In May 2017, I went to Scotland to visit the highlands and a couple of the Inner Hebrides. The landscape is nothing short of spectacular, filled with a depth of history that North America does not possess.
I started off in Glasgow, driving directly north toward Loch Lomond and Loch Long, staying in the village of Arrochar. Then I continued on to Glencoe, with a side trip into Glen Etive. Next I drove further north to Fort William and Glenfinnan. From there, I drove to the isle of Skye via the new(ish) bridge, and spent a couple of days puttering around that island. Then I went on to the isle of Mull for a bit by car and ferry, before taking the ferry back through Oban and then back to Glasgow.
The trip was filled with mountains, long lakes carved out by glaciers, and rugged coastlines. Everywhere there are ruins. Some ruins are of things more spectacular, such as castles and churches. Others are the remains of the homes of tenant farmers evicted during the Highland Clearances of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Romance and tragedy coexist side by side in the highlands, often in the same places.
