Our holiday in Scotland, May 2012

[M. A. C. Newsome]

As requested, a sampling of photos from our vacation in Scotland this month. These are only a few of the 1000+ photos I took over the course of 9 days. If you discount the day spent travelling to and from, we had a full week in Scotland to enjoy. We were based in Crieff for much of the time, and from there we got to see quite a bit. We did spend a couple of days out west, as you will see.

First one, from the Scottish Crannog Centre in Kenmore.

I've always been fascinated by crannogs and it was nice to see this reconstruction. The staff there is very knowledgeable, and they have a really nice gift shop featuring quite a bit of locally made crafts.

Next up, a scenic bridge in the Sma' Glen. You can see one of Gen. Wade's roads in the background.


We did spend a day driving south to the Borders and on the way I popped in and visited our friends at D. C. Dalgliesh. Took several photos, but I thought you'd all enjoy this one.


One of the local residents of the town of Langholm.


We spend one morning taking a hike along the Glen Lednock circular walk in Comrie. The following are from that venture.



That same afternoon we went to see Drummond Castle Gardens, which were quite lovely.





More to come!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

The day we spent driving out west was pretty miserable in terms of weather. Lots of cloud and rain, which did not necessarily mean no photographs. Here's one taken along the shore of Loch Earn.


Another local resident we passed, this one I think from Mull.


We dined in Dervaig that evening, and just as we came out of the pub, the sun made a dramatic appearance, resulting in these photos.





Taken out behind our Inn that night, two miles south of Dervaig.


The next morning our destination was the Isle of Ulva and a day of hiking, but to get there we had to first pass the picturesque Calgary beach.




Still more...

[M. A. C. Newsome]

These are all from our hike along the south-eastern shore of the Isle of Ulva. We were out for about five hours, which was not near long enough to enjoy some of the most beautiful landscapes we have had the pleasure of experiencing. I hope the following photos illustrate for you the varied topography of this small island.


Looking back onto Mull from Ulva.














This next one was our view from where we stopped to eat our lunch.




Still more from Ulva...

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Ulva has some stunning basalt cliffs on it's southern coast which we feel very privileged to have seen.






From here we hiked a bit further inland toward the center of the island.

[Spartan Tartan]

Wow. wonderful pictures Matt. Looks amazing.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

These next photos are from Oban, where we stayed that evening. Those familiar with the town will know McCaig's Folly, a "Roman Colosseum" inspired tower built over 100 years ago overlooking the town. My wife and I walked up to the tower after dinner, and this photo is Oban seen from that perspective.


Another view from the tower.


Driving from Oban to Fort William, we passed Stalker Castle.




We were headed to Fort William to catch the Jacobite steam engine and ride the West Highland Railway to Mallaig. Here are some photos taken along the way.



Harry Potter fans will recognize the Glenfinnan Viaduct.


Still on the train. These are of Locheil.



More to come...

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Driving back from Fort William to Crieff we passed through Glencoe.

[JSFMACLJR]

Stunning photos, Matt! Excellent job!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

As I said, we based ourselves mostly in Crieff. That town has a nice walk up to the top of the Knock, a hill overlooking the town. Our last day there we had to do the walk. Here's Crieff from the top.



You can see 360 degrees from the Knock. Here are other views.



Walking back down the hill.



We spent our final day in Edinburgh. Not too many stunning landscape photos from that visit, but I did get this nice one from the interior of Edinburgh Castle. :-)



Enjoy!

[Jock Scot]

Thank you Matt, as you know I just love to see "home" through other people's eyes, and your eyes do not disappoint. I trust that you did not get too wet as we have had some pretty grim-----even for us-----weather recently.