An Autumnal Scottish Highlands Adventure
Hi there!
What’s better than starting our blog with something stunning? No, not jewellery. As much as we love them, they are never comparable to the beauty of nature.
Being based in Edinburgh, we have the geographical advantage of being close to the spectacular Scottish Highlands. Even though I have previously been to the Highlands a couple of times, it was always in the summer (didn’t enjoy the midges!) So as the trees started changing from green to the autumnal golden colours and gone are the crowds, I figured it’s the perfect time to go for a short highland escape.
And once again, I fell head over heels for its majestic scenery and otherworldly landscape.
My words won’t do it justice, so I’ll have my pictures do most of the talking :) Let's Go!
Our first stop was Loch Lubnaig, which is a beautifully formed loch hidden in a glaciated glen between the mountains of Ben Ledi and Benvane in Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park.
The loch was so calm it's like a mirror
Next, we head for Glencoe, possibly Scotland’s most famous glen.
It started pouring and by the time we arrived at the Visitor Centre, the amazing views were pretty much hidden by the low-lying clouds.
Not the best picture but I love the barren land!
Scottish weather huh?
And it also started to get dark. It’s completely pitch black when we’re driving along Loch Ness, surely but sadly no sight of Nessie.
Next day, after fuelling up on a delicious Scottish breakfast, we set off on the long trip back to Edinburgh but via one of Scotland’s lesser-known tourist routes - the Snow Roads.
The Snow Roads is a 90 mile route that takes in some of the most scenic views in the Cairngorms National Park, a number of picturesque little towns and villages as well as countless other natural and whisky based attractions. We were fortunate enough to see a bit of the local wildlife too with no shortage of highland coos and deer braving the cold and damp conditions.
Hellooooo!
The route also took us past the Queen’s summer residence in Balmoral but sadly, like Nessie, she wasn’t to be seen. A short time later we were driving through the clouds as we passed along the UK’s highest public road - the Cairnwell Pass. The views were spectacular despite, or possibly because of, the low cloud cover.
The River Dee, taken around the Balmoral Estates
Taken at the Devil's Elbow - once Britain's most challenging stretch of road with a double-hairpin bend
It was mostly downhill from there, literally (haha!), as the road started to bring us back down to earth and so did the weather. The heavens opened as we drove through Perth and got onto the motorway back home, making it a rather wet end of the trip but even that couldn’t have spoiled a wonderful day.
Autumn is truly the most mesmerising time of year to visit the Scottish Highlands. However, the glorious golds, reds and yellows of the autumn foliage with atmospheric skies full of purple and orange glow are just a glimpse at what this country can offer. There’re so many places in Scotland that I’ve yet to explore and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you!
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Btw, we're running a giveaway on our socials. Prizes include jewellery pieces and also a Nessie tea infuser and bookmark that I got from the trip. Check out our post on Facebook or Instagram for details.
Closing date: 26 November, 2021 (Fri) at 6pm GMT.
