Photogenic Scottish Locations

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Mark
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Hi there

I know a large number of you guys have been to or live in Scotland and sample(d) its beautiful scenery so I'm after some advice on some of the best locations.

Were going up mid march for 4 or 5 days. It's actually for my wifes birthday so my plan is to get the photography done early/late and spend the remaining time pottering about with the missus.

I've been twisting her ear for ages in an attempt to convince her that Scotland is a great place to go so she is fully aware that the camera bag will be coming with us.

I had imagined that being based in an area close to lochs/coastline would work for both of us.

Any ideas??

Ta

Mark
 
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We based ourselves between Fort William and Loch Ness for a week. Plenty to go see and do. Skye is within reach as are the Cairngorms if you don't mind a bit of a drive.
Pretty much the whole area is stunning, you'll not be dissapointed :thumbs:
 
There are just too many possibilities to cover easily. Where are you planning to go? Bear in mind that there's a very good chance of the weather being appalling! You'll either have to take the risk, or base yourself somewhere that offers a Plan B. This usually means being within striking distance of a city - I live in the country and there aren't too many options when it's pouring, other than soggy walks or the pub. Brilliant in decent weather though.
 
there is plenty to do and see wether its up north or down here in dumfries and galloway
but be prepared for a drive ...and bring a brolly :)
 
Edinburgh might be worth considering, lots to see and do in the town and you're near the coast and not too far away from places like Stirling, St Andrews etc .
 
MartynK said:
There are just too many possibilities to cover easily. Where are you planning to go? Bear in mind that there's a very good chance of the weather being appalling! You'll either have to take the risk, or base yourself somewhere that offers a Plan B. This usually means being within striking distance of a city - I live in the country and there aren't too many options when it's pouring, other than soggy walks or the pub. Brilliant in decent weather though.
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I prefer to call it "moody and atmospheric" :)
 
matt.c said:
there is plenty to do and see wether its up north or down here in dumfries and galloway
but be prepared for a drive ...and bring a brolly :)
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Where are you? We're in Crossmichael.
 
Glen Coe and north from there up the West Coast is my favourite place. Plenty of photo opportunities on the way. The Fourth Bridge and Falkirk Wheel immediately spring to mind. Once you up in the highlands, proper everything will be a photo opportunity :)
 
I agree with Graham - pretty much anywhere in the North West is going to be great; especially if you can arrange to stay on the coast.
If you like wild rather than rural; then I'd recommend looking up Applecross or Elgol or Torridon or Tobermory or Kilchoan. All very special places for completely different reasons.
For special days out, the whale watching from Tobermory is brilliant as is the Cuillin boat trip from Elgol.
If your wife is into easy/medium walking then I'd recommend the whole area around Kilchoan, the Ardnamurchan penninsula, as it is one of the most varied and magical in Scotland.
 
Thanks everyone :thumbs:

I knew you'd come up trumps.

Well, there's plenty of info here to get my research started. If I've got anymore questions I'll come back to this thread and ask.

Cheers

Mark
 
One last thing, if you're near Skye, then it's well worth a visit. The North of the island in particular is very different to anywhere else in the UK and if you want to go just a little further, I loved the Isle of Harris (ferry from Skye). It's very photogenic. A google image search will reveal all.
 
gad-westy said:
........ and if you want to go just a little further, I loved the Isle of Harris (ferry from Skye). It's very photogenic. A google image search will reveal all.
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Agreed - but for me it is a 14 hour car journey to Uig plus the Ferry crossing. That's a VERY log journey.
I stayed two weeks at Luskentyre and I've never seen anywhere else like it. If you look at Calmac's Harris page then most of the images are that bay; if you go to Joe Cornish, Colin Prior, etc then some of their most memorable images are that bay - it's amazing.
One of my all time favourite images was also taken in that bay.
And the East side of Harris is an utterly surreal moonscape of ice smoothed granite with houses tucked into the hollows.
I will go back there - definitely - it's just a question of when.

However - I've always been hesitant to recommend Harris to other people because of the journey.
 
You can't really go wrong with Glen Coe up to Ft William and Spean Bridge. You'll go up Loch Lomond on the way and once you're there, Loch Laggan and others are nearby.

You'll also be close(ish) to Loch Ness and the Cairngorms. As said though, if the weather is bad there's not a lot to do.

Edinburgh is brilliant and within an hour max you could be down the East Coast at beaches galore or in some great hills inland.

It depends on what type of break you're both after. Either way, you'll not go far wrong.

