Scotland in 8 Photos – Plus 1! Pictorial Essay

Defining a gorgeous country like Scotland in only 8 photos is criminal, I confess! So how about 8 of my favorite photos from Scotland? Will that be okay? 🙂

Here are a collection of Scotland photos to give you a tiny taste of what awaits…

Love in the Sky – Glasgow

Sometimes it pays to look up! Cheryl spotted this awesome “heart in the sky” in Glasgow while we were being bustled around the city on a tour. We chose Glasgow as our base because the airline tickets from Dublin were only $12 each way! (Gotta love European air travel.) The city was so charming and easily accessible, with a distinctly youthful vibe with the University of Glasgow in residence.

Hairy Coos!

Oh those faces! I wanted to take one home with me so much – but sadly my suitcase wasn’t nearly big enough. Hairy Coos and Haggis were just a few of the new words we learned while visiting Scotland. Read A Scottish Language Lesson. It may be only a 40 minute flight from Dublin, but listening to the difference in accents you might think you’d landed on a different planet! 🙂

Haggis

And speaking of haggis. Here it is! Delightful balls of bits and parts of the sheep that can’t seem to be used anywhere else in nature. Offal, they call it. Really? I did try it and in all honestly it wasn’t that bad. I’d probably even order it again…if there was nothing else edible on the menu.

Tennents to a T

I have to confess I’d not heard much about the vast selection of Tennent’s beers before visiting Glasgow. However, on the recommendation of a good friend, it was the first pint we ordered. We liked it so much, in fact, that we took a tour of the massive Tennent’s Brewery – an excellent (and fun) way to spend a rainy afternoon in Glasgow!

Glasgow University and Kelvingrove Museum

BONUS PIC! University of Glasgow

The glorious old buildings just reeking with history – makes you want to curl up in a corner with a cup of tea and a sweater and just stare at them! The Kelvingrove Museum is free to visit – as are many Glasgow museums – and is said to be one of the three top free-to-enter attractions in Scotland and the most visited museums in the UK, outside of London. This area is so beautiful I just had to add a bonus picture of the University of Glasgow. 🙂

Ben Lomond & Loch Lomond

A trip to Scotland just wouldn’t be complete without visiting one of the 30,000 lochs (lakes) that cover the countryside. From the Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond or a quest to catch a glimpse of the elusive Nessie on Loch Ness, it’s worth leaving the city to see the spectacular Scottish Highlands. We were the guests of Timberbush Tours for an amazing day of comfortable – and informative – travel across Scotland.

Oban by the Sea

Some of the freshest, tastiest, and most wonderful seafood I’ve ever eaten was in Oban! I couldn’t decide what to have…the local mussels being steamed outside with white wine, garlic and shallots or the in-house smoked salmon piled 3 inches thick on bread baked in the village…so I had them both. And wished for a longer stay to stuff myself a little more. Scotland is a land surrounded by the sea, so if possible try to get out to see it – it’s spectacular!

The Scottish Highlands

The final Scotland photo is a panorama of the peat bog fields along the Scottish Highlands. This area of mountains and glens is hauntingly beautiful. One valley in particular – called Glencoe – was the site of the MacDonald clan massacre in 1741. This was of particular interest to Cheryl, being a MacDonald herself.

There is much to do and see in Scotland. Take a tour, ride a boat on a loch, or just walk around the cities and take in the vibe. Scotland photos show just a wee piece of the fun to be had.

If you like quick photo essays of beautiful places, join us for Santorini in 7 Photos, Athens in 7 Photos, and Mykonos in 7 Photos. You can see I’m getting a little more daring adding a new picture with Scotland. I hope you don’t mind! 😉