Sunday 4 September 2016

A SUMMER'S DAY IN SCOTLAND


Last month, I binge watched Outlander. Most of you will have probably heard of the books if not the tv show (watch it if you get a chance it's AMAZING). Outlander is set in the beaaauuutiful Scottish highlands, and honestly I became so enchanted with the scenery that I couldn't NOT visit Scotland myself. So when my dad asked us where we'd like to go for a short summer trip I was quick to suggest Scotland! And I'm so glad I did. 

Though we were in Scotland for three days, we spent only one exploring the highlands, and our visit focused specifically on Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Though we would have LOVED to go further up the highlands towards Glencoe/Fort William we weren't able to on this trip but that's ok. What we did get to see was incredible enough to keep us going for at least another year. 

It was a wonderfully warm and sunny day in Scotland, and our first stop was Balmaha where we broke a sweat climbing up a steep and somewhat precarious hill. But it was worth it for the incredible view of Loch Lomond. 


And that was only the view from halfway! 

Despite how exhausting the hill walk was, we were buzzing with energy and spent the rest of the day driving further up the national park, stopping and getting off at every lake we saw.


This stunning piece of nature is Loch Arklet. It's a remote lake with a barrier around the water but my God. It's absolutely breathtaking. 

We drove further on until we hit the picturesque Loch Katrine where we stopped for a lunch break and then drove back to Loch Chon where we were able to slip off our shoes and splash about in the lake for a while! There was a beautiful fresh water stream running directly into the lake, which was so lovely. 

But, out of all the lakes we came across, my absolute favourite was Loch Lubnaig. 



The water was shockingly clear and clean, and the scenery! So perfectly picturesque. I felt so happy at this lake. We ran across the open space and splashed about in the water (I may or may not have tried to throw one...maybe two of my siblings fully clothed into the lake). Our time spent at this lake was probably the highlight of our trip for me.

After Loch Lubnaig we drove further up until we reached the very top of the National Park. Killin is known for the magical Falls of Dochart and, well, see for yourself:


Surreal, right? 

Of course, we couldn't just stand and observe peacefully from a distance. We had to clamber over the rocks, and jump over little pools of clear still water until we made it to the very edge of the rushing waterfalls. (Much to my mother's dismay.)

After about half an hour, we climbed back into our car and made our way out of the national park. The Falls of Dochart had been our last stop of the day, and the exhaustion finally kicked in as we  took the scenic route back to our hotel, catching glimpses of the sunset as we went. A lovely end to what had been an absolutely perfect day. 

Ah Scotland. You've captured my heart. I can't wait to explore more of you in the future.

If any of you want to see more of Scotland's unbelievable beauty, then check out thehighlandcollective on Instagram. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

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4 comments

  1. It looks so beautiful! And sounds like you had an amazing time!

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    1. I really did! Not only is it a beautiful country, but the people are wonderfully welcoming too :') thanks for stopping by!

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  2. oh my goodness i want to go to scotland so bad! i'm hoping it'll happen this summer, these photos are stunning btw - especially the last one, i'm jealous of the people who can look out of their windows in the morning and see that view *sighs*

    safah | ink stained lungs

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    1. Thanks so much! It's genuinely a beautiful country with so many hidden gems. Well worth a visit for sure! I hope to have a view like that out of my window one day inshaAllah :')

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