My friend Will came up for the weekend just gone and we decided to shake things up a little and head off way up North… to Scotland! The Scottish border is only about 200 or so miles from here, though I never go up there because it takes too damn long and when gas is $8 a gallon it’s expensive!
We headed up there on Friday afternoon. Got to Glasgow sometime after dinner, stopped at an Indian restaurant where we had some real nice food while watching raunchy Bollywood music videos – I never knew Indian culture could bump and grind with the best of them!
After that we found a soulless motel and settled in for the night with a view to getting an early getaway in the morning. We tossed a coin for the double bed, I lost so I got the stupid sofa-bed thing which was uncomfortable to say the least. The entire experience was made worse by Will’s snoring which kept me awake most of the night.
We didn’t get the early getaway on Saturday morning that we had kind of planned to do. We’d sat up have the night drinking tea and talking so we just headed out late morning instead. But we didn’t have a plan, so we weren’t behind any schedule or anything.
The picture below was taken on the road by Loch Fyne. The weather was trying to decide whether to rain or not. In the end the clouds above us just went about their business like great ships with unseen cargos for destination I could only imagine.
The picture above was taken on the way to Inveraray. And below is Inveraray castle which sits majestically beside the loch in the little port-side town. From there we headed slowly North along winding roads that weaved their ways alongside the vast lochs. We’d stop to get out take pictures and generally take in the surroundings.
As the evening began to draw to a close we drove by Stalker Castle which stands on a small island in Loch Linnhe. The sun was setting behind the hills and mountains of the Mull of Kintyre. I’ve always wanted to see one of these kind of castles but had I not been looking back at the setting sun as we drove, we would have missed it entirely!
We eventually stopped in the town of Fort William and found ourselves a little bed and breakfast beside the loch. It was owned by a lady from Chicago, her husband was a former Chicago cop and years ago they opted for a chance in pace and lifestyle so they moved to Fort William to start the little guest house.
The next day we headed to the highest point in the UK, Ben Nevis mountain. It’s a climbers mountain, so lazy tourists like Will and I choose instead to go up Anoch Mor (pictured above) some 2100 feet to look across at Ben Nevis. It was awesome to stand there in the snow and look across at the snow capped mountains around me. This was a real thrill as I rarely see snow where I live. All the snow I’ve seen in recent years has been in America!
We decided to head back home at a leisurely pace through the Glencoe Valley which was spectacular. We stopped again in Glasgow and spent some more of the Scottish money we’d acquired buying over priced food which was only forgivable because of our sweetly beautiful waitress who flirted the perfect amount to earn herself a decent tip. It’s always easier to tip when the money looks different – Maybe she knew that?
It’s been over ten years since I was last in Scotland, but I won’t be leaving it another ten years to go back that’s for sure!
Wrote the following comment on Feb 27, 2006 at 2:49 pm
beautiful photos, it makes me want to visit again. my last time in scotland was over 30 years ago!
Wrote the following comment on Feb 27, 2006 at 4:07 pm
I never went to scotland while I lived their in England, it does look so nice, maybe if I visit my family I will take a tour their, I like cornwall I went their alot, but by your pics, I did miss out alot, but I also love being here in the states, it’s diffrent, very much lol,
Thanx for the comment.
Robyn
Wrote the following comment on Feb 27, 2006 at 4:36 pm
every time i see uk pics it makes me get a traveling bug.
Wrote the following comment on Feb 27, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Oh snap….lovely. Now, if you had taken pics of you and Will, you could use them when you try to hoist your maid by her own petard.
Wrote the following comment on Feb 27, 2006 at 5:37 pm
And people say… that there’s God, take a look at those awesome pics Again!
Wrote the following comment on Feb 27, 2006 at 5:38 pm
Oops… NO God… is what I meant :o)
Wrote the following comment on Feb 27, 2006 at 7:13 pm
you need to write some fairy tales to go w/ those pix.
Wrote the following comment on Feb 28, 2006 at 6:30 am
I’ve actually only been to Scotland three times, this last time being the third. before that I went when I was like 19 and 20, when a friend and I were on a driving vacation. We had a peice of crap Russian car and we headed for Scotland at speed driving up the east coast and down the west. We stopped only to eat and sleep really. We saw great scenery, but the vacation was kinda just two young guys having a road trip. :-)
Will and I might head up again in May.
Wrote the following comment on Feb 28, 2006 at 3:41 am
Wow! Those are truly beautiful. Good job, Simon. You’ve got a good eye. When you have such wonderful vistas to work with, it makes it a bit easier. *making mental note to self to get to Scotland before I die.
Wrote the following comment on Feb 28, 2006 at 5:06 am
Scotland is so beautiful, I have spent many happy holidays there, in one part or another. Talking of castle Stalker, that is my Fiancés hereditary something-or-other, owned, of course, by Americans (laughs). Have you been to the Black Isle/Cromarty? That is absolutely beautiful, as is the Isle of Mull, where I’ve spent many happy months…
Wrote the following comment on Feb 28, 2006 at 5:41 am
I love the Scottish landscape, although it’s frequently anything but lush.
Jamieson is one of my favorite artists and I have several of his oils of Scottish landscapes very similar to your pictures.
Wrote the following comment on Feb 28, 2006 at 7:20 am
aaahh the motherland (Caldwell)