Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

May 2013
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Tour West Coast of Scotland, Tour Scotland

May 24, 2013 catswhiskers Comments off

This morning, we departed our lodgings at Broadford, Skye and proceeded as follows:

First, photographs of a nuclear submarine in Broadford Bay.

Nuclear Submarine in Broadford Bay, Scotland

Next to Armadale and connection with our ferry to Mallaig. This trip took us past the stunning views of the Knoydart peninsula.

Knoydart Peninsula, Scotland

Next, towards Glenfinnan but stopping en-route (just in time) to watch the Jacobite Express aka ‘Harry Potter Train’ as it steamed up from Fort William to Mallaig.

Next a stop at Glenfinnan, principally to photograph the Glenfinnan Viaduct aka ‘Harry Potter Bridge’.

‘Harry Potter Bridge’, Glenfinnan, Scotland

Glenfinnan Monument, Scotland

Next, onwards towards Fort William with a stop to photograph Ben Nevis, Britain’s tallest mountain resplendent in the morning sunshine.

Ben Nevis, Scotland

Next to Glencoe Visitor Centre for a light lunch then onwards through the glen with a photo stop en-route.

Glencoe, Scotland

Next, onwards over Rannoch Moor then progressively down in altitude to our destination of Luss, a quaint village on the banks of Loch Lomond. Here the small pier afforded superb views of the famous loch (lake).

Loch Lomond, Scotland

Cottage at Luss, Scotland

Luss, Scotland

Finally, we continued east, crossing the Erskine Bridge and then on through Glasgow to our final destination of Edinburgh and overnight lodgings in readiness for train journey tomorrow to London.

Today’s tour was greatly enhanced by sunny and dry weather.

Buildings, Fort William, Glasgow, Glencoe, Highlands, Islands, Islands, Locations, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond, Lochs & Lakes, Luss, Monuments, Mountains, Nature, Scotland tour, Skye, Tours none

Tour Isle of Skye, Tour Scotland

May 23, 2013 catswhiskers Comments off

This morning, we set off on our planned with some trepidation owing to unseasonal combination of strong winds, low temperatures and mix of rain and hail. Notwithstanding this inclement weather we actually succeeded in our objectives as follows:

First we headed north from Broadford towards Portree stopping to photograph a roadside waterfall and then the stark scenery at Sligachan.

Waterfall, Skye, Scotland

Sligachan, Skye, Scotland

Next, we had a refreshment stop at the island capital of Portree.

Next we drove up the single track road on east of the island to a destination of Old Man of Storr, a prominent vertical finger of rock which clearly stands out on the landscape. Despite the adverse weather we climbed up the cliff to photograph the feature and admire the view.

Old Man of Storr, Skye, Scotland

Trotternish Landscape, Skye, Scotland

Next, we continued north stopping to view Mealt Falls and Kilt Rock at a cliff face which was buffeted by the strong winds.

Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls, Skye

Next, we drove across the top of Trotternish to view the Quiraing, a dramatic landslip caused by the weight of volcanic lava on a weaker underlying rock.

Quiraing, Skye, Scotland

Tour Guest at Quiraing, Skye

Next to Uig, a ferry port for lunch.

Next to visit the unique conical shaped hills in Fairy Glen.

Fairy Glen, Skye, Scotland

Next to Dunvegan Castle. Here we visited the gardens and ventured out on a small boat to view the seals which were basking on the local rocks.

Dunvegan Castle, Skye, Scotland

Spring blooms at Dunvegan Castle, Skye

Common Seals at Dunvegan, Scotland

Common Seal at Dunvegan, Skye.

Finally, we returned along the west of the island to our lodgings in Broadford.

This evening we noticed this unusual ‘spotlight’ effect as we travelled to our restaurant.

Spotlight on Skye, Scotland

Tomorrow our objective is Edinburgh via the west coast and Glencoe.

Buildings, Castles, Islands, Isle of skye, Locations, Mountains, Nature, Parks & Gardens, Scotland tour, Tours, Wildlife none

Tour Scottish Highlands, Tour Scotland

May 22, 2013 catswhiskers Comments off

This morning, we departed our Inverness lodgings and drove south along Loch Ness to the Clansman visitor centre where the group joined the 10.00 am boat tour down the loch to Urquhart Castle.

Clansman, Loch Ness, Scotland

Loch Ness, Scotland

‘Jacobite’ Tour Boat, Loch Ness,Scotland

Upon return to the Clansman we continue south to our next stop at Invermoriston where we stopped to view a local waterfall. Close to the car park was a small herd of young Highland Cows which proved very friendly and provided some good photo opps.

Highland Cow at Invermoriston, Scotland

Invermoriston, Scotland

Next, we continued west past Loch Cluanie towards Skye stopping at Eilean Donan Castle. Here guests toured the famous and photogenic castle and then had lunch.

Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

Next, we moved on across the Skye Bridge to Broadford then a turn south along a single track road through stunning Skye landscapes to the remote village of Elgol and glorious views of the island of Soay, Loch Scavaig and the Cuillin Hills.