If there's one thing I really can't stress enough about this weekend in the Highlands and Islands (like I didn't mention it enough in my last post...), it was the ridiculously good weather we were having. It was October and while I had come prepared for rain and bitterly cold winds, we had beautiful blue skies. I think most of these pictures speak for themselves in illustrating how gorgeous Skye is so I won't write huge paragraphs like I am sometimes known to do... 


As it was so unseasonably nice out, we decided to walk over the Skye Bridge, which gave me the opportunity to grab some incredible photos - both looking back to the mainland...



...And out to the incredible Cuillin Mountains



Those who know me, know Iceland is at the top of my bucket list. Absolutely, unequivocally number one. Why am I talking about Iceland in a post about Skye? Because the entire island felt like a teaser for the country. Rugged volcanic features, vast open moors. I was struggling to pick my jaw up from off the floor. 



Every bend in the road led to even more impressive landscapes. 


The views from Dun Beag Broch - an ancient iron-age fort - were stunning. It was easy to see why it had been built in at the top of a particular hill; there was a clear view towards the Cuillin Range as well as an excellent scope of the bay. 


We could even see all the way out to the Outer Hebrides. (I think that's South Uist. Probably.) 


Suffice to say, I was enjoying myself.



On the opposite side of the island, we passed the Old Man of Storr - a rock formation that juts out of the Trotternish Peninsula. Storr gets its name from a folktale about two giants who were fleeing human attackers. They made the mistake of looking back to see how much distance they had gained and as they did so, were turned to stone.


I so wish we could have stopped so I could have stormed up there! It looks like such a good hike! Alas, coaches are not meant for such things. (Another point in favour of me getting a car...). Our actual destinations were Mealt Falls...


And Kilt Rock! 


Aptly named, as you can see. Mealt Falls plunge straight into the sea and we had good visibility back to the mainland. 


Skye's largest settlement is Portree and its harbour is iconic. Its name comes from the Gaelic 'Port Rìgh' meaning King's Port, possibly from a visit by King James V in 1540. 


It was fairly busy despite being outside of the tourist season too.


Saying goodbye to Skye was much harder than expected! It had been a whistle-stop tour but I absolutely fell in love with the wild landscapes. I will definitely be back (hopefully with the same wonderful weather and in a vehicle that can get inland!)
I love Edinburgh. Maybe an unreasonable amount. I've never been in a city I could truthfully say I loved unequivocally before. It's nicely compact due to its geography, has beautiful, ancient buildings, incredible culture (the anticipation for August when the festival season starts in palpable), has easy access to the beach (still on my to-do list) and most importantly, has a huge hill/mountain/extinct volcano for me to climb when I get cabin fever, feel like I need to hike somewhere, stand at the top and say "hmm, yes, good".


For all of July, I sublet a flat that faces Arthur's Seat and in particular the Salisbury Crags. I got in from work repeatedly, utterly shattered, but I'd look out of the window and see the tiny, ant-sized people at the summit and walking the cliffs and convince myself that I'd go hiking the next day. 

Well, I finally got myself up there and boy, was it worth it.


Other than taking the steepest route possible by accident (take the regular route via the north side of Holyrood Park like a normal human), I'd put it as a must-do for anyone heading to Edinburgh. 360 degree view of all of city? Yes please. 

You can see everything from Edinburgh Castle (featuring stands for the Edinburgh Tattoo)...


...to Calton Hill...


...to St Margaret's Loch, Leith and the Firth of Forth.


The name Arthur's Seat is pretty unusual and its etymology is actually thought to come from King Arthur, as a possible location for Camelot... Whether or not that's true is something else entirely though. Lots of geographical features are named after King Arthur but if you want some more reliable history, you can find the ruin of St Anthony's Chapel on the sensible route to the summit. Try doing what I did and look very interested in the ruins as you kick yourself for having practically scaled the southern side of Arthur's Seat when you could have taken a gentle(ish) slope to the top... It was still worth it. 


A bit of housekeeping now. I'm sorry for being atrocious at updating! Work has certainly been keeping me busy but it has also been handing me things to write about and photograph so my to-do list has just been steadily growing. I'm all moved into my new flat now so things will be back to normal ASAP! Promise!

Have I mentioned how much I love the Trossachs National Park before? What gave it away? Was it the many posts I've written about my love for Loch Katrine? And Loch Lomond too?

Instead of stuffing my face with Easter eggs this weekend (that was definitely plan B), I was visited by two of my aunts, Sheila and Fiona. Since my aunt Helen tagged along on my grandparents cruise of the UK, it means my full set of aunts have now come to see me in Scotland (N.B. I don't expect to see any of my uncles any time soon...).

The weather was rotten but we didn't let it stop us going on a little drive out of Stirling and into the Trossachs. I was just happy to get my camera out again after such an intense six semester. Sheila suggested we drive out to Balquhidder to visit Rob Roy's grave as she had been on a Buddhist retreat around Loch Voil at Dhanakosa some years ago and thought it would be nice to visit again. 


