Please take a moment to read the Community guidelines and learn how to use the Community.
Love Scotland and want to share your stories – why not have a look at all the recent discussions and make a contribution or start a new discussion? Visiting Scotland and looking for some advice – why not ask a question or start a discussion or simply explore all the great content?
Join the conversation today and share your #scotspirit.
Love Scotland and want to share your stories – why not have a look at all the recent discussions and make a contribution or start a new discussion? Visiting Scotland and looking for some advice – why not ask a question or start a discussion or simply explore all the great content?
Join the conversation today and share your #scotspirit.
Best Of
Re: Road Conditions In April?
Hey @Marguerite! The roads should be clear of snow, but I wouldn't rule it out! There might be some heavy rain which could affect conditions for driving but just be prepared for any weather because, in Scotland, we often have all 4 seasons in one day!
Re: Write a spooky Scottish story
There is a tiny ghost in my neighbourhood. It goes around in the night doing good deeds and really helping people out. I know it is not a very scary story but there are some nice ghosts out there too. It's always great to have a little community spirit.
Re: Travel by bus/train?
Trains and buses are busy in and out of Edinburgh at this time because of the Edinburgh Festival which runs to the end of August. Inverness is also a very popular destination at this time. Since you are a family party (and presumably want to sit together on your journeys!) I think it would be best to book your tickets and seats in advance, especially if you have a particular itinerary in mind and have to be particular places on certain dates. Check out http://www.travelinescotland.com/ to work out your schedule.
Road trip from Edinburgh to Skye
Hi folks,
I haven't posted for a while, but wanted to share some photos from last weekend...
Some friends and I hired a gorgeous self-catering villa in Broadford on Skye, and took a long weekend to drive up there and back.
The drive is spectacular - we took the M9 from Edinburgh, passing the Kelpies and Stirling castle along the way, then skirted the top of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park.
As you head further north, the mountains just keep getting bigger, until you pass through Glencoe. This photo is of the Three Sisters, taken from the side of the road.
We stopped for lunch at a lovely inn, about two miles down the road, then on to Fort William (where Ben Nevis was looming in the background, shrouded in mist and generally looking enormous) and across towards the Skye bridge.
Just before the crossing, you pass Eilean Donan castle, which featured in the film "Highlander". Met a friendly seal
Over the next couple of days we drove around the north of Skye, taking in as many of the sights as possible. We climbed the Old Man of Storr, which was all the more epic for being shrouded in mist and snow (person in pink is me!)...
Then the Quiraing, which was a gentler climb, and in much brighter weather.
And the Faerie glen...
With a quick stop to marvel at the beach near the Lealt Falls.
We also passed through Portree, with its lovely multicoloured pastel houses along the harbour, and Uig, where we had a quick pint in a pub on the pier.
The next day we headed to a gorgeous coral beach at Claigan, and Dunvegan castle.
We also tried to visit the Talisker distillery, and while it was very picturesque, we hadn't realised that it was only open Monday-Friday, so headed round the corner for fresh seafood at the Oyster Shed instead.
We took a slightly different route home - the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig. Even that was stunning - huge swells left a couple of our friends feeling little iffy, but I loved it, with snow-capped mountains on the mainland and white horses on the waves.
Our detour allowed us to pass through Glenfinnan, where we stopped to appreciate the viaduct...
And finished off with another stop at Kingshouse in Glencoe, where we got friendly with some of the locals
I've been sitting at my desk all week dreaming of being back in the car. I'm doing a tour of Islay and Jura in May, so at least I don't have too long to wait to be on an island again!
I haven't posted for a while, but wanted to share some photos from last weekend...
Some friends and I hired a gorgeous self-catering villa in Broadford on Skye, and took a long weekend to drive up there and back.
The drive is spectacular - we took the M9 from Edinburgh, passing the Kelpies and Stirling castle along the way, then skirted the top of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park.
As you head further north, the mountains just keep getting bigger, until you pass through Glencoe. This photo is of the Three Sisters, taken from the side of the road.
We stopped for lunch at a lovely inn, about two miles down the road, then on to Fort William (where Ben Nevis was looming in the background, shrouded in mist and generally looking enormous) and across towards the Skye bridge.
Just before the crossing, you pass Eilean Donan castle, which featured in the film "Highlander". Met a friendly seal
Over the next couple of days we drove around the north of Skye, taking in as many of the sights as possible. We climbed the Old Man of Storr, which was all the more epic for being shrouded in mist and snow (person in pink is me!)...
Then the Quiraing, which was a gentler climb, and in much brighter weather.
And the Faerie glen...
With a quick stop to marvel at the beach near the Lealt Falls.
We also passed through Portree, with its lovely multicoloured pastel houses along the harbour, and Uig, where we had a quick pint in a pub on the pier.
The next day we headed to a gorgeous coral beach at Claigan, and Dunvegan castle.
We also tried to visit the Talisker distillery, and while it was very picturesque, we hadn't realised that it was only open Monday-Friday, so headed round the corner for fresh seafood at the Oyster Shed instead.
We took a slightly different route home - the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig. Even that was stunning - huge swells left a couple of our friends feeling little iffy, but I loved it, with snow-capped mountains on the mainland and white horses on the waves.
Our detour allowed us to pass through Glenfinnan, where we stopped to appreciate the viaduct...
And finished off with another stop at Kingshouse in Glencoe, where we got friendly with some of the locals
I've been sitting at my desk all week dreaming of being back in the car. I'm doing a tour of Islay and Jura in May, so at least I don't have too long to wait to be on an island again!
Re: What to see and do around Gairloch?
