SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS TOURS

We went to Scotland for New Years Eve celebration but before New Years Eve, we went for a two days highlands tour. I swear two days wasn't enough. How we wished we did five days instead of two. There were a lot of places worth exploring for in the highlands. We wanna go back someday. 

These are some of the photos I took with my phone only. I dont have a lot of photos because it was so cold and i dont feel like taking a lot of pictures. My photos dont do the justice of these beautiful sceneries. You should see it yourself :) SCOTLAND IS SO BEAUTIFUL.

Fort Williams

Invermoriston Bridge

Day 1

Head into the Highlands...

Leaving Scotland's capital city Edinburgh behind us we first join with our fellow travellers from Glasgow, Scotland's largest city with a population of approximately 600,000 people. That's over 100,000 more than Edinburgh. The first leg of our journey north takes us in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park to the quaint village of Luss on the western banks of Loch Lomond, best known as a haven for wildlife and stunning flowers, so keep your eyes peeled. You can wander the shore, walk past pretty cottages and do a bit of shopping here if you like.

Experience the Great Glen & Glen Coe...

As we travel further into the Highlands, we visit Glen Coe, one of the most beautiful valleys in the world. Feel the past come to life as your guide tells you about the terrible massacre of the MacDonald clan. We then depart Glen Coe via the Great Glen, another one of Scotland's majestic valleys which stretches 62 miles from Inverness all the way to Fort William. 

See the UK's highest mountain, Ben Nevis... 

Fort William, the second largest town in the Highlands, lies in the shadow of Ben Nevis. At an impressive 1,345m tall, this is Britain's tallest mountain. Over 100,000 people climb Ben Nevis annually often as part of the 3 Peaks Challenge, making it a very popular mountain! Your driver-guide will decide the best spot for lunch depending on your group, weather and local events. 

Glenfinnan Viaduct and Monument...

Our journey will continue west to Glenfinnan, made famous by the Harry Potter films which feature the iconic Viaduct. In the summer months, you may catch a glimpse of this magical train crossing the Viaduct and you can image Harry, Ron and Hermione on their way to Hogwarts. Glenfinnan is also home to the impressive Glenfinnan Monument. Surrounded by spectacular Highland scenery at the head of Loch Shiel, the monument is a striking tribute to those who fought in the Jacobite Risings.

Overnight: Near Loch Ness

Day 2

 Go Monster Hunting on Loch Ness...

After a delicious Scottish breakfast, you have time to explore the Loch Ness, Britain's largest body of water by volume. More impressive is the fact that all lakes and rivers of England and Wales could fit in with room to spare! The size and depth of the loch make it a perfect hiding place for Nessie, the famous monster. Why not take a boat tour* from Urquhart Castle*, a ruined castle perched on the edge of Loch Ness or monster hunt from the shore?

Through Inverness to Culloden Battlefield...

We then drive through Inverness, the capital of the Highlands to visit Culloden*, last stand of the Jacobites against the British government forces. With estimated casualties between 1,500 and 2,000 from a battle that lasted less than 1 hour, it was one of the quickest and bloodiest battles in Scottish history and it changed the Scottish Highlands forever. A visit to the battlefield is a poignant experience, you can walk the earth where the battle took place and see the headstones that mark the graves of hundreds of clansmen who gave their lives for the Jacobite cause.

The Cairngorm National Park and a Highland Whisky...

Then we'll travel south and enjoy the stunning scenery as we pass through the unique wilderness of the  Cairngorms, Scotland's largest National Park. Its mountain range has five of the UK's highest mountains within its limits. Venturing further south through the Highlands, we'll stop for a visit at one of Scotland's many distilleries. You'll   discover   how whisky is produced and try a dram of our national drink.

Homeward Bound...

Before returning to Scotland's capital Edinburgh, we will make one last stop at a beautiful Highland town, chosen by your driver-guide. (By highland experience tours)

For more info please visit Highland Experience Tours. It was such a fun and memorable experience. Our tour guide? he's awesome :)

The Kelpie, Mythical Scottish Water Horse

During our trip to Scotland, we went to Falkirk District to see the Kelpies. We rode a train from Edinburgh. Its just less than an hour. So what is a Kelpie?

Kelpie, or water kelpie, is the Scots name given to a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the lochs and pools of Scotland. It has usually been described as appearing as a horse, but is able to adopt human form. Some accounts state that the kelpie retains its hooves when appearing as a human, leading to its association with the Christian idea of Satan as alluded to by Robert Burns in his 1786 poem "Address to the Devil".

Almost every sizeable body of water in Scotland has an associated kelpie story, but the most extensively reported is that of Loch Ness. Parallels to the general Germanic neck or nixie and the Scandinavian bäckahäst have been observed. More widely, the wihwin of Central America and the Australian bunyip have been seen as counterparts. The origin of the belief in malevolent water horses has been proposed as originating in human sacrifices once made to appease gods associated with water, but narratives about the kelpie also served a practical purpose in keeping children away from dangerous stretches of water, and warning young women to be wary of handsome strangers.

Kelpies have been portrayed in their various forms in art and literature, including recently as two 30-metre (98 ft) high steel sculptures in Falkirk, The Kelpies, completed in October 2013. (Wikipedia)

I missed UK, i missed Scotland. I still wanna go back there, theres a lot to explore :)

Fireworks - Photography - Long Exposure

I been dreaming of having a photo of fireworks like a pro. During our visit to Scotland we witnessed the fireworks before the new years eve. There was a fireworks display at Queen Street Garden. I had my camera with me but i don't have tripod. I still tried to capture a photo on long exposure mode, just holding the camera with my hands. I dont move as i really wanted to see how will it turns out. Ohh well the first two pictures below turