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
As a person who has spent a lifetime exploring California’s High Sierra Nevada, I have seen a lot of rugged, alpine scenes. “My” mountains typically require me to climb to near or above 10,000′ to see scenes like this. But here in Scotland, on the Isle of Skye specifically, the mountains rise from essentially sea level. While the peaks are all below 4000′, they nonetheless present the same alpine scenery I find among the highest peaks in the Sierra.
Continue reading Mountains, Morning Light
On the first full day of our recent visit to the Isle of Skye we headed up the island’s east coast, eventually reaching its tip before looping back. There are a number of worthy and well-known sites along this route, among them the famous “Old Man of Storr” formations. We planned to do the hike up to the feature, but as we arrived the heavens let loose — as they often do in Scotland — with very heavy rain and strong winds. We suited up and started the hike anyway.
Continue reading Rain Over Loch Leathan