My girlfriend and I visited Scotland for a 4 day getaway, two weeks ago. For a change, we didn't go for cities and culture, but for breathtaking landscapes... which we found more than we ever could have imagined. I've selected some of my favorite shots... but it was hard to choose, and impossible to take every shot I wanted to take (otherwise we wouldn't have made it past the first few kilometers of the Highlands). Scotland in autumn is just impossibly rustic, melancholic, and just... exactly how it should be!
For the best part of the weekend, see this thread:
45th SC Challenge - Happiness Is................?
As for the landscape part, here we go...
Loch Lomond by bartjeej, on Flickr
Our first day took us from Edinburgh via Glasgow towards the Highlands. Loch Lomond gave us a first taste of the incredible beauty around here.
Above Loch Lomond by bartjeej, on Flickr
Beyond Loch Lomond, the hills are getting taller, and steeper. With so much rain and so many mountains, there's a little stream every hundred meters or so, and little rivers aplenty.
Glen Coe by bartjeej, on Flickr
Glen Coe by bartjeej, on Flickr
Our route was spontaneous and not particularly planned, so we hadn't even realised we would pass through Glen Coe, right around sunset... we were stunned
Around Ben Nevis by bartjeej, on Flickr
After a night in Fort William (where we had a mediocre hotel but found a fantastic restaurant), we did a hike around the foot of Ben Nevis, towards a waterfall. Going up the mountain was impossible due to the weather... but even if it had been sunny, our clothes, and my girlfriend's lack of mountain experience, meant staying on the easier paths was the sensible thing to do.
Around Ben Nevis by bartjeej, on Flickr
Around Ben Nevis by bartjeej, on Flickr
We were walking upstream towards the waterfall, and had to go through a narrow gorge to reach it. Looking back from the gorge provided a glorious view
Around Ben Nevis by bartjeej, on Flickr
Around Ben Nevis by bartjeej, on Flickr
Skye by bartjeej, on Flickr
The following morning, we woke up in Dunvegan, Skye. Tried to see the castle, but it was closed for the winter. On to the lighthouse, we went... and I'm mighty glad that we did!
Skye by bartjeej, on Flickr
(the EXIF shows that there were 13 minutes between the previous shot and this one... Scottish weather might just be even more changeable than Dutch weather! And the landscapes are considerably more spectacular...
Skye by bartjeej, on Flickr
Skye by bartjeej, on Flickr
Skye by bartjeej, on Flickr
There had been another full "rain / hail / storm / perfectly bright sky" cycle between the previous shot and this one...
Skye by bartjeej, on Flickr
On our way out of Skye, the weather deteriorated from showers to hours of uninterrupted rain. Made for a lovely moodiness, though...
Eilean Donan by bartjeej, on Flickr
Managed to see at least one epic Scottish castle... although we still had a long nighttime drive to Inverness ahead of us, through the twisty Highlands "main road", on the left side of the road (which was a first for me), in the never-ending pouring rain, and with temperatures fast approaching zero degrees C... I was eager to press on, so we didn't have much time to admire the castle.
Bonfire night by bartjeej, on Flickr
We arrived in Inverness just in time for the Bonfire Night celebrations. The heat of the fire drew the sparks into the air at high speed
Cairngorms by bartjeej, on Flickr
On the eastern side of Scotland, the Cairngorms mountains don't have as much influence of the sea as the western Highlands...
Cairngorms by bartjeej, on Flickr
... which means they already had a healthy dose of snow on the peaks.
Cairngorms by bartjeej, on Flickr
A final look at the Scottish beauty, before returning to Edinburgh, and then home...
For the best part of the weekend, see this thread:
45th SC Challenge - Happiness Is................?
As for the landscape part, here we go...
Our first day took us from Edinburgh via Glasgow towards the Highlands. Loch Lomond gave us a first taste of the incredible beauty around here.
Beyond Loch Lomond, the hills are getting taller, and steeper. With so much rain and so many mountains, there's a little stream every hundred meters or so, and little rivers aplenty.
Our route was spontaneous and not particularly planned, so we hadn't even realised we would pass through Glen Coe, right around sunset... we were stunned
After a night in Fort William (where we had a mediocre hotel but found a fantastic restaurant), we did a hike around the foot of Ben Nevis, towards a waterfall. Going up the mountain was impossible due to the weather... but even if it had been sunny, our clothes, and my girlfriend's lack of mountain experience, meant staying on the easier paths was the sensible thing to do.
We were walking upstream towards the waterfall, and had to go through a narrow gorge to reach it. Looking back from the gorge provided a glorious view
The following morning, we woke up in Dunvegan, Skye. Tried to see the castle, but it was closed for the winter. On to the lighthouse, we went... and I'm mighty glad that we did!
(the EXIF shows that there were 13 minutes between the previous shot and this one... Scottish weather might just be even more changeable than Dutch weather! And the landscapes are considerably more spectacular...
There had been another full "rain / hail / storm / perfectly bright sky" cycle between the previous shot and this one...
On our way out of Skye, the weather deteriorated from showers to hours of uninterrupted rain. Made for a lovely moodiness, though...
Managed to see at least one epic Scottish castle... although we still had a long nighttime drive to Inverness ahead of us, through the twisty Highlands "main road", on the left side of the road (which was a first for me), in the never-ending pouring rain, and with temperatures fast approaching zero degrees C... I was eager to press on, so we didn't have much time to admire the castle.
We arrived in Inverness just in time for the Bonfire Night celebrations. The heat of the fire drew the sparks into the air at high speed
On the eastern side of Scotland, the Cairngorms mountains don't have as much influence of the sea as the western Highlands...
... which means they already had a healthy dose of snow on the peaks.
A final look at the Scottish beauty, before returning to Edinburgh, and then home...