Scotland : One unique travel destination
Have you ever been looking for a travel destination where you can hang out with nature & still stay close to human life at the end of the day ? Then you are one of my kind. United Kingdom is blessed with one such land on its north - the heaven which is native of Scots, the place where Scotch takes its birth & nature plays its own game of light & shadow everyday - Aye it is the most beautiful travel destination of United Kingdom - Scotland !
It’s no wonder that I fell in love with this place at first sight itself. As a travel photographer, what inspires me more is the existence of human life & nature in harmony. Scotland is one such great country. Scotland that I have explored was very jovial, vibrant, musical, warm, moody, playful, at times harsh but always welcoming - and that’s exactly what I am. Basically this land of Scotland just resonates the way explorer is. Experiences of this place should not be compared, but needs to be cherished & shared.
They say that settlers got their first houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago & first village around 6000 years ago. No wonder land of Scotland holds rich history & culture in its soil. None the less, Scotland for me was all about finding my own voice. So the exploration was more about harmony of the nature in its different moods.
Edinburgh - The Capital of Scotland
My shootout started from the beautiful city of Edinburgh. This royal named city is capital of Scotland since at least 15th century. Being one of the biggest financial centre in United Kingdom & being rich with cultural-historical diversions, this city gets millions of visitors every year. Scottish people called it Auld Reekie, Edina, Athens of the North and Britain’s Other Eye. The medieval & classic stone architecture makes this city of Edinburgh unique in its own way & before kicking your journey towards highlands of Scotland, this place is a must visit.
Just to make me realise that I was in Scotland already, guess who welcomes me at train station of Edinburgh? The national instrument of Scotland - Bagpipes with the Bagpiper. I was expecting this somewhere in highlands of Scotland but not right away with my first step in the land. The sound of bagpipes is unbelievably royal. The vibrant attires of bagpipers (kilt) adds up more to the warm welcome. I could not resist to click few frames of this stunning encounter. Perfect opening frame for the expedition, isn’t it ?
“The city Whispers : Come
Look at me, listen to the beating of my heart
I am the place you have seen in dreams
I am a stage for you to play upon
I am Edinburgh”
- Alexander McCall Smith
The quote by Alexander MacCall Smith is exactly what the city of Edinburgh is all about. The place is truly a bliss and a dreamland. Edinburgh offers some picturesque street life & rich heritages like Edinburgh Castle, Royal mile, Calton hill, National Museum of Scotland and many more. Most of the structure in old town of Edinburgh is still in its original medieval form with new town of Edinburgh being Georgian terrace architecture - a perfect blend of history with modernisation. Small walkways, passages, stairs & church yards would definitely raise your curiosity at every corner here in Edinburgh. You will have a ball & would not stop praising this beautiful capital of Scotland if you explore it on foot !
Do you know that Edinburgh is worlds first UNESCO declared city of literature? Amazing fact isn’t it? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer of my favourite character Sherlock Holmes was from Edinburgh itself.
This jewel offers some year around festivals, paid & free attractions, some amazing restaurants & shopping opportunities from vintage to modern arts, crafts, clothing and what not. If you are looking for happening time under culturally rich land, the city of Edinburgh is your place !
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Lands of Scotland
Scottish land can be divided into 3 areas - lowlands of Scotland , highlands of Scotland & islands of Scotland. The more you travel towards north side of Scotland, heaven starts opening its doors. Lowlands of Scotland are rich in castles & grasslands, which are agriculturally productive & almost 80% of population lives in these regions of Scotland.
While the Scotland is year round travel destination, highlands of Scotland are best in summer & autumn season. The nature of Scotland starts showing off its mood swings more often as you travel towards highlands. But not to worry, you are entering the land of mighty mountains & serene landscapes. With every mood swing you are about to experience different vista & godly scenes at this amazing travel destination of United Kingdom !
Did you know, how many islands are there in Scotland ? There are 790 of them. Yes its true. Out of which many are untouched and pristine. Just imagine how interesting photographing all of them would be. Geologically these islands of Scotland vary from each other. Some are mountainous while others are low sea level regions. Be ready to traverse through some unexplored, hypnotic scapes on these islands of Scotland !
If you are a serious hiker, there are some amazing opportunities to explore highlands from peaks of famous mountains in Scotland but don’t be discouraged if you are not one of those. There are easy hidden trails around Scotland which provides some amazing views.
