The northwest Scotland landscape is spectacular in so many ways — the highlands mountains of course, but also the coast, and the lower elevation valleys and rivers. It is relatively “empty,” in the sense that you are often out of sight of signs of civilization, aside from the single-track road you might be driving. But empty as it is, it is not wilderness, and there are plenty of little hamlets and isolated homes and lodgings.
Continue reading Rural Stone Buildings at Loch Stack
The last few days of our drive around northwest Scotland followed an indirect route. After more or less tracing the North Coast 500 route from Skye toward Durness, our plans had us making a longish detour to the historic lodge at Altnaharra. This meant leaving the NC500 and heading south into the highlands on less-traveled roads. I made this photograph along the detour late in the day.
Continue reading Windblown Trees at Loch Stack
One surprising thing about the Isle of Skye and other parts of northwest Scotland is that mountainous landscape can be barely above sea level. I think it is a combination of the northern latitude and the rocky geology that gives us alpine summits rising directly from the coast. So I was constantly surprised and sometimes confused when we would drive though hills, past peaks, then come around a bend and see an ocean inlet like Loch Slapin.
Continue reading Loch Slapin
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