host, Maisrie. We got on straightaway as if we had known one another for years. We sat in her lounge, and Marie shared about the bittersweet sale of their labor of love before she gave us a full tour of their property.
Marie sets China on the tables where I imagined Raey ate her breakfast, overlooking the bay.
Comfortable lounge areas. The mantle described in the book is purposefully different. You’ll have to read to find out why.
Her husband, Ewen, skipped through, and he seemed more reserved than my fun-loving and gregarious character, Finlay, but later, when we met up with Ewen in his garage, I realized he was just as playful as him. He shared about his job as a fisherman and showed us his meticulous craftsmanship on the B&B grounds. We laughed as he teased and joked.
Ewen built this small building at the edge of the property with a marvelous view of the bay and the grounds. I envisioned Nic stayed in this building with a view of Raey’s window, the middle upstairs window. I didn’t get to tour that room because someone was staying in it during our visit.
Ewen enjoyed playing in the garden. Check out his fun landscaping.
Ewen had been a fisherman by trade, and a caretaker for the local lighthouse. In his profession and living on the Isle of Skye, you need to know how to fix things yourself he said. All the landscape, tile work, and outside additions are evidence of his craftsmanship. His tool shed would be the envy of every man. I wish I’d captured more details of Ewen when I created Finlay. He created the terraces, setting the tile design. After long days at sea on a fishing boat, he handmade every balustrade on the property.
He gave us a peak at one of his special pride and joys, his Ariel Atom.
He tried to convince me to go for a whirl with him, so I could experience the feel of going 100 mph in 3 seconds. On the windy, narrow roads of Skye? No way!!!
Later, I learned the breaks were out as he’d recently discovered during a Sunday drive after church for a picnic with Marie, but he had great fun teasing me as I politely declined. Check out his smile and laughter in this video as he revs the engine.
Marie and Ewen have since moved to Inverness to be closer to family, almost like in Man in the Mist, and new owners will care for this stunning property.
When she left Skye, Raey drove from Inverness and over the Skye Bridge, the same route we exited the island to head for Loch Ness and Inverness.
If you’ve read Man in the Mist, then you may have enjoyed comparing these photos with how you imagined the hosts and grounds of Shelter Hill Guest House. If you haven’t, when you do, these photos will help the novel come alive.
