Scottish Highlands

	Scottish Highlands

Ever since my first trip to Scotland when I got out of college, I have wanted to go back and spend some time exploring the Scottish Highlands. Well this summer I had a chance to spend a week in Scotland and I made the best of it. I rented a Land Rover and headed out into the country side. I didn't have any formal travel plans, nor hotel reservations, I just decided to go where ever I felt like going. My only real goal was to visit as many castles as I could and to visit the western coast of Scotland. I have always been captivated by castles and Scotland is full of them. All the pictures on this page were taken with my Nikon 990 Digital Camera

Day 1: Edinburgh Scotland

I arrived in Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon to typical Scottish weather...rain. I checked into the hotel which was located right on the Royal Mile and headed out to see what I could see. The front desk of the Hotel recommended that I take one of the Haunted Crypt tours of Edinburgh. Sounded interesting so I set off to do just that.

These pictures are from my first walk around Edinburgh

My Hotel - The Highlands Carlton	Looking up the Royal Mile towards the castle	A statue that is important but I can't remember why :)	The Edinburgh Cathedral	A man sitting on a bench looking at the Church

Day 2: Edinburgh Scotland

The weather was beautiful for my second day. I started off by touring the Edinburgh Castle. Its a huge castle sitting on top of a mountain right in the middle of the city. It is quite majestic.

Edinburgh Castle	Castle at night	Edinburgh at night	Castle Guards	Bagpiper	William Wallace

The Scottish Parliament	I think its the Royal Bank of Scotland	A hotel	A monument

Day 3: The adventure begins

I headed out of Edinburgh Monday afternoon. My first stop along the way was at Blackness Castle. Blackness is on the shores of the Firth of Forth. Blackness was built in 1473 and has served as a Royal Castle, garrison fortress, prison, and ammunition depot.. It was besieged by Oliver Cromwell in 1650 who badly damaged it. It was repaired during the reign of King Charles II. It is quite cool and was a great visit.

Blackness Castle from the outside...It Doesn't look like much from this angle	The entry way into the castle. What you don't see is the murder holes...ouch!!!	Inside the castle from up on the curtain wall...notice the natural rock courtyard	Inside the castle from the floor. The natural rock courtyard is more noticeable here	Looking out into the bay. That bridge is the rail bridge over the Loch


A murder hole that opens into the entry way. Designed for canon and guns	The entrance to the Dungeon through the iron grill on the floor.	A sign describing life in the Pit. I can't imagine how much that would suck	A castle Latrine...opens to the outside and into the bay	The great hall of the castle

After leaving Blackness I headed over to Stirling Castle in the town of Stirling. For you Braveheart fans, Stirling is where William Wallace lead the Scots in victory over the English as depicted in the movie. Stirling is a great castle, its huge and sitting on top of a large hill over looking the city similar to the way Edinburgh castle overlooks Edinburgh.

The Entryway into Stirling Castle	One of Stirings courtyards	Another view of the courtyard, notice the entryway to the right	A watch tower on Stirlings wall. Its a couple of hundred feet down below it	An arrow slit in one of Stirling's towers


One of the stone carvings, check out the details	More stone carvings on the walls	A bag piper at the Castle	He was very good and very friendly	And extremely photographic ;)

After I left Stirling I headed over to the Tossachs<sp> area of Scotland. Along the way I stopped in the little town of Dunbourgh to get a bite to eat. I noticed a little river with a bridge over it. I walked out onto the bridge and saw this house. This is one of the best pictures from the whole trip.

One of the things that took some adjustment, other than driving on the wrong side of the road, was how long it stayed light at night. It did not get dark until after 11pm. Because of that, I didn't start looking for a place to stay until 9pm. I finally found a beautiful little bed and breakfast on a one lane road out in the country. As I drove along, one of the things that struck me most was how stark the highlands are. I couldn't help but think about how much of a struggle basic survival must have been for the highlanders.

A river in the highlands that I drove along for a while	The same river as the sun set	A hill in the highlands, its WAY bigger than what it looks in this picture	The Bed and Breakfast I stayed in.	The country lane the B&B was on

Day 4: Castles, Glen Coe and Malig

On this day of my journey, I wanted to visit Glen Coe and make my way over to the west coast. There were several castles on my hit list for the day, the first was Kilchurn Castle. Kilchurn was not far from where I spent the night so it was first on my list. Kilchurn was built in 1475 and sits on a point overlooking Loch Awe. Unfortunately due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the UK I could not approach the castle on foot.

This picture was taken as close as I could get to Kilchrun Castle	A bad picture looking across the lake at the castle

After I left the area of Kilchurn I headed west to visit Dunstaffnage Castle. Dunstaffnage was built around 1275 and is one of the oldest standing castles in Scotland. It is not a very large castle as far as its footprint, but it is sitting on top of a massive rock that forms its foundation. Of all the castles I visited, I liked this one the best.

The approach to Dunstaffnage Castle	The entryway into the castle. Notice the big rock	The backside of the castle. You have to admire the work	Inside view looking down from the curtain wall.	Looking across the inner courtyard.


The gatehouse, notice the old arched entry that is closed	The inner courtyard and well	Inside the old great hall. It had several floors	Stonework in an old fireplace in the great hall	Looking out into the bay from the top of the wall


Looking down to the outer courtyard from the wall	A window in the great hall	An Arrow slit	A model of the original entrance configuration

Not far from the castle was an old Priory (Church) built around the same time as the castle.

View from inside the Chapel. It was kind of spooky.	A grave marker in the wall of the chapel. Notice the skull in the rockwork	A Black and white of a monument in the chapel	This was freaky. It was built (carved) into the wall of the chapel	The excellent stonework of the dual windows inside the chapel	The iron door into the Crypt

Not far from Dunstaffnage is the Castle Stalker. It is not reachable, being out in the middle of Loch Linnhe. Monty Python fans will recognize it from the movie "Monty Python and The Search for the Holy Grail"

After leaving the Dunstaffnage Castle, I headed over to what is billed as the most beautiful spot in Scotland, Glen Coe. A glen is what we yanks call a valley. Glen Coe is a stunning valley with a road that runs right through it. It is a curvy twisting road through some of the most beautiful scenery on this planet. The pictures just do not do it justice.

One of the many peaks in the Glen. This one is at the base of the valley	Two of the three sisters. Three large peaks that stand guard over the valley	The third of the three sisters	A cable car across a river. I was not brave enough to see how well it works	A stunning waterfall in the valley. That drop is about 20 feet.

After visiting Glen Coe, I headed out for the west coast. Looking at the map, I decided I would head over towards Mallaig. Mallaig is about as far west as you can go. Mallaig is a small fishing village on the coast, the road ends there. You can catch a ferry from Mallaig over to the Isle of Skye which was my eventual destination. The drive from the Glen Coe area over to Mallaig was beautiful. The weather that day was very cloudy and overcast, a cold wind was blowing in off the ocean to the west. At one point I was driving through a long deep glen on a narrow road, a river was on my left running down the floor of the valley. I had not seen another person for at least 20 miles. I was suddenly struck by the desolation of the place I was in. I pulled over and got out of the truck. As the wind howled, I walked out into the middle of the valley about a half mile from the road and sat down on a large rock. It was one of those special moments, I was alone with my thoughts sitting in a beautiful stark landscape. I sat there for about 45 minutes just soaking in the atmosphere, of the highlands. It is said that we each have a place in our minds where we can retreat to when stress and the tribulations of life get too much. This was such a place, I took a mental snapshot of it that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I did not take any pictures of it, somehow that would have ruined the moment. After returning to the vehicle, I drove the rest of the way to Mallaig down what for the most part was a one lane road.

Arriving in Mallaig brought a new smell that I have never experienced before....The smell of coal burning. For those of you who have sampled this unique odor, you know what smell I'm talking about. Mallaig was your classic small fishing village on the coast. There was a harbor full of fishing boats and docks crawling with fishermen unloading their catch. I found a great little bed and breakfast overlooking the harbor, freshened up, grabbed my camera and headed to the docks.

The harbor at Mallaig	The new life boat. The fishermen depend on it.	A boat repair business	A shrimp boat that just returned with a BIG catch	Washing off the prawns before they get iced down


Bushels of prawns being washed	A fisherman at the end of the day	I bet those guys wish that guy would help out	This type of fish was called a Mud Fish...UGLY	After a long day on the boat


The fishing boat from another angle. Doesn't look like much	Washing the prawns	Seagulls waiting on the leftovers	Hoisting Ice out of the hold

After taking pictures at the dock, I found a good seafood place and ate some shrimp...MMMMMM GOOD!!!

I returned to the B&B for the evening and got into a conversation with the boyfriend of the woman who ran it. He and I sat up until the wee hours of the morning talking about everything from politics, religion, sports and the meaning of life. Of course we were drinking beer the whole time ;) He was a great guy who happened to be the 2nd mate on the ferry I was taking the next day over to the Isle of Skye. He told me that I could make the passage on the bridge of the ship. He said there would be many great photo ops from the bridge...COOL!

Day 5: The Isle of Skye

I was up at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry over to the Isle of Skye. True to his word the 2nd Mate found me as soon as I parked on the ship and escorted me to the bridge. I spent the passage snapping pictures and talking to the captain.

The view through the ferry. There were 3 cars on the passage	The nose of the ferry closing. The ship was very large	The bridge crew working the ship during the passage	The captain of the ferry. He was a proper chap and made me feel at home	The village of Mallaig as we move away. Imagine what it would be like in a storm.


	The view across the bay as we make the passage. These mountains are on the Isle of Skye	Another picture taken from the bridge of the ferry	Sail boats in the harbor as we approach the Isle of Skye.

After docking and saying my goodbyes and thanks to the crew of the ferry I headed off across the Isle of Skye. The Isle is basically one big farm. I was looking to see the back country, so I went down the most primitive roads I could find.

The farmers get mad if you hit a cow	Sheep on a hillside wondering what I'm doing	The beautiful coastline of the Isle of Skye.

As I drove along the coast I noticed a stone arch in the distance. There weren't any castles marked on the map, so I wasn't sure what it was, but my curiosity was up. As I got closer I could tell it was an old castle ruin. There was a very poor road heading off through the marshes that looked like it might run up to the castle. I rented a land rover for this very reason, so I didn't hesitate. I got within a half mile of the castle and set off on foot. I was surprised at how soft the ground was, it was like walking through a bog. I topped a rise and the ruin was standing on a bluff above the sea. I couldn't get out to the ruin, the stone bridge was collapsed, but I took a lot of pictures anyway.

The arch that caught my attention from a distance	A view looking up the approach to the castle	You can almost imagine a bag piper looking out over the bay as he played	Another shot of the approach	There were lots of flowers growing on the ruin. Lots of small birds around.	The ruin was sitting on a large bluff

After leaving this ruin, I headed to the northern part of the Isle to visit Dunveagan Castle, Ancestral home of Clan McCloud. Along the way I noticed something out of the corner of my eye and stopped to take a look. It was another old ruin dating before 200BC.

Dun Straun Beag an Ancient Ruin on a hill top in the middle of no where	A sign that tells you all about it. This is a large image file so it will take a minute to download.

After leaving this ruin I headed over to Dunveagan. It is not so much a typical medieval castle as it is more a manor house with battlements. The castle complex includes a BEAUTIFUL garden that is quite impressive in scope and size.

Dunveagan Castle	Looking off the back wall into the bay	More than a house, less than a true Medieval castle	The gardens at Dunveagan	A waterfall in the gardens, much prettier than this picture suggests

After leaving Dunveagan I headed back to Edinburgh to catch a train back to London. This would mark the beginning of the second phase of my trip...Paris! Along the way I passed the most famous castle in Scotland...Eilean Donan. It was after hours so I couldn't tour it, but it was photographic none the less.

The castle from across the water	Another view

A beautiful rainbow that graced me with its presence as I left the Highlands

On to Paris......

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