Friday 12 August 2011

Scotland

I've just noticed that although I've been to Scotland three times in the last three years, there's not one photo of the place on this blog. I love Scotland and foremost among my favoured destinations is Plockton, which is no great distance from the Isle of Skye. It was the location for the filming of the Hamish Macbeth TV series. So here are a couple of views looking out over Loch Carron.

To get to Plockton by car from Inverness you have to go through Invergarry. There had been heavy rain that October so the river was dramatic.

And the view below was captured when we were travelling south to catch a small ferry over to the Isle of Skye. Someone had created mini cairns from the stones near the roadside.

Last year we holidayed in Dumfries, travelling as far west as Stranraer and the Rhinns of Galloway. There are few National Trust properties in Scotland but the one below was in Kirkcudbright - Broughton House, the home of controversial local artist Edward Hornel. I wasn't enamoured of his paintings, but the garden was lovely.

Below is Portpatrick Harbour, not far from Stranraer.

One of the great naval heroes of the United States was John Paul Jones, who was born in Kirkbean, in this cottage close to the Solway Firth. From his home you can see Whitehaven in Cumbria (England). During the Revolutionary War he led a naval raid on Whitehaven. His local knowledge must have come in very handy indeed!

Below is one of the rooms in his cottage.

And will we go back to Scotland in the autumn? I do hope so!

5 comments:

  1. Scotland's lovely. Glad you were able to enjoy it!

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  2. Always enjoy it Sue, particularly when the weather is showery because then the light on the lochs and on the mountains changes constantly. The photo of the mini cairns is a perfect example. Click on it and you'll see more clearly the sun shining through the cloud onto the mountains. I just love that.
    Maggi

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  3. I hope you go back, too, because this desperate kid wants to see more gorgeous pictures! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  4. Maggie, we have made one visit to Scotland and loved it. So green in summer compared to Australia! My husband's ancestors come from the Isle of Skye. We stayed in Portree and the bay was like glass.

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  5. Pleased you like the photos Bronwyn and Noelene. We have friends in Inverness and to my way of thinking we are overdue a visit to them! They are great walkers and know lots of byways in northern Scotland that we soft southerners are ignorant of. Mind you, we do reciprocate. When they visit us I'm the tourist guide. I'm getting to know Bath and our part of Wiltshire well, and visited Bristol for the very first time only last week.
    Maggi

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