I'm always game for visiting somewhere new, particularly when it has historic significance (check) and a beautiful setting (double check). I think Balquhidder might also be one of the most Scottish place names I've ever heard (second only to Auchtermuchty). It was a little under an hour's drive from Stirling though, and we made good time despite the rain.

Parking up beside up beside the church, we got out and stretched our legs. The original church lies just beside the comparatively newer building but as that one didn't have a roof, we opted for the the latter to get a little respite from the weather.

Pardon the rain-splattered lens but churches just look so much better in black and white, don't you think? 


At the back of the church, there was a 'Friendship Room' explaining the history of the area, the most notable of which, of course, is Rob Roy. There is a wall of surnames for checking if you're distantly related to the man himself (which, disappointingly, I am not. I suppose I'll just have to keep searching for another outlaw ancestor!) but away from the hype, there was also a lot of information on the history that came well before the 1600s.

Balquhidder was described as a 'thin place' by the Celts, an area where the line between heaven and earth is weak. While this tends to mean the area is very spiritual and numinous, the descriptions explained that Balquhidder is therefore also subject to visits from fairies, sprites, and fauns. A long time ago, a minister of the church wrote the following in his book, 'The Secret Commonwealth of Elves Fauns and Fairies':

There Be manie places called Fayrie hills, which the mountain people think impious and dangerous to peel or discover, by taking earth or wood from them; superstitiously believing the souls of their predecessors to dwell yr. And for that end (say they) a Mote or Mound was dedicated beside everie Church-yard, to receave the souls, till their adjacent Bodies arise, and so became as a Fayrie-hill. They using bodies of air when called abroad.

I don't believe in spirits but researching this kind of topic makes me desperately want to reread Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I might have to settle for rewatching the BBC miniseries.

Back outside in the wet, we didn't happen upon any fairy hills, but we did find Rob Roy's grave, and the graves of his wife and two sons. 


Rob Roy MacGregor, made famous by Sir Walter Scott, was essentially the Scottish Robin Hood. At 18 years old he joined the Jacobite Rising to support Bonnie Prince Charlie. By the time the 1717 Indemnity Act came about which pardoned everyone involved in the uprisings, Rob Roy and all of Clan MacGregor were excluded from the benefits. He was badly injured in a battle not long after that and kept a low profile as a cattle farmer for a while.

Unfortunately, cattle rustling was good money back then so when his chief herder disappeared, Rob was left with no money or cattle and, forced to default on his loans, was branded an outlaw. The financial wording makes it sound like things were quite civilised back then, so to balance things out, the town also exiled Rob Roy and his family and burnt their house down.

Understandably outraged, Rob Roy swore a personal vendetta against his main creditor and waged a blood feud against him, that eventually landed him in jail. He spent five years imprisoned before being pardoned (a remarkably short sentence for multiple homicides!) and then died a few years after that. What a rollercoaster.


Finishing our historical expedition, we took a walk to the burn that flows out into the loch.


Sheila knew of a nearby hotel, the Monachyle Mhor Hotel, where we could stop for lunch and get out of the rain properly. We clambered back into the car and drove down a thin road to the other end of the loch, passing by some gorgeous woods blanketed in moss. 


Inside we dried off and grabbed some lunch, although there was a limited selection on the menu for us vegetarians of the group. The rain really didn't want to let up in the slightest so we unfortunately didn't get to go on any quick hikes around the area but it was nice to be dry and catch up properly!


I fell in love with this amazing light fixture. Every sheet of paper was written in a different language.


K-K-K-Katy is an old war time song and has been in my head ever since I looked it up on YouTube. It's a real earworm. I really seem to have developed a soft spot for music from that era lately.

I would have spent a lot longer studying it were it not for the fact that I was standing in the path of every every staff member and patron of the hotel's restaurant.


On our return to Stirling, we briefly met Amoghavira from Dhanakosa who was taking a walk and kindly stopped us from reversing into the loch when we had to make room for another car coming from the opposite direction. He's an excellent photographer so I highly recommend you check out his work!

As usual for any person who visits me at Stirling, I navigated us back to the Allanwater Brewhouse, which remains one of my favourite places in the area despite the fact that the secret has well and truly got out about how fantastic it is (probably thanks to me given that I hardly ever shut up about it!). We were very fortunate to also snag a table at the Westerton Arms on such a busy weekend and the food was delicious. A massive thank you to my aunts for visiting and treating me this Easter! 
Travel adventures are the only kind of surprises I like. When I have a day off, there's nothing I like to hear more than a friend coming up to me and having this conversation:

"Emma, how would you like to go on an adventure?!"
"I'd love to! Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise!"

Which is exactly what happened this Sunday. Sarah, one of my (many) flatmates, informed me I was invited on a day trip to a mystery location. My instructions were to dress fairly warmly, bring a packed lunch, and not to forget my camera. By 10:30 on Tuesday morning, Sarah, Ayumi, Jack, and I had hit the road.


Unfortunately for Sarah, her chosen destination wasn't particularly difficult to identify owing to the road we had to take to get there. The A91 from Stirling goes along the Ochils and doesn't really pass through any large settlements until you reach the coast. All the road signs were pointing in the direction of St Andrews... so we were fairly confident we knew where we were going.

