October 2022 Doug and Claudia traveled to Scotland to see amazing waterfalls, castles, distilleries and of course Highland cows. Here is a summary of our trip featuring our photographs and a brief description with links for more explanation for places we visited
Edinburgh
We stayed at the Sheraton which is a location that is easy to walk to other things. We saw the Edinburgh castle: Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe. With a long rich history as a royal residence, military garrison, prison and fortress, it is alive with many exciting tales. When you climb Castle Hill, you will walk in the footsteps of soldiers, kings and queens – and even the odd pirate or two.Though parts of it remain in military use, the castle is now a world-famous visitor attraction. It’s also an iconic part of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site.
In Edinburgh we were able to go to two types of Farmers markets. They sold everything from old coins to to great scotch.
We had some opportunity to wander the streets of Edinburgh. Victoria Street is the inspiration for Harry Potters Daigon Alley the sign confirms it!
Here is a map of all the places we visited. To get to some of these places we had 2 issues. One was mud....so we purchased "Hunter" rubber boots-thigh high to walk safely in the mud. The other problem we had was miscommunication on the difficulty of the steep long hikes that went up mountains and required walking sticks-which we did not bring, and distances we were not ready for so we made it as high as we made it.
Etive Mor
Buachaille Etive Mor mountain at the entrance to Glen Coe and Glen Etive. And more specifically, the beautiful Coupall Falls that run in front of the mountain as you approach from the South East along the A82. Buachaille Etive Mor is probably the most iconic mountain in Scotland. An almost pyramid shape, the mountain is certainly the most recognizable of the mountains in the Southern Highlands and probably one of the most photographed. Here is a sample of some of our photographs from both times we went to shoot it-sunrise and sunset:
In the last picture you can see the mud we had to muck around in; one of those areas where you hope you don't loose a boot in the mud.
Before dusk we drove around the area where they shot the James Bond Movie; Skyfall
Oban Distillery
Oban Distillery tour. It is fun to travel to Scotland to see the beautiful country and bring home Scotches that are nor found in the USA. Following are some pictures from inside the distillery-but really if you want to see how whiskey is made and don't want to travel that far, go to Tennessee and do the Jack Daniels Tour-the process is very similar and it is closer
Kilchurn Castle
The first castle we saw was Kilchurn Castle it's a ruined structure on a rocky peninsula at the northeastern end of Loch Awe, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It was first constructed in the mid-15th century as the base of the Campbells of Glenorchy, who extended both the castle and their territory in the area over the next 150 years. After the Campbells became Earls of Breadalbane and moved to Taymouth Castle, Kilchurn fell out of use and was in ruins by 1770. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and is open to the public in summer.
Stalker Castle
The next castle we saw was the Stalker Castle this is the one that the movie Monty Python used in the Monty Python Movies
The Jacobite-Hogwart's Train
West Coast Railways, operators of 'The Jacobite', provided the steam engine and carriages for the 'Hogwarts Express' as seen in the 'Harry Potter' films.
Scotland "Wildlife"
When you think of Scotland two animals come to mind Highland Cows and Sheep
Neist Point and Lighthouse
Neist Point is a rocky headland located on the westernmost tip of the Isle of Skye, where one of Scotland's most striking and famous lighthouses is located. Perched on the edge of a basaltic cliff, the Neist Point Lighthouse overlooks “The Minch”, the strait that separates the wonderful archipelago of the Outer Hebrides from the Inner Hebrides. It is a spectacular location immersed in breathtaking views that embody all the unmistakable and intriguing magic of this magnificent land.
Eilean Donan Castle
Inside the castle
Portree
We stayed in Portree 4 out of the 9 days we were in Scotland. Portree is only about 200 years old and was created as a fishing village at the beginning of the 19th century by the then Lord MacDonald. The name Portree or Port Righ, King’s Port in Gaelic, (as on the road signs) is popularly thought to derive from a visit by King James V (of Scotland) in 1540 but the area around the harbour was called Portree or Portray long before the arrival of the king. Its name really comes from the Gaelic for Port on the Slope.
Talisker Distillery
THE FAIRY POOLS
The Fairy Pools in Scotland are a series of beautiful rock pools with cascades and waterfalls that are formed in tributaries of the River Brittle. In Gaelic, their name is Allt Coir’ a’ ‘Mhadaidh which roughly translates into ‘burn of the wolf’.
They are overlooked by the dramatic Cuillin mountain range, and in the right lighting, the crystal clear water can appear aqua and teal in colour!
The Fairy Pools are very popular with walkers on the Isle of Skye. Many brave adventurers also take a dip in the icy waters if it’s a warm day.
You can access the Fairy Pools on a 1.5 mile or 2.4 kilometre hike from the Fairy Pools car park which is near Glenbrittle. Why are they called Fairy Pools?
The crystal clear water of the Fairy Pools in Scotland is said to contain a certain amount of magic, hence the name.
There are many fairy legends on the Isle of Skye. The most famous is the Fairy Flag legend of Dunvegan Castle which is somewhat related to the Fairy Pools.
The story goes that the chieftain of Clan Macleod of Dunvegan married a fairy princess or a bean sidhe, one of the Shining Folk.
That’s why so many places on the Isle of Skye, especially in the Dunvegan estate area, have the name ‘fairy’. The pair were deeply in love but the King of the Fairies forbade them from marrying. Eventually, as his daughter was so upset, the Fairy King conceded but they were handfasted and only permitted a year of marriage as a trial.
After the year was up, the Fairy Princess was ordered to return to her kind. They had a son together and she grieved him so when she left for her world.
One night, she heard her baby crying and instantly returned to his side in the mortal realm. She wrapped him in a silk shawl and sang him to sleep. Hence the name Fairy Flag!
Well, that’s one legend about it anyway. There are many, many different versions of that story.
It’s also said that these pools attract selkies. They disguise themselves during the day as seals and transform into humans at night so they can bathe under the light of a full moon. On the east side of the Island, you can visit the magical Fairy Glen which is one of my favourite places on Skye. Here, you can find emerald hills, a ruined castle, magical rowan trees, and even a labyrinth to make wishes to the Fae.
OLD MAN OF STORR
This is probably the most famous walk on the Island and definitely the busiest. The ‘Old Man’ is a large pinnacle of rock that stands high and can be seen for miles around.
As part of the Trotternish ridge the Storr was created by a massive ancient landside, leaving one of the most photographed landscapes in the world.
The Old Man of Storr near Staffin. Path on Storr walk Skye. Rock formations at the Storr on Skye. Path leading to Old Man Of Storr. Winter view of the Storr near Staffin. View of the Old Man of Storr in winter. Snow at the Storr on Skye. Rocks at Storr on Skye.
The Storr walk uses the same path up and down, starting & returning at the same point (the carpark). It covers a distance of 3.8km, with the average time to complete the walk being 1 hour 15 minutes (with no stops).
We have classed this walk as ‘Medium’ in length and ‘Medium’ for difficulty, check the rating guide for details.
Location
The Old Man of Storr is located on the north of Skye in the area known as ‘Trotternish’. The start of the walk is by the main road from Portree to Staffin.
