Return From Bonnie Scotland

I have just come back from a ten day tour of Bonnie Scotland with friends. I have been to Scotland many times before and hopefully will go there many times again. The heart of Scotland never changes for me. The country towns are now suffering from the insidious creeping onslaught of the globalisation by high street stores, many of the small specialist ‘Scottish’ shops have disappeared  but the heart is still there for me.

The heart of  Scotland is in the … people who live there, so friendly and helpful … the sun… the showers… the mist (it rolled in from the sea at the Mull of Kintyre, just like in the song)… the Castles… the Brochs (early stone round houses)… the laughs with friends sharing a bottle of wine whilst watching T in the Park on the telly...the waterfalls…the steams… the Lochs…  the old harbours and ‘puffer’ boats…the Mountains… the forest walks…the moss…the highland Coos… the thistles…the steam train ride to the Mallaig….the remains of deserted crofts…. the stories of the hardships that the Scottish folks went through  (a tough hard life)… the drives along single track roads… the wildlife… the flowers (both wild and formal gardens)… the good food… the afternoon drink and cakes… Catherine’s porridge (the best I have ever had, I mean the very best ever. Stay at Glenshieling House and sample it yourself)…  the big high street stores may be making the shopping experience sterile but the heart of Scotland is still there.

And now a few snaps that I took to remind me.