Our Trip to the Scottish Highlands

Mon, Oct 25, 2010

Later this week my husband is taking Euan and I away for a family holiday. Destination: unknown (by me anyway, thankfully Arran knows where he’s taking us!) This Monday I’m dreaming of where the surprise location might be.


I know it’s within driving distance so my guess is we’re staying in Scotland. I think it’ll be somewhere rural and scenic, possibly even somewhere we’ve been before….


Scotland’s spectacular scenery is one reason I’ll never get sick of travelling here. This photo is of the 5 Sisters of Kintail. You can do a ridge walk of all 5 which would bag you 3 munros (a munro is a mountain with a height of over 3000 ft). On this occasion I was happy just to look at them from afar!

The photo was taken on our way to a friend’s cottage in Glenelg in the North West of Scotland. Getting there is quite a journey, taking around 6 hours from Edinburgh but driving is something we’re used to as a family. Unless you are willing to take a boat you have to navigate a hairpin road on a mountain pass but it’s worth it.  The tiny village has only one street with one pub and a post office. We went with friends but it’d be the perfect place for a family getaway.



Glenelg is an ideal place to slow down a bit. These Highland cows on a nearby road forced us to really slow our pace (literally!) In a big city if I come to a standstill in a traffic jam I can get frustrated and annoyed. In the Highlands there’s nothing you can do about it if you get stuck behind a herd of cattle so you might as well relax and enjoy the view!



We went crab fishing while staying in Glenelg (which was a first for me!)  The few we managed to catch were a bit too puny for lunch so we threw them back.


On the same long walk we came across a lot of mussels growing on the side of a rock. We were very excited about the prospect of free seafood and filled our bag. After hours of shucking, de-bearding and cleaning the mussels did make a satisfying meal (if a bit salty!). However we picked so many that we were scunnered* with them by then end of our trip.


We had such a lovely time in Glenelg that there’s a chance it’s the location Arran is taking us to this week. I’ll keep you posted!


To read more dreams this Monday check out motherofalltrips and as always please leave comments or ask questions in the comments box below, I’d love to hear from you.


*Scots word for fed up.


Related posts:

Crisp Winter Walks in Perthshire.

Thai Sunsets.



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