Hullo, @eilidh__cameron you will love the area around Gairloch - I have a post here on Wester Ross - http://www.lovefromscotland.co.uk/visit-wester-ross/
However, my suggestions are
However, my suggestions are
- Get yourself out on a boat – take a Hebridean Whale Cruise to spot otters, seabirds and even dolphins and sharks in the waters off Gairloch.
- Explore some of the world’s best beaches, head to Red Point, for beautiful red sands and Big Sands for views across to Raasay and Skye.
- Walk the spectacular Corrieshalloch Gorge, through which the River Droma falls through a series of waterfalls, including the huge 45 m Falls of Measach.
- Don’t miss a trip to the spectacular Inverewe Garden and Estate at Poolewe, one of Scotland’s most beautiful gardens. Inverewe House has recently been opened to the public for the first time in its history and gives visitors a snapshot of 1930s life in a Scottish estate.
- Take a detour to the beautiful Glen Docherty (along the A832) for stunning views to Loch Maree.
- Visit the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, and explore the woodlands, home to 350-year-old Scots Pines remnant of the ancient Caledonian forest. Beinn Eighe is a Unesco Biosphere, covering 500,000ha meters of protected landscape.
- Climb a Munro such Liathach, or the dramatic An Teallach. Before you think about climbing a Munro, have a look at my guide to climbing a Munro for beginners, know the weather forecast and finally, be prepared. The mountain weather can change in a second - http://www.lovefromscotland.co.uk/bbc-scotland-bagging-a-munro
- If you don’t fancy a Munro, explore the village of Torridon along one of three low-level walks and visit the Torridon Countryside Centre.
Smidge
6
Re: What to see and do around Gairloch?
Hey @eilidh__cameron! There are a couple of different routes that can take you to Gairloch from Argyll, I'll attach a link to the routes that I found on Google Maps at the bottom of this post. You'll see that one of the routes is more coastal than the rest going past places like Fort William, Polanach and Attadale, which are all beautiful locations for photos. The route will also go by Loch Dughaill and Loch a' Chroisg.
There's plenty of walks that vary in distance (from 2.5km to 45km) that include scenic views for you to take in and capture on your camera. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/torridon/gairloch.shtml.
There are whale cruises as well that show you all the local wildlife. https://www.hebridean-whale-cruises.co.uk/.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Argyll+and+Bute/Gairloch/@57.5473613,-5.128209,12.54z/data=!4m19!4m18!1m10!1m1!1s0x488a2de603255eff:0x30c681a0642b0b0!2m2!1d-5.480748!2d56.4006214!3m4!1m2!1d-5.3259947!2d57.4828865!3s0x488ef4fc49db4bfd:0xc81296b3d9e8a71!1m5!1m1!1s0x488e6fdf89dbf887:0xb1cb780f3f859e5d!2m2!1d-5.693912!2d57.72822!3e0
There's plenty of walks that vary in distance (from 2.5km to 45km) that include scenic views for you to take in and capture on your camera. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/torridon/gairloch.shtml.
There are whale cruises as well that show you all the local wildlife. https://www.hebridean-whale-cruises.co.uk/.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Argyll+and+Bute/Gairloch/@57.5473613,-5.128209,12.54z/data=!4m19!4m18!1m10!1m1!1s0x488a2de603255eff:0x30c681a0642b0b0!2m2!1d-5.480748!2d56.4006214!3m4!1m2!1d-5.3259947!2d57.4828865!3s0x488ef4fc49db4bfd:0xc81296b3d9e8a71!1m5!1m1!1s0x488e6fdf89dbf887:0xb1cb780f3f859e5d!2m2!1d-5.693912!2d57.72822!3e0
Re: Hello Everyone
@DMWScotland should be able to answer this question in detail I believe
Horizons
6
Re: Hello Everyone
Hey @Cam! If you're looking for places to fly the drone in Edinburgh to take some pictures, I would recommend going up Arthur's Seat or Corstorphine Hill for some cracking views over the city, it's not very remote but you'll get some smashing pictures!
Hope you have an amazing trip, Edinburgh is a beautiful city!
Hope you have an amazing trip, Edinburgh is a beautiful city!
Re: Hello Everyone
Hello @Cam
My husband has a drone that we use on occasion for personal use to take photos and sometimes video. We have a DJI MavicPro and our drone tells us what aerospace we are allowed/or not allowed to fly in (Geofencing).
A really useful website is http://dronesafe.uk/ where you can check out the drone code and also download a drone assist app.
There's also another thread in the community with some useful tips about drone code @VisitScotlandJulie ;https://community.visitscotland.com/discussion/comment/2991#Comment_2991
I hope this helps. You really can capture amazing photos from above, as long as it's not windy
I hope your family and friend have a wonderful time visiting Scotland.
Dawn-Marie
My husband has a drone that we use on occasion for personal use to take photos and sometimes video. We have a DJI MavicPro and our drone tells us what aerospace we are allowed/or not allowed to fly in (Geofencing).
A really useful website is http://dronesafe.uk/ where you can check out the drone code and also download a drone assist app.
There's also another thread in the community with some useful tips about drone code @VisitScotlandJulie ;https://community.visitscotland.com/discussion/comment/2991#Comment_2991
I hope this helps. You really can capture amazing photos from above, as long as it's not windy
I hope your family and friend have a wonderful time visiting Scotland.
Dawn-Marie
Even clouds and rain don't dampen the experience
Come rain or shine, Scotland is one of the most dramatic places on the planet. We travelled up through Moray and then through to the Knoydart Peninsula before heading down back through Glencoe. These are just some of the snaps taken in Scotland's epic landscape. Sorry, taken with an iPhone to escape the rain and midges ... resolution none too great
