“Duncansby Stacks” — Sea Stacks at John O’Groats on Scotland’s North Sea Coast.
Our big loop through northwest Scotland began at Inverness, went to Skye, then headed north with stops at Ullapool and Altnaharra. From there we crossed the northern coast to John O’Groats. Why John O’Groats? it feels like one of the more remote places in Scotland – it is on the North Sea and beyond there are only the Orkney Islands. I also recall running into a cyclist on our previous visit to Scotland who was riding from the furthest south point in England to John O’Groats, and that piqued my interest.
“The Naked Emperor” — “The Naked Emperor,” by Edward von Lõngus, on an Aberdeen wall.
I photographed this version of “The Naked Emperor” in Aberdeen, Scotland, but I understand that the figure is found in many European cities. The artist signs his work, “Edward von Lõngus,”which I understand is a pseudonym meant to hide his real identity, in the Banksy tradition. I made the photograph along a very old, narrow street in an area of Aberdeen where there is a lot of other street art.
“Marsco and Waterfall” — The peak of Marsco towers over a waterfall, Eas a’ Bhradain, Isle of Skye.
In case you haven’t heard, it is wet in Scotland. I knew this, having been there before, but coming from the relatively dry California climate, it is still quite a contrast. One thing that still takes me by surprise at first is the size of the streams and rivers that rise over short distances — and that they are everywhere. We stopped and photographed this roadside cascade as we were departing Skye to head north.
“A young Scottish “Back-Scratching Hairy Coo Calf” — highlands “hairy coo” uses its horn to scratch its back.
Like the brochures say, no visit to Scotland is complete without seeing the hairy highland “coos.” While coos (or, in American English, “cows”) are not my usual subject, the critters were there and I had a camera, so I made some photographs. In this case, a small herd was right next to the road north of Portree, so we paused on our daylong route out and around the end of the island to view them.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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