Visiting Scotland's Stunning Glencoe and the Highlands

Scotland is one of my favorite countries. I've visited three times and every time, I have a warm and fuzzy feeling of familiarity. Not necessarily of coming home but just, familiarity. I love the place. But until this last visit I had never seen the fabled Highlands. It was finally time. And it was worth the wait.

Glencoe The area of the Highlands stretches from Fort Williams in the west,  to John O Groats in the north, Cairngorms National Park in the east and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs in the south. It includes the Isle of Skye, the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis, and the unofficial capital is Inverness. Historically, the Highlands was the home of the clans and their tartans. Scottish kings, however, saw the Clan as a threat to their authority. They felt clansmen would pledge allegiance to the clan instead of the monarch. And they set about ridding the Highlands of their clans.

Today Glencoe is known as an area of "scenic beauty" and the glen is known as the home of Scottish mountaineering, hillwalking and climbing. But it's place in history was determined in 1692 when the MacDonald clan of Glencoe was slow to pledge allegiance to the monarchs William II and Mary II and 38 men were killed by government forces. Several others perished as they ran away into the Highlands and died from exposure. The Massacre at Glencoe is one of the most famous points in Scottish history.

Hollywood Comes Calling.
In 2003, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was filmed in Glencoe. (All traces of filming have since been removed) And scenes from the movie Highlander and Monty Python and The Holy Grail were filmed here.

Whether you visit to view a place where history was made, you're a movie buff or you're an outdoor enthusiast, there is no denying the beauty of Glencoe. I was mesmerized by the stunning green covered mountains. And I'd go back again and again.

Hairy Coos

Coming out of Glencoe we spotted some of the familiar Hairy Coos, or Highland Cattle. They are gentle creatures, known for the hair covering their eyes, and are still in herds, or folds, in Scotland today. It was hard to resist a stop for a photo op!

Falls of Dochart

The highlight of the small town of Killin, located in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, are the Falls of Dochart. A cascading waterfall, which can be viewed from the village's bridge, the Falls of Dochart flow around a small island which is the ancient burial ground of the Clan MacNab.

It was a nice place to stop, stretch our legs and enjoy the beauty, as many others were doing. What a picturesque village - and waterfall.

How about you? Have you been to Scotland? Seen Hairy Coos? Been mesmerized by the Highlands?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!