Scotland | A visit to the UK in 2009

Hiking on the Isle of Skye

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:22:48 +0800

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Kyleaken, on Skye.

On the shoreline below our B&B, looking at the Cuilins (mountains) we were going to hike in.

Broadford's - a typically windswept and sea-facing Scottish graveyard

Many of the headstones are in Gaelic.

The same graveyard on a more typical day.

The Southern edge of Skye

This is where we were going to walk, but we couldn't cross this river due to overnight rain

So we set off up a different hill

Pausing for morning tea (in light rain of course). Sgurr Alaskair, one of the Black Cuilins is in the background.

That coastal path would have been a temptingly easy alternative.

But we had loftier goals - Coire Laggin, a corrie (the starting point of a glacier) in the Black Cuilins.

At least the sun was trying to come out

Thank goodness we were not going to attempt Sgurr Alisdair itself (the Black Cuilin on the right).

These big boulders are "erratics" dumped by the glacier as it spilled out of the corrie.

Another mighty erratic, and a deceptively close view of our goal.

Approaching the final climb. You can imagine the glacier "pouring" over this lip and beginning its descent.

No longer a path but a scramble.

The lochan in the Coire Laggan. This was where the glacier started.

The top of the waterfall.

Not for me.

Moss/lichen/stone/heather - a favourite combination

Some more erratics, moss and Black Cuilins.

And another rushing stream to cross.

In the castle gardens at Armadale.

Our ferry coming to Skye from the mainland. And a storm on the way.

Hiking in the Cairngorms and Highlands

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:22:34 +0800

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The "Auld Bridge" at Keith, with the stone where soldiers hid on the way to the Battle of Culloden (1746).

Keith pipe band, practising in the rain.

Keith to Dufftown railway

Dufftown

I presume they mean "World Famous in Dufftown". ;-)

Dufftown locals

Tomintoul

Moss and lichen - a favourite combination of mine

Tomintoul lies just south of the Cairngorms

The land is just starting to rise to the North.

I love these completely un-aerodynamic bumblebees.

Who could not believe in fairies in a wood like this?

An imminent Scottish Thistle.

The River Spey (with lupins).

The sun came out as we walked along a disused railway line.

Our motley crew: a Melbourne property developer, a retired Essex couple, and our guide (who is usually mountaineering).

The remains of a railway ganger's hut

Sunny broom and snowy hills.

Brown peaty water makes the best whisky.

Strathspey Railway

River Spey.

Adrian and Dave are a two-man army memorabilia preservation society.

They were part of a 40's weekend on the railway, with a recreation of a field hospital at a liberated French town.

Dave stepping out of his role.

I don't know if he's part of the 40's thing, or one of the railway volunteers. But his beard was wonderful!

A 40's tableau (fake baby).

View of the Cairngorms from the train.

We'd had our allotted sunshine. By the time we reached Aviemore the weather had closed in.

A bizarre touch of Australia in the heart of the Cairngorms

So the 27 year-old specimens are the ones to buy.

Aviemore seems to lack a building code of sensitive architecture and low environmental impact.

Our first sight of Meall a'Bhuachaille, our first real hill

I distracted myself by admiring the lichen on the young pines.

Something-wort and lichen on a stump.

The first ("easy") part of the climb was up that slope.

"Green Lachan" - I next saw it from way up high.

Of course it was raining. It was a Scottish summer.

The Ryvoan bothy (shelter hut) at the start of the climb. We could have done with it at the top instead!

The way the roof is held on hints at the breezes around here.

These mysterious rules relate to an annual mountain race.

Off we go, up that first slope.

The bothy (centre) was now tiny, but we were not even half way up! The path got steeper, with long flights of helpful, but rather treacherous steps.

The path became rougher, but thankfully more gradual. The Green Loch is in the valley to the right, and the bothy is left of the rest of our group.

A little further on and I was in the clouds. My view ahead ...

.. and behind. I was climbing alone, in silent clouds for 30 minutes or so. An eerie feeling.

Eventually we all reached the top, sitting in the rain and the freezing wind to eat lunch - very quickly. The mobile reception was apparently OK though.

Having observed the Great British Tradition of eating wet sandwiches in cold mist on top of a mountain, we set off downwards.

It was wonderful to see the world re-appearing again.

The native Caledonian (Scots) pine is being replanted.

Yes, the view at the top was indeed 360 degrees, but extended only about 2 metres in every direction!

"Muscle stretching" for sure, and it took us a good 6 hours.

The "inviting" he beach at Loch Glenmore

Showing 2 places we stayed (Tomintoul and Aviemore) and 2 of our walks (Speyside Way and Meall a'Bhuachaille).

One of the unpronounceable Cairngorms.

The justly famous public toilets at Kyle of Lochalsh.

