Pictures of the Highlands: Highland Glens and Lochs

The Highlands are indeed one of Scotland's most precious assets. They are romantic, impressive and very, very beautiful scenery No wonder the Highlands are so famous and have been chosen as location for numerous movies including Highlander and Braveheart. One can only appreciate their beauty if they actually see them.

The Highlands are the oldest mountains in Europe, hence their look is very appropriate: old mountains bare, no forests at all but with shapes that form beautiful shadows. Even on misty or rainy days the Highlands preserve their charm but they also stirr sadness and nostalgia. Seen from an airplane or a helicopter makes you realise how massive they really are.

The Highlanders were and still are vigorous men, with an undying bond to their native mountains and glens. Organised in clans, they lived a free life amidst nature but their life was never spared from difficulties. The clan feuds blended with the hardship of their life only to create strong-willed men with a strong sense of independence.

The best of Scottish traditions and culture comes from the Highlands: the Highlands Games originally a way to train when the English forbade them to use weapons, Highland Sword dance and Scottish music. The Highlanders were the ones to preserve most the raw Gaelic culture through language, feeling and music.

One of the less fortunate times in the social history of the Highlands is the Highland Clearances period Many highland families were living on small plots of land. The landowners however drove them off their land to make way for the grazing of thousands of sheep. The people had no choice but to emigrate to Canada or America. This explains how it came to be that many places around the world have Scottish names The Highland Clearance was not as massive as the emigration of the Irish but it was enough to spread the Scottish culture around the world, especially the music. Many people come back to the bare and now empty Highlands to find their roots and learn about their ancestors' way of living.

The pictures below don't do justice to the Highlands but their are a fairly accurate image of what they consist of.

Picture taken from a minibus trip around the Highlands of Scotland The picture is taken in Glen Auch or Auch Gleann You can see portion of the viaduct on the right. The picture is taken from the A82 that runs from Tyndrum past Glen Augh and Bridge of Orchy on its way to Fort William. Taken somewhere in the Highlands. While on the East Coast there was only mist, the West was gently uncovering the clouds to let the Highlands stand in all their beauty. Loch Tulla, looking south towards the hills above Tyndrum. Clouds lifting on a September morning. The autumn light is different to the August one as you can see. The Highlands of Scotland are bare and impressive, old, holding the key to numerous dramatic and romantic stories.

Small island in the middle of a Highland Loch. The Caledonian Orogeny led to the formation of the Scottish Highlands, Later, the ice age shaped the Glens and mountains and brought them to their actual shape. Although eroded in time and not even very high, the Highlands of Scotland impress tourists up to making them fall in love with the beautiful Scottish scenery. Approaching Glencoe The clouds have now completely lifted.

"Rest and be Thankful" is the name of this beautiful glen. These are the words which are engraved on an old stone milepost placed at the top of the military road when it was built in 1758. Typical Highland cow Also called hairy coo or hairy cow. His name is Hamish and is very friendly to people. In the time of Rob Roy MacGregor, Highland cows used to be black but in time there remained only the brown ones. Castle belonging to the Campbell Clan, called Inveraray Castle The Campbell Clan moved to this area after abandoning Kilchurn Castle in Loch Awe. Kilchurn Castle was the first castle of the Campbells.