If we learned anything on this little jaunt it was that the walk is always worth the effort.

At Neist Point Lighthouse, on the very, very most westerly point of the Isle of Skye, lies what became a fascinating, intriguing and almost reverent adventure, all wrapped up in a happy little bundle.

Our first reaction upon seeing this sea of rocks was, "What the heck is this?" and "Who did this?" and "Why?" But in the end, we gave in to our whimsical sense of humor and joined the tourists of weeks past.

But first we had to do the walk.

Our skeptical eyes carried us the length of the seemingly infinite path as it snaked its way down the steep steps, across the pasture, over the hill and finally out of sight.

We thought we were going to view a lighthouse. And we did, but the lighthouse soon became secondary to the rock-laden field that immediately captured our attention.

Cairns, they are called – a heap of rocks assembled to signify a monument or landmark. These were neither monument nor landmark, in the true sense, but they were definitely works of art and, some, ingeneous masterpieces, each reflecting the personalities of its builders.

Free-standing, delicately balanced. They came in all sizes and all shapes, and, from what we gathered, from tourists who couldn’t walk away without creating one of their own.

And so they grew in multitude. There were probably hundreds of them and plenty of room for more. Some were quite elaborate, some quite simple. All were unique, and all susceptible to storms that will surely come through and topple the works of many.

Hopefully, enough will be left standing that as spring comes next year – along with unknowing tourists – the idea will be noticed and the tradition continued.