Why Scotland is breathtaking

Out of all the places I’ve had the privilege of visiting I have to say that Scotland is one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever experienced. I’ve seen Norway and I’ve seen Alaska but nothing compares to Scotland. There’s something about the highlands that is just breathtaking and peaceful at the same time. Even though we visited in the winter and the landscape wasn’t as lush as it could be, the scenery was out of this world. From the lochs to the castles to the hairy coos the highlands have a character about them that is completely unique.

Glencoe, pictured above, is the site of which many a movie was filmed and is one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever experienced. It is one of those locations that photos cannot capture, you just have to go there. When we got out of the bus and were allowed to wander around and take some photos there was just a kind of serenity that came upon you as you gazed between the mountain peaks. I can imagine having a little cabin out here and sitting on a porch enjoying the view every day for the rest of my life.

Castles. There are castles everywhere. AND THEY ARE FANTASTIC. Most are open for tour, but we only stepped inside one but wandered around another that was in ruins and saw the outside of quite a few. Our tour leader referred to our trip as the ABC tour or (Another Bloody Castle) tour as we were constantly stopping to take photos of castles all through the highlands. The castles have an amazing history behind them and many have been refurbished or are just ruins, but regardless of the state they are in it is breathtaking just to take these ancient structures in. We even visited the castle that was used for the filming of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie. Overall, the castles are lovely and always make excellent subjects for photographs. My favorite part of visiting the castles was at Eilean Donan castle we were given an in depth tour as well as allowed to hold and pose with old swords and weaponry. Also all of the tour guides were dressed in traditional clan gear, a very cool experience.

The hairy coos, or cows were probably one of the most entertaining part of our trip to Scotland. We were obsessed with them and every time we drove by a pasture full of hairy coos our entire group would yell “HAIRY COO” and pull off to the side of the road (if it was safe to do so) and take photos. It was early morning when I snapped the photo I took above and the mist was just rising up and created this beautiful backdrop for these majestic creatures. Some people might just say this is just a cow, but the cows are part of this beautiful landscape. It is such a unique view and nothing I have ever seen before has been this interesting and breathtaking at the same time.

We visited this location where people have been placing rocks for years. I believe they stand for prayers or wishes, but regardless of what they stand for they photographed well against the beautiful landscape. The landscape that can be seen behind the rocks is just stunning. When we were there you could turn all the way around and regardless of where you looked you were standing in this dream-like environment that was just so quiet and peaceful. Breathing in the clean, crisp air was such a pleasure compared to the thick and polluted air we’d been breathing in London and it felt like you could breathe that air forever.

In short, if you haven’t been to Scotland and you think you’ve found the most beautiful place on the planet- I challenge you to take a trip to the highlands and find the peace and serenity there that I did. It truly is a fantastic place and the highlands are my favorite place in nature I’ve found thus far.