苏格兰高地 Scottish Highlands

Scotland Highland.


Scottish bagpiper at Scotland Highland.


The Three Sisters of Glencoe. Highland Scotland.


Scotland highland. A man and a dog in the grassy hills. This was my image of Scotland highland before my trip.


Glen Coe, Scottish Highland.


Fort Williams, Scotland.


High Street of Fort William, Scotland.


Loch Lochy, between Fort William and Fort Augustus, south of Loch Ness. Highland Scotland.


A bridge in the Scotland highland area.


Laggan Locks of For Augustus on the Caledonian Canal. The locks were built to overcome the 13ft/4m difference between Loch Oich and the shallow waters of Loch Lochy flanked by forests. Loch Ness is in the distance.


A swing bridge at Fort Augustus.


Loch Ness. The dark water of this loch (754ft/230 deep) are renowned the world over as the home of the elusive Nessie. First espied in the 8C by a local monk, Nessie has continued to captivate and mystify and, despite modern technology, preserve her true identity.


Nessie. The initial sighting of a large snake-like, hump-backed monster with a long thin neck in Loch Ness was made in the 8C by a monk. Despite various expeditions, some highly equipped with submarines, helicopters and sonar electronic cameras, the loch has failed to reveal its secret. The tradition is hardly surprising in a country where the kelpie or water-horse was common in the tales and legends of the past.


I had a chance to drive on the left in Scotland.


Inverness, standing at the northern end of the Great Glen, astride the River Ness flowing from Loch Ness, is the traditional capital of the Scottish Highlands.


Urquhart Castle. This lochside ruins are strategically set on a promontory jutting out into Loch Ness and the stronghold was one of a chain controlling this natural route.


Highway near Inverness, 57.29N, the northernmost place I have been to.


Forth Bridges (Road Bridge and Rail Bridge), at South Queensferry, Scotland.


Scotland highland landscape.

以前不知道英格兰和苏格兰有这么本质上的文化差异。英格兰就去了剑桥大学。苏格兰去了爱丁堡，北边的高地，以及南边的 Scottish Borders。非常喜欢爱丁堡。

Highlands 是从爱丁堡往北的大片地区。我们开车，从爱丁堡出发向西北，经过一些山区就是高地了（Rob Roy 打仗的地方），有山有丘陵，到达西岸的 Fort Williams，再向东北，沿着那些长条形的湖 (Loch 这个 Loch 那个的，Loch Ness 是尼斯湖），最后到达 Inverness，折回。那天天气不好，但风景的确壮观。有很多城堡。

西面有 Skye 岛 (Isle of Skye)，据说特别漂亮，可是我们一日来回不及。

Google map: Scotland Highlands 从右下角的 Stirling 开始（爱丁堡在更南一点）... Skye 岛在左上角，Inverness 在上面。