16-SEP-2011
Skye_Panorama
The peaceful beauty of a Skye landscape, takes one's breath away.
14-SEP-2011
Glasgow Dawn
5 a.m. - a beautiful dawn welcomes us to Scotland.
14-SEP-2011
Early morning in Glasgow
Very little stirring at 6 a.m. close to Queen Street Railway Station
15-SEP-2011
Queen Street Railway Station
14-SEP-2011
West Highland Express
This railway journey, between Glasgow and Mallaig, is rated as one of the world's greatest.
14-SEP-2011
The Harry Potter Via Duct
All the Scots we met were so proud that this via duct was used in the filming of the Harry Potter series.
The super nice train conductor provided me with a glass free window and had the train come to a stop so that I could photo the scene !
14-SEP-2011
Highland Farm
We pass through beautiful landscapes, farms and woods and so many sheep !
14-SEP-2011
Scottish Highlands
The remoteness of the landscapes gives the feeling that nothing has ever changed here.
14-SEP-2011
Glenfinnan Station
The train winds its way north stopping at quaint stations.
14-SEP-2011
Highland Lochs
We pass by fabulous scenery on each side of the train !
14-SEP-2011
Road to Skye
Rail, that is ! Getting close to Mallaig, the stepping stone to Skye, we now get beautiful seascapes.
14-SEP-2011
Mallaig Harbour
Sun sets over the sleepy little harbour
15-SEP-2011
Mallaig Harbour
The sunset view from our B&B
17-SEP-2011
O'er the Sea .....
Following in the footsteps of Bonni Prince Charlie - he would
have had the same view !
16-SEP-2011
Fairy Glen, Skye
Off on a nondescript road near the town of Uig, is a remarkable
little glen formed by the land being disrupted by a series of
small landslides and smoothed over by subsequent glaciation.
There is said to be 365 hillocks in the glen and described as
one of Scotland's most "spooky places".
16-SEP-2011
Fairy Glen
A bus load of young visitors to the Glen
climb to the top of the ridge
16-SEP-2011
Fairy Glen
An old sheepfold remains under the ancient trees
16-SEP-2011
Trotternish Peninsula
The landscape changes as we head north. One
can feel that the north wind really does blow here.
16-SEP-2011
Bleak Farmhouse
Winters must be harsh on this exposed peninsula
16-SEP-2011
Trotternish Coast, Skye, Scotland
16-SEP-2011
Duntulm Castle, Skye, Scotland
History tells of a bitter, and bloody, rivalry for the ownership of this castle between the MacLeod and Macdonald clans with the Macdonald's taking over the area in the 17th century.
16-SEP-2011
Quirang, Skye
Amazing mountain and landscape vistas from atop of the ridge.
16-SEP-2011
Quirang, Skye
And to give you the required energy to climb to the top !!
17-SEP-2011
Uig, Isle of Skye
From here one can take the ferry to Harris
17-SEP-2011
Dunvegan Castle
"Dunvegan Castle is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and has been the stronghold of the Chiefs of MacLeod for nearly 800 years. Built on a rock, it has survived clan battles, the extremes of feast and famine and the profound social, political and economic changes through which the Western Highlands and Islands have passed."
gallery: Knoydart Peninsula and Loch Nevis
There is a lot of violent history associated with the Knoydart Peninsula, an area described as one of the remotest areas of the United Kingdom and which is accessible only by boat or on foot. The following is a part of a song about the Seven Men of Knoydart and their battle for the land against Baron Brocket, an English lord, who owned the estate and removed the locals:
"You may scream and yell, Lord Brocket,
You may rave and stamp and shout
But the lamp we've lit in Knoydart
Will never now go out
For Scotland's on the march again
And we think it won't be long
Roll on the day when the Knoydart way
Is Scotland's battle song"
For the whole song, and the story, check out this web site:http://www.dickgaughan.co.uk/songs/texts/knoydart.html
17-SEP-2011
West Highland Hotel
Our final stay in the Highlands is at this wonderful old fashioned hotel overlooking the sea to the islands of Eig, Rum and Skye.
17-SEP-2011
Room with a View
How beautiful to look out over this sea to Skye !
18-SEP-2011
Scottish Highlands
Heading back to Glasgow the weather changes providing some interesting light.