This is going to be a pretty massive story so I'll probably split it into a couple of posts so I don't overdo it on the photo front! I've been meaning to post this for months but it took forever to sort out the photos and then I went on another holiday and took even more, so it wasn't exactly a priority, lol.
Despite having been born and bred in Scotland, I'd never managed to make it over to the picturesque west coast of the Highlands, though it had always been one of my most coveted holiday destinations. This year we decided that our September week's holiday should be spent up north rather than our usual jaunt in Dumfries and Galloway and wow, was it worth it!
(Apologies in advance for all the instagram spam - I took a LOT of pics this time round and most via that, haha! If you'd like to look at the photos without my commentary, they can all be found here!)
The journey north sadly began rather depressingly, as we passed the result of a fatal traffic accident en route; cyclist vs van. It seemed to have happened only a minute before we passed as the van driver was still getting out of the cab but the guy on the ground was quite clearly dead so at least it was quick, though it's still horribly sad. :(
The sight of this tour bus at a rest stop gave us a much needed laugh and as the mountains got higher and the scenery more dramatic, it helped take our minds off it.
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| Loch Tulla Viewpoint, Black Mount, |
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| Loch Tulla Viewpoint, Black Mount |
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| Loch Tulla Viewpoint, Black Mount |
By the time we hit Glencoe I was practically half out the car window taking photos, it was just incredible.
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| This was literally cloud! |
We stopped at Buachaille Etive Mor though, there was no way I was going to miss this!
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| Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe, Highlands |
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| Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe, Highlands |
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| Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe, Highlands |
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| Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe, Highlands |
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| Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe, Highlands |
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| Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe, Highlands |
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| Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe, Highlands |
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| Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe, Highlands |
There was something about that valley, it felt primeval and ancient and I kept expecting to see a dragon soar over the crags.
The scale of the hills themselves was really something else as well, it was really quite humbling, though given the valley's history it was perhaps not very surprising.
If you were shocked and horrified by 'The Red Wedding' in Game of Thrones, you ought to know that it was inspired by real events.
The Glencoe Massacre was an event that still resonates with people here as the ultimate betrayal of not only highland hospitality but the very government that is supposed to protect its people.
It was a pretty nice day when we drove though the glen, but imagining how it would have been on that freezing February morning sent shivers down my spine. It was decidedly eerie.
If you were shocked and horrified by 'The Red Wedding' in Game of Thrones, you ought to know that it was inspired by real events.
The Glencoe Massacre was an event that still resonates with people here as the ultimate betrayal of not only highland hospitality but the very government that is supposed to protect its people.
It was a pretty nice day when we drove though the glen, but imagining how it would have been on that freezing February morning sent shivers down my spine. It was decidedly eerie.
The road narrowed at several points where it had been cut roughly through the bedrock, until it reached a sharp bend where several cars were parked. There was an extended section of road with a viewing area which jutted out over what was soon revealed to be a striking waterfall: The Meeting of The Three Waters.
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| The Meeting of the Three Waters, Glen Coe, Highlands |
Despite sounding like the name of yet another Hobbit sequel, it was surprisingly busy and there were several people taking what was probably exactly the same shots as me!
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| The Meeting of the Three Waters, Glen Coe, Highlands |
There were hundreds of 'love locks' attached to the fence and I could understand why, it was such a beautiful spot to declare one's love to another hopefully for ever.
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| The Meeting of the Three Waters, Glen Coe, Highlands |
This view would have been even more palatable had the distant cottage not once belonged to Jimmy Saville. ¬¬
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| The Meeting of the Three Waters, Glen Coe, Highlands |
Literally every part of Glen Coe was worth photographing, but I had to settle for what I could shoot from the car window for the most part.
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| Glen Coe, Highlands |
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| Glen Coe, Highlands |
I'm really tempted to photoshop a big castle onto that bit above. XD
There'd been a lot of rain that week so there were waterfalls everywhere.
This cave looked huge and a little googling revealed it to be 'Ossian's Cave' named after a legendary bard who was supposedly born there, whose mother was allegedly turned into a deer.
You know, as you do.
You know, as you do.
I found this post of someone's hike up to it and oooft, what a view!
We stopped in Glen Coe village for lunch, then were back on the road again.
We stopped at Loch Linnhe for a few minutes as it was such an absolutely glorious afternoon and the light glinting on the water and low cloud was really photogenic.
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| Loch Linnhe, Highlands |
We also briefly called in at Fort William for a few supplies at possibly the most scenically placed supermarket in the country.
Another place we stopped to photograph was the lovely Loch Eilt.
We were starting to lose the light by this point but the way the late afternoon sun highlighted every rocky outcrop made for some really brilliant photographs.
Finally we arrived at our home for the week - Clearwater Cottage in Roshven.
It was small and cosy, and while the random (but thankfully temporary) power cut that evening was an unexpected downer, the view over the sea loch more than made up for it.
There was a beach on the other side of the field but we left exploring it til another day. In the meantime we discovered through the guestbook that these rather boring looking objects propped up against the outside wall were in fact Sperm Whale jawbones from a specimen which washed up on the beach years ago!
The owners of the cottage had apparently hand reared some wildcat kittens twenty years before and released them, although sadly we never saw any, or the otters and pine martens that were apparently regular visitors. Still, the views more than made up for it!
I'll leave it there for that post as you've probably seen more than enough! XD
Next post: beaches!
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