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But these are not painful. And much less is our love lost. Our love for rainy Scotland. Of course, it wasn't raining all the time. But we have to admit that small and big rain showers in May were constant companions on our round trip through the beautiful landscapes of the Cairngorms, the Northwest Highlands, the Isle of Skye and the Trossachs. And every time we are amazed how little we care about the rain. On the contrary, we are obsessed with going out into nature and exploring the surroundings – thanks to protective rainwear.
Starting with the forests and meadows of the Cairngorms National Park, with their gnarled branches and mossy bushes, they exude a fairytale charm. In addition, rippling streams and wild rapids feed this seemingly evergreen landscape. Amidst this green idyll, Killiehuntly stands on a small hill – from the outside a charmingly original farmhouse and our home for the first three days. Inside, Killiehuntly impresses with its equally delightful hosts, a cool Scandinavian interior style and a culinary pampering program that really leaves nothing to be desired.
Strengthened in this way, we follow the water, drive around Loch Laggan, past Invermoriston towards Loch Ness and Urquard Castle to settle in Dornoch on the same day – a lovely village near the beach. How nice that there the weather shows its beautiful side and gives us a wonderful sunset in the dunes.
New day, new destination: the Isle of Skye. We decide in advance to make a detour to Ullapool. Fortunately, the routes are less long than it seems on the map and so we have enough time for some photo motives off the track. On we go. Shortly before the crossing to the Isle of Skye we inevitably pass Eilean Donan Castle near Dornie. Another one of these abandoned castles, which seems to be somehow enchanted in cloudy weather. The weather changes. And so Skye welcomes us with pouring rain. But it doesn't matter! Our spirit of discovery defies the whipping winds and leads us the next days to such amazing sights as the Fairy Pools, the Old Man of Storr, the Bride's Veil Falls and the Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls Viewpoint.
After three days we leave the storm-whipped island and pass the plateaus of Glencoe on the A82. Wafts of mist wrap the partly snow-covered peaks, while downhill the green tones of the mountain slopes turn into warm brown tones. Balquhidder in Trossachs National Park is our destination for the coming days. While here, for example, in Queen Elisabeth Forest Park you can marvel at the animal world, on almost every bank of the many lochs honey-sweet-smelling broom invites you to linger in the otherwise sparse plant world.
Arriving in Edinburgh, the scent of broom fades and the rain also passes by. And we say goodbye to Scotland with a weeping eye and many beautiful memories.
All words and photos by The Sturgheons.
