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- We started our first day of hiking in the village of Glencoe. Our wanderings took us into a cute little art studio called The Winter Thistle, where we talked with the artist, Karen, and received excellent advice about where to hike that day.
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- Our directions told us to drive until we saw the white house. And what a cute white house it is.
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- We were a bit leary about climbing anything called “The Devil’s Staircase” but they said it wasn’t as bad as it sounded. And it wasn’t! The path sloped gently upward in long switchbacks, enlivened by lovely little brooks.
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- In my head I could just hear the witch’s voice saying to Edmund, “Do you see those two hills? My house lies between them…”
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- I loved the red moss that grew near the top of the mountain.
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- We walked through puddles and left blue-tinged footprints in the snow.
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- It started to rain as we reached a good stopping place and we huddled on some rocks to enjoy the view before heading down again.
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- The next day we drove to Eilean Donan, the most-photographed castle in Scotland.
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- The castle’s inner courtyard. After exploring the castle we went over the sea (via a nice highway bridge, rather than ferry) to Skye, and ate lunch.
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- That afternoon we followed a gravel road along a river nestled between snow-capped peaks. Don’t those trees look alive?
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- Green grass spotted with sheep ascended into winter-brown grass and scrub brush, and then snow and rocks.
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- Most of the sheep ran away when we tried to lure them toward us, but some of them just stared at us.
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- Others were more willing to pose for their pictures.
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- The sun was sinking as we made our way back to the car and the world looked even more beautiful in the evening light.
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- We spotted a stag watching us from high up on the mountain.
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- On our third day of walking I was, again, obsessed by the amount of moss in the country of Scotland. It makes me so happy!
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- It comes in every color!
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- We rested in some old ruins and enjoyed a scone or two.
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- Our time in Scotland ended in Glasgow, staying with some new friends. On Saturday afternoon they took us up to a wonderful lookout to see Loch Lomond. I’ve sung songs about it for years, but never imagined it was this beautiful.
On July 13th, 2018 I will be giving a concert of tunes and stories gathered on this adventure. Come get your fill of jigs and reels, strathspeys and airs! Click here for more information about the concert.
If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy reading A Visit to County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Stephanie Claussen is a professional harpist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She performs on her harp throughout Minnesota in various concerts, recitals, and collaborations with other musicians. Sign up for her e-mail newsletter receive important announcements and notifications of upcoming performances.