“Duncansby Stacks” — Sea Stacks at John O’Groats on Scotland’s North Sea Coast.
Our big loop through northwest Scotland began at Inverness, went to Skye, then headed north with stops at Ullapool and Altnaharra. From there we crossed the northern coast to John O’Groats. Why John O’Groats? it feels like one of the more remote places in Scotland – it is on the North Sea and beyond there are only the Orkney Islands. I also recall running into a cyclist on our previous visit to Scotland who was riding from the furthest south point in England to John O’Groats, and that piqued my interest.
“Netherkirkgate” — Aman on a ladder in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Our recent travels to the British Isles began (aside from a very brief stopover in London) with a lengthy visit to Skye and the northwest of Scotland. After that first adventure we returned to Inverness and took a train to Aberdeen for a few days. After more than a week in the wild open spaces of northwest Scotland, returning to this urban setting was quite a contrast!
“Mountains, Morning Light” — Morning light, mist and clouds on Beinn Dearg, Isle of Skye.
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.
“Isle of Rum” — The Inner Hebrides Isle of Rum, viewed from Elgol, Isle of Skye.
I made this photograph of the distant Isle of Rum from the hills right above the Scottish village of Elgol, on the Isle of Skye. It does not seem like this is one of the more popular places on Skye, to say the least. It is a long drive on remote single-track roads and, to the best of my knowledge, there are no big, iconic tourist sites there. It seems like a quiet place, and we had to search around to find one little place where we could get a cup of coffee and a snack. We were the only customers.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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