We had our first close-up view of the Cuillin Mountains when we arrived on the Isle of Skye. Driving onto the Isle from the east, the road loops southwest at Loch Slighachan, then heads north between the Red Cuillin Mountains, before turning back to the southwest to loop around these peaks. Of course, they are big enough to be visible from many places on and near to Skye, too.
Continue reading Approaching The Cuillin Mountains
We came upon this scene while driving north from Ullapool, Scotland and then taking a diversion out toward the coast. (We were intrigued by signs promising that we would find blueberry scones, and we just keep going until we… ran out of Scotland at the coast! Sadly, we never found the scones.) We were traveling along some lowland valleys, and at the top of one short incline we looked back and saw this view. Initially the entire scene was shaded by clouds, but since it looked like sunny spots were moving across the landscape we waited until some of that light landed on the foreground.
Continue reading Two Highlands Peaks
While Scotland’s Isle of Skye is, for good reason, a very popular place to visit, you can also find great views of the Isle and its mountains from along Scotland’s less-populated western coast. After our visit to Skye we headed north to Ullapool, and from there drove a long loop out to the village of Applecross. Before turning south toward that spot the route hugged the coastline, offering continuous views across the water to islands including Skye.
Continue reading Looking Toward Skye
Having just returned from our second long visit to Scotland and the highlands, I’m still trying to form a clear sense of just what defines the character of this landscape. Admittedly, this is a subjective thing, affected by our unique experiences there and by the prior experiences to which we compare that. My touchstone for “mountains” is California’s Sierra Nevada, a generally congenial range with sunshine and access to very high places. By Sierra standards, Scotland’s high places are “low” — but equally spectacular. Scotland definitely does not seem like a “place of sunshine” — instead it is wet, cloudy, and when sunshine comes it is often muted.
Continue reading Highlands Loch, Mountains, and Sky