My Scotland Photography Adventure

I recently took a trip to Scotland with a friend and fellow photographer and it left me hopelessly in love with Scotland and wanting more. We saw some absolutely beautiful places, but there is just never enough time on vacation to see everything. Here are some of the highlights from my trip!

Edinburgh

I spent such a short amount of time in Edinburgh on this trip. However, in that one afternoon and evening I fell in love with this city! There are so many gorgeous textures and architectural details on the stone buildings. I love the way the castle sits on the hill overlooking the city and how the rain that often falls here only increases the beauty.

Arched red door with weathered stone gable.

The Edinburgh castle with green hillside in the foreground framed by tree limbs.

Grey cloudy skies with rooftops and a towering church steeple of Edinbugh, Scotland.

Stone steps angled upward with the Scotts Monument in the background and trees framing either side.

The Kelpies

These are the largest equine sculptures in the world at the time of writing this article. While these beautiful works of art look like majestic horses, they represent the Kelpies of Scottish folklore. They are dangerous mythological shape-shifters that would lure people to their watery graves. Given the frightening nature of the Kelpie lore, the ominous clouds and impending storm we had while visiting was the perfect background!

A giant metal horse sculpture looking up to a cloudy sky.

Portrait of a Kelpie sculpture with storm clouds behind.

Dunnottar Castle

Travel doesn’t always go as planned. We had plans for an amazing sunrise photo shoot at Dunnottar Castle in Aberdeenshire, but unforeseen issues with lodging the night before left us arriving after sunrise at this gorgeous seaside castle. While we might not have had golden sunrise light, it was still a sight to behold. It didn’t hurt that we were the only two people there!

The Scottish Highlands

The Highlands of Scotland are simply breathtaking. There are so many beautiful sights to see and I barely scratched the surface of the highlands. I am here to tell you that one week in this amazing place is just not enough. There are castles, shipwrecks, stunning landscapes, and even famous movie locations (cue the Harry Potter music). I definitely hope to come back and spend more time exploring this area.

A weathered fishing boat wreck sits on a rocky beach with Ben Nevis mountain in the background.

The Jacobite Steam Train passing over the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

Isle of Skye

There aren’t enough words to accurately describe the beauty of the Isle of Skye. I hiked up to The Old Man of Storr, which was much harder than my research led me to believe. I found dinosaur tracks in the rocks on An Corran Beach. And I just generally enjoyed the natural beauty that surrounded me in every direction.

A green and jagged coastline with mountains in the distance.

The Old Man of Storr rock formation on the horizon is reflected in a lake in the foreground with a tiny island in the middle.

A three toed dinosaur track filled with water and sea grass.

A stone path leads to a pinnacle rock formation with storm clouds above.

Skye Jeep Tours

My favorite part of this trip was taking a private tour in a Vintage Jeep with Sam from Skye Jeep Tours. He took us to some lesser known parts of the island, shared stories with us, and obliged me with a couple whiskey tastings. We had a perfect day taking tons of photos and enjoying the views from Marianne the Jeep.

Green hills with the Red Cuillin mountains behind.

Textures in the sand lead to ocean and mountain views on a beach in Scotland.

A taster of whiskey with a stone building in the background.

A lighthouse on the horizon with mountains in the background and tidal pools in front.

The Shetland Islands

After a long drive to Glasgow with traffic delays and some night driving, we hopped on a tiny prop plane to Shetland. Although we only had a day to explore the lovely Shetland Islands, it was well worth the trip north. It seems both a much simpler and yet tougher life in Shetland. The winds are cold and strong, but the people are so warm and laid back and I could see myself living here in a different life.

A birds eye view of the Jarlshof Norse Settlement in Shetland.

Three Shetland Ponies take shelter next to a stone wall.

A stone house that lives partially in the sea in Lerwick, Shetland Islands.

A sea grass covered rope leads to a decayed and abandoned ship on the shore in Shetland.

Glasgow

I only had a short evening to explore Glasgow before the flight back home. The only sight I had time to photograph was the University of Glasgow Cloisters. The architecture here is awe inspiring and I wish there had been more time in Glasgow to explore some other sights.

Looking up at gothic tower with steeple.

Black and white image of the architecture of the University of Glasgow Cloisters.

Let’s Chat About Scotland!

Have you been? Do you want to go? I love talking travel and photography and would love to hear your thoughts about Scotland in the comments! I have some exciting travels planned in the near future, if you’d like to follow along please subscribe and feel free to connect with me on Instagram.

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