It's not often you can look down on a lighthouse. This is Stevenson's, under the bridge over the sea to Skye.

By train from Mallaig to Glasgow

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:22:09 +0800

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From Skye to Mallaig was a fairly smooth crossing.

The Scottish Highlands meet the North Atlantic

Mallaig harbour

A contrast of colour and "class".

There's something so attractive about fishing ports.

Setting off on the famous "Jacobite" steam train

Wild and empty ...

… except the the occasional lonely house.

What the clouds didn't hide, the steam and coal smoke obscured, ...

but there is no doubt it is one of the world's most beautiful train journeys.

And then of course there is the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct (made even more famous by Harry Potter et al).

There is such a crush at the windows to photograph the bridge that I think many people forget to look at the Glenfinnan Monument and nearby Loch.

My turn at the window again, just as we chug slowly off the viaduct.

A little more sunshine as we left the Highlands and headed south.

Our trusty locomotive.

On to another Victorian marvel: Neptune's staircase at Fort William.

It's a succession of locks which convey vessels down a long hill between two lochs.

Then the road and railway swing to one side, allowing the boat to sail away.

I wimped out from doing The Cobbler in the pouring rain, and did the yellow route instead (a gentle 10 km).

White Thistle

More geology.

More lichen ...

and more moss.

Purple Thistle and a visitor

Arrochar on Loch Long with Ben Lomond in the background.

The Orkney Islands at the Summer Solstice

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:21:46 +0800

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A Shetland on Orkney

I didn't expect such a gentle and fertile landscape

Ruined cottages were to be expected ...

... but not nestled in fields of buttercups ...

… nor with benign skies, hills and oceans in view.

The amazingly flat rocks have both mundane uses ...

... and mysterious ones.

The Standing Stones of Stenness - a very suitable place to be alone, at the Summer Solstice

About 5-6 meters tall ...

incredibly thin ...

and standing here since about 4500BC.

Nearby Barnhouse was found only a few years ago.

Far less famous than Skara Brae, but much more intriguing.

There are very likely many more of these yet to be found.

The welcoming harbours, fertile land and plentiful, easy building materials have attracted settlers for over 6000 years

The famous covered passage at Skara Brae.

Skara Brae is now neat, protected and inaccessible. All very necessary, but somehow sanitising

The clever stonework is still impressive though.

And the design and purpose of some of the features is still tantalisingly inexplicable

The original "feature wall".

They built in several fancy features like the huge wafers lining doorways ...

... handy alcoves and bed niches ...

... curious dividers along the passage, ...

... and all sorts of clever slopes and curves in the walls themselves.

Again, not quite the harsh shoreline I expected.

Fortunately many farmers allow the wildflowers to remain.

As a result, many of the wild birds can thrive.

Stromness is one of two towns on this island. And very pretty it is too

The colours and contours are a treat.

Almost every "fact" on this plaque is wrong, and a fine example of clever self-promotion by the wily Eliza, who made a very good living from retelling her story

Stromness harbour.

My B & B in the Orkneys.

When everything is grey or green, I guess a little colour can startle

I met the elderly owner of this house, out walking his dog. "We're both too old for this farming life."

Clouds boiling over the channel between this island and that of Hoy.

This mute swan paraded her chain of cygnets up and down, apparently waiting for photographers.

The Ring of Brodgar.

Smaller stones than Stenness, but the location and the 2m deep ditch are very impressive

Marsh orchid.

This preserved farmhouse room has many of the features seen in Skara Brae

I'm a lichen lover

Great geology at Brough of Birsay.

Rock pools too

And more rocks

More geology (and nice flowers).

The remains of a Pictish (and then Viking) settlement.

They knew how to select a view.

I just love these walls.

And the flowers of course.

A pair of fulmars, whose numbers have returned to safe levels. They are related to the albatross, not seagulls, by the way

A fulmar colony, each nest with its own garden.

Vertical geology.

Puffins at last!

Gotta love them

Great at putting on a show

And a bow for the audience.

Geology in (very slow) action

Puffins are surprisingly small

The North Atlantic

The Western edge of the Orkneys

A tatter flag, to measure possible wind damage by the amount that it, well, tatters. Simple, but effective!

Entrance to historic Happy Valley

Happy Valley House.

Happy Valley meadow and wood

And nobody steals it!

Entrance tunnel into Cuween cairn.

Inside Cuween cairn (3000 BC), showing stunning stonework, entry tunnel, my shadow, and the communal torch

Hot soup on an Orkney hilltop at 8.30 pm

A lovely walk home after an evening spent learning navigation. Hard to believe it was 10 pm!

Not quite a sunset, but a spectacular sight to end my Orkney holiday

Stromness harbour again.

Island of Hoy

7am, and the sun came out just as we passed the last of the islands.