Scotland is an awesome place. :)
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
Agreed - but for me it is a 14 hour car journey to Uig plus the Ferry crossing. That's a VERY log journey.
I stayed two weeks at Luskentyre and I've never seen anywhere else like it. If you look at Calmac's Harris page then most of the images are that bay; if you go to Joe Cornish, Colin Prior, etc then some of their most memorable images are that bay - it's amazing.
One of my all time favourite images was also taken in that bay.
And the East side of Harris is an utterly surreal moonscape of ice smoothed granite with houses tucked into the hollows.
I will go back there - definitely - it's just a question of when.

However - I've always been hesitant to recommend Harris to other people because of the journey.
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It's certainly not on many people's doorsteps, that's for sure!

I can't remember how long the Ferry takes but we did it as a day trip, and I think at the time we were staying somewhere near Applecross. Didn't seem too far if you're staying somewhere near Skye but I suppose it come down to available time. Also a slight chance of seeing whales and dolphins from the ferry though none were playing when I went.
 
Drive north, keep going, bear left a little past Glasgow and you'll be fine!

Seriously though, Mull is very nice, good for landscapes and also wildlife -seals, eagles etc.
 
cant wait for my camera trip to scotland and good site to suggest for first timers?
 
I live close to Aviemore in the Highlands and there is everything a landscape photographer needs close by. From mountains and valleys to lochs and rivers. There will still be a lot of snow on the Cairngorms when you're visiting too! Check out my website (see my signature) for pictures of the area.
 
Most folks have covered it. Scotland is a stunningly wonderful place, both urban and rural.

Just now I'm on the west coast and since Thursday last week we have had two days of strong winds, but yesterday and today have been wonderful ---

this was yesterday overlooking Gruinard Bay

Feb_27th.jpg


--- but as other have said you could have really bad weather.

I don't know how you are getting to Scotland, but as you a have only 4 or 5 days I suggest you fly and hire a car. I am biased towards the NW, but the distance from Inverness to the west coast is about 75 miles, which is less than probably anywhere, apart from Glasgow to Edinburgh. Being able to move from east to west can be quite useful to avoid bad weather.

However, I know it is very easy to spend far too long traveling which is bad news, especially as you have limited time.

Really hope you have a good time.

Dave
 
I'd think twice about flying, really. It's not worth it unless you fly directly to Inverness. What about taking the train to Edinburgh - the east Coast route is quite scenic once you get to the north, and it's only about 4.5 hours - spending a day there, and then hiring a car? You can drive up to the NW Highlands through Stirling, and Scotland isn't a very big country. Travel times can be a bit weather sensitive though.
 
MartynK said:
.... and Scotland isn't a very big country. Travel times can be a bit weather sensitive though.
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LOL - that's a popular misconception - I blame the wildly distorted map they use on BBC weather.
For example, the Scottish border is less than half way between Somerset and Skye.

I'd still recommend driving though....
Getting a full set of camera gear and a sturdy tripod onto a budget airline is not to undertaken lightly.
I favour the evening drive - arrive in the small hours of the morning. No traffic means a fast stress free journey. Recovery just needs a lie-in and you don't waste a day travelling.
Whatever you do - don't break the journey half way; you end up with two very long journeys instead of one. Better to get it over and done with.
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
LOL - that's a popular misconception - I blame the wildly distorted map they use on BBC weather.
For example, the Scottish border is less than half way between Somerset and Skye.

Whatever you do - don't break the journey half way; you end up with two very long journeys instead of one. Better to get it over and done with.
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Well, I live in Scotland and I'm not sure what the popular misconception is. Perhaps I should have said the UK isn't a very big country?

Edinburgh to Mallaig is less than 200 miles - about 4 hours drive in reasonable weather - so not far at all.
 
Depends where you want to do. If you are going to be based in one place then I agree with Duncan, Scotland is much bigger than it appears and north of Stirling there are no motorways, though there are some very fast roads. Martyn is correct, Edinburgh to Mallaig can be done in about 4 hours, but if you have to return to one base, do you want to drive for 8 hours? I've been lucky enough to spend lots of time in Scotland and it is very easy to let the driving eat into your holiday.


If you are heading for Fort William, which IMO would be a good introduction to the Highlands, the drive from Epsom must be about 500 miles and if you are going to drive it then an overnighter is definitely the best way.


Any further north then given you have only 4 or 5 days I think a flight or the train are the only options - both quicker and less tiring than driving and given the cost of petrol not that much more expensive.

Dave
 
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