I discovered that the last two weeks of October is a tough time to explore the Scottish Highlands. The weather had already turned from autumn to winter, with cold temperatures, near constant rain, and incredibly powerful winds. There were days we could not leave the hotel the rain was pounding so hard, and other times we ventured out only to encounter rain just as we arrived at our destination. Many of the best photo opportunities were along cliffs and near tops of mountains where I could hardly stand upright. I fell countless times from wind and muddy surfaces, even getting a bit stuck in a bog.
Yet somehow I feel I have put together a great portfolio of stunning images of always changing dramatic skies and quick peeks of blazing sunshine! These images would suggest bright sunny skies everyday! But the weather was constantly changing and the best images were quickly made during brief moments of great light. I saw more rainbows in a single two week period than in 10 years! I will say the sun shone more frequently towards the end of the trip, which did a lot to make this excursion to the Scottish Highlands feel quite worthwhile. And while looking at the Scottish landscape I realized that everything I thought was beautiful could be found here. This is one destination I’d like to return to, perhaps in the summer next time!
I’ve tried to “cull” my images, eliminating many to showcase the best. Yet there are still too many I want to share. So I did put what I feel are my best images at the start of this page – the first eighteen images. The rest are primarily chronological, with the following order: 1) Inverness; 2) Isle of Skye (fewer images – worst weather); 3) Outer Hebrides; and 4) the area around Glencoe.
Your comments are appreciated – it’s so nice to know that you looked!