Beautiful city of Inverness early morning scene around Loch Ness in Scotland by Prathamesh Dixit
Lochs of Scotland
There are almost 31,460 fresh water lakes (famously called as loch) in Scotland. By this time, you would have realised that just few days of visit to this magic land is not enough for the exploration. It is just impossible to visit all these lochs of Scotland in single visit. However Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Loch Morar are interesting ones out of many. Loch Lomond is the largest freshwater lake in Scotland however Loch Morar is the deepest lake in Scotland. Loch Ness just follows these two but attracts more travellers in search of famous water monster named Nessie. Nessie is just more than a story & many people claims of seeing it in this 37km long muddy mysterious lake of Scotland. Even though there were no clear evidences of proving it, Nessie is a part of family for highlanders & must visit friend for kids. The image below is shot from Loch Ness ferry ride. Check out if you can spot Nessie in this picture !
Landscape view from Loch Ness ferry tour in Scotland by Prathamesh Dixit
Isle of Skye
After exploration of magnificent highlands, its time to travel towards the heart of Scotland. It's one of the largest islands in inner Hebrides named as Isle of Skye. The combination of heroic mountain ranges & miles of dramatic cliffs at coastline makes the place way more exceptional. Though the island is spread over 50 miles, one can easily look for a week long stay here just for the exploration.
Isle of Skye do have some beautiful villages under its shadow. Portree - the capital of Isle of Skye, Dunvegan, Edinbane, Uig, Staffin, Broadford, Armadale, Carbost, Elgol and Kyleakin are just few of them. All of these holds their unique existence & cultural variance in Scotland’s beauty. I would definitely recommend a stay in one of these villages while visiting Isle of Skye.
Isle of Skye is beautiful in any weather condition & offers some unseen photographic opportunities with every visit. They say that Isle of Skye is for everyone & nobody returns empty handed from here. Major attractions for Isle of Skye are The Old Man of Storr, Mealt Waterfall & Kilt Rock, Elgol Beach, Quiraing & Neist point lighthouse.
The Old Man of Storr is large pinnacle of rocks that stands high and can be seen from miles around of Isle of Skye. The hill of Old Man Storr is famous for hiking & has been shot in many of popular movies.
Old man Storr - Isle of Skye by Prathamesh Dixit
Mealt waterfall & Kilt rock provides some extraordinary visuals where waterfall just drops into the sea from a cliff of 60meters in Isle of Skye. While the place provides some breathtaking panoramas across the horizon, I decided to shoot some details from the cliff directly down below. Thanks to my senses for not dropping the camera from such height !
View from Mealt waterfall & Kilt rock straight down below in valley by Prathamesh Dixit
Quiraing is the epitome of Scotland landscapes. Its a must do trail for photographers. Quiraing’s 593 meters high view point offers some supernatural panoramas across the horizon. With every frame light seems to be changing dramatically & nature itself start posing for your camera.
Quiraing in Isle of Skye, Scotland covered in rainy clouds by Prathamesh Dixit
Panoramic view of Isle of Skye from Quiraing mountain range in Scotland by Prathamesh Dixit
Elgol Beach has to be one of my favourite viewpoints when it comes to coastal scenes in Scotland. Though I was in love with most of the panoramic cliff views across the Isle of Skye, Elgol is really something different. The village Elgol is around the shore with the population of just 150 people. There is something more interesting - While you are on the beach of Elgol, you might be stepping on rocks which are Bathonian in age (170myrs old). The shore of Elgol is full of fossils & hammering the bedrock is strictly prohibited here. The seascape at Elgol is blessed with black Cuillin rising 3000 feet straight out of the sea. Stormy waves under dark rainy clouds & heavenly light is exactly what a photographer can ask for to put a grin on his face ! Isle of Skye is truly an experience of different side of earth & asks for as much time as possible.
Experience of Scotland
The blend of humans with nature, mountains with seascapes, history with modernisation is the exact thing what makes the experience of Scotland expedition different for every traveller. All in all, Scotland is a true love affair. It starts with first sight & will continue throughout your life. The voyage is lifelong & given the chance you will not hesitate to explore the beautiful land of Scotland again and again !
Editing images in adobe lightroom is skill of art. One can master it only when technical side of it is well understood. In this blog we will try to understand the power of photo editing using adobe lightroom, with an example of one of my holi images.