Scotland II - Highlands and Hiking

  "Did it rain much?" "Did you have sunny days?" "How was the weather in Scotland?"
          - Yes, Yes, and Wonderful.

Honestly, it rained every day. We had blowing rain, light mist, torrents, spits, sprinkles, still fog, and and more. We walked outside in sunshine and were wet by the time we got to our destinations. Did it matter? Not really. Only when we thought about it did it become a problem. Thinking about the hike in the rain kept us from hiking up Ben Nevis, and it shouldn't have. The times we copied the locals and said "Nae bother," we had grand adventures.

We rented a car in Glasgow to drive up to the Highlands. The thought was that we'd have better access to trailheads and more flexibility in when/where we went. Almost from the moment we left the main road (the M8 Highway), Scotland started showing off. Our route took us up along left side of the road on the left bank of Loch Lomond (of course the song was stuck in my head). Our Vauxhall Grandland X was almost Rav4-sized, taking up more of the narrow roads than I was comfortable with. My passenger in the left seat only yelped once as my nervous lane placement put her next to a stone wall!

It was raining as we climbed out of the national park and up towards the hills on the south side of the famous Glencoe valley. I pulled over once to capture the wild, blowing mist we had been driving through... then we turned the corner at the open top of the pass, the clouds broke, and another rainbow appeared! This one was just as close as the one we saw in Edinburgh, but so low that it seemed to be grazing the heather. By the time we'd pulled over to take a picture, it was gone! Two days with rain showers and rainbows, and even the mostly-rainy days were punctuated by brilliant windows of sunlight that broke through the clouds, flew across the landscape, and disappeared.

 We arrived at Ft William without incident (and full of shortbread after a stop at a wonderful coffee shop in Glencoe), and tucked into our lovely little cottage along the river Nevis. The following day was a blur of walks, heather-purpled hills, mist, waterfalls, and good food. I crossed a river on a set of wire ropes, crossed into sheep fields on wooden stiles with polished handholds, and took half as many pictures as I ought to have taken. Sometimes, I think it's worth it to just breathe in the moment without capturing it... let it be wild!

 

(The Falls of Steall, Heather and Fields at the foot of Ben Nevis)

In so many ways, Scotland embodies things I strongly dislike in life. Being cold. Being wet. Crowds of tourists. Cuisine that generally eschews leafy greens. But our time in the highlands taught me something; It really doesn't matter. It may rain, it may not. You're going to build memories either way, and those are what really count over the long run. 

Scotland is enchanting. The landscape is as high drama as its inhabitants are down-to-earth, a cold, damp land dotted with pockets of warmth and welcome. 

Wet, windblown, and thrilled to be outside in Scotland!