After an hour's leisurely drive through the countryside (and a battle with the car's stereo system), we reached the coast. Although it's just a small town, I was impressed I remembered enough of St Andrews to navigate us towards the car park by the beach. We parked up and decided to take a walk on the sand and, as the tide was out, have a look in the rockpools and scramble on the rocks themselves.

Cool kids climb on geological formations while boring their friends with how they were made - thank you, GCSE Geography
It's almost coming up to a year since I first visited the town. You can probably tell from those photos that although it was May, we had much better weather this time around. The clouds came on and off but for the most part, we were treated to the warmth of the sun. I think this trip marked the first time in around 7 months that I've worn sunglasses and was certainly one of the few times I've worn them in Scotland!


We got a beautiful view of the West Sands. Although we didn't venture up there, I still managed to get a some shot of of the beach, golf course, forest, and the rolling hills on the other side of the River Eden beyond the peninsula.


We stopped climbing on the rocks just in time to avoid getting cut off from land by the incoming tide (whoops) and as it was lunch time, wandering into the town centre seemed like a good idea. We discovered a beautiful bookshop called Toppings & Company which demonstrated an overwhelming amount of care and attention for every book on its shelves that you don't really find with bigger booksellers like Waterstones or Foyles. They seem to have a strong community with lots of readings and clubs, and were even playing classical music and offering customers tea or coffee. If I was a local, I'm sure I'd be there 24/7.

We entered Tailend, one of the top 10 chippies in the UK, and the others purchased their fish and chips to eat back by the coast. I stuck with my pasta (I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian since the new year and loving it!) and we found a bench to sit on to enjoy the sea view... which, of course, also meant meeting the beady-eyed stares of greedy seagulls after our food. We had to get a little territorial a few times!


Next up was a visit to the St Andrews Aquarium! The aquarium is only small but still houses a lot of different animals. This was hugely exciting for me because I love any opportunity to practice my wildlife photography!


After purchasing our tickets, we started out in the tropical area which was a lovely temperature change from the slight chill I had got from sitting outside to eat lunch. We saw poisonous frogs, catfish, turtles and terrapins, piranhas, dwarf alligators...


and caiman...


...pipefish and skate pods...


and so many kinds of colourful fish.


They had all the old favourites too, like clown fish...


and seahorses.


Around another corner, we discovered this rock turtle. It was so well camouflaged from the other side of its tank, we practically jumped when we first spotted it. It looked entirely prehistoric and, by resting up against the wall, just like Godzilla's nemesis, Gamera.


Outdoors, we met the aquarium's three harbour seals.


And arrived just in time for their lunch!


We had timed our visit around several of the animal talks and learned that entire harbour seal enclosure is filled with natural seawater that is pumped directly into the aquarium. In recent years, harbour seal populations have declined as much as 90% as a result of human impact, pollution, and diseases that have swept through pods.


We also stopped to give a brief hello to the Humboldt penguins who were looking just as cute as the seals.


Back inside, we discovered more reptiles, like this very handsome iguana...


...and this Burmese python.


Truthfully, the more we saw of the aquarium, the more applicable it felt to actually call it a zoo. The tipping point came when we rounded a tank containing rays and dogfish and found an enclosure for meerkats. I don't know about you but the last time I checked meerkats lived in deserts - the least aquatic biome possible.

Nevertheless, a group of meerkats live at the aquarium (which Google informs me should be referred to as a mob or a gang).


While feeding them, a keeper told us that although it is unorthodox to keep meerkats at an aquarium, it was actually down to a matter of convenience. The aquarium was trying to open an African themed exhibit but as the building sits on natural rock face, they were unable to remove a huge hunk of rock that currently sits in the enclosure.

Meanwhile, a zoo in England had three meerkats that had been kicked out of their group and needed rehoming ASAP (meerkat politics apparently gets messy). The aquarium had the enclosure ready and agreed to take them on.


Meerkats have very quick pregnancies and a year later, there were a lot of babies. I'd say we saw upwards of 15 meerkats bounding around and foraging for insects and seeds in the sand.


Exiting via the gift shop, we took another walk into town past the infamous Patrick Hamilton initials. The initials in the cobbles are placed approximately where Hamilton was burned at the stake in 1528 for spreading Lutheran ideology.

Really rather morbid to walk over. Legend has it among the students of St Andrews that it's extraordinarily bad luck to dance on the initials and that doing so will make you fail your degree.


Feeling a little peckish, we stopped at Luvian's for some wonderfully delicious (and cheap!) ice cream before walking down to the end of the street to see the ruins of St Andrews Cathedral as the sun set. Unfortunately the gates had closed so we couldn't go exploring but it was lovely to see all the same (and with blue skies as well!).


With that, we turned to walk back up to the car and wend our way home. I was shattered by the time we arrived back in Stirling and in bed by half 10! Enormous thank you to Sarah for organising such a fun and impromptu surprise trip out to St Andrews!