Some of the reasons why we love Scotland. Taken at mid october. Hope you enjoy them. Thanks to Chrisoff for a couple of recommendations.
Oh, how lovely!
You take beautiful pictures. 
It makes me want to go there!
M
No problem! I’m glad you had a good trip and you got some excellent photos.
Those are gorgeous! I haven’t been there in 25 years. Way to stir up the wanderlust!
I just love travel photos. The first one is a quite different landscape than I’ve seen before—the floor of the woods with little green hills. Thank you for showing your lovely pictures.
Those are great pictures. It makes me miss the place even more than I already do. I was there last July/Aug. Where is the photo of the castle taken from? I’d love to see that next time I’m there.
Alcona
Wow. Thanks! 
They are right bonny. Was that Loch Maree?
these photos make me dream. thanks for sharing
Thanks a lot, it’s good sharing this with you all. I’m not a good photographer, nor my camera is pretty good (a tiny compact 5 mpixels wihout optical zoom) Scotland is just like that. No special effort to take them or looking for places. The recipe is dense woods, changing light, lots of running water, mountains and glens. You just have to go.
Alcona, the path to the castle has a fence. Most people gets astonished by the castle view and goes directly to Dunottar after crossing it, hypnotised like. However, just at the right of the fence there’s a small gate leading to a small half ruined wood bridge and a path to the surrounding hill. The picture was taken from that bridge.
BTW, I had a warm welcome at a session at Inverness. Plenty of great fiddlers. They really enjoy Irish flute playing since it’s not very commoon up there. They made the most satisfying compliment I’ve ever received saying. “…Gosh man, you sound so Irish!” 
I miss them everyday 
. One of the guys was about to get a Hammy and was very excited to have a go at my Murray. Great people all of them.
Thanks guys.
Loch Katrine I think. We went on board of the steam ship. We usually try to not to get involved in those “tourist” things; however, I didn’t have the feeling. It was rather chilly, windy and rainy that morning and few people got onto the boat.
Weather was terrible. I love it! 
Sorry to repeat what has already been said, but thanks for the great pictures. Its wonderful to get a view of something so remote and exotic. I love the pictures of the castle and the kirk. Thx,
djm
BTW for those who are interested, the BBC has finally released the North American versions of Hamish Macbeth Season 2 and Monarch of the Glen Season 5 on DVD.
djm
It’s strange seeing the place I’ve lived all my life being described like that.
Here’s a picture I took on a bike ride a couple of months ago, looking over Stonehaven with Dunottar Castle just peeking over the hill in the background:
Yes, I have cousins still in Scotland (Inverness) but the reality is that I am unlikely to ever be able to afford to get over there. It is so strange for me to see things more than fifty years old. When things get to be a hundred years old here they get knocked down and replaced with something cheaper (and eaiser to knock down for next time). And friends and relatives from Scotland when they’re here tell of the things that strike them as strange when they get over here: the amount of space, the fact that they can own land here, no such thing as class distinctions, and houses that would be beyond hope at home, etc. So I guess in their own ways, each place is exotic to each of us.
djm
Oh man, I want to go back so bad…
Oh man, I want to go back so bad…
I am in July.
As said above, the castle is Dunnotar castle , just outside of Stonehaven about 12 miles from where I live. It was used for some shooting of “Macbeth” with Mel Gibson. A lot of the locals were used as extras.
You should have got in touch with me. There are several flute players living around Aberdeen, and another has just arrived from Co.Clare. I’ll arrange a session for any visiting players if you give me a bit of notice. Maybe next time.
I’d heard there was a renewed interest in Irish flute playing in Inverness since Nuala Kennedy from Dundalk had moved there. I don’t know if she’s still there or not.
Thanks Kenny, definitely I’ll contact you next time (hopefully next summer). In other ocassion I tried to find somewhere to play or at least listening, but Aberdeen is not small and I wasn’t lucky.
Excepting Inverness (no Nuala Kennedy there), this trip has been devoted to small villages and countryside; therefore we drove past Aberdeen. We spent the night at Stonehaven and had a lovely dinner at the Ship Inn, at the harbour: Mussels, cullen skink, haddock and smoked salmon.
Uhmmm! I’m hungry…
Good choice with the Ship but if you wanted a real treat you should have gone to the Tolbooth on the other side of the harbour! Fantastic sea food.
Also for future reference there’s a session at the Globe (just off Golden Square, up the lane besides the music hall) on a Tuesday night in Aberdeen I believe. Never joined in on it (I’m still very much a beginner) but I’ve been in the pub when they’ve been playing and it seems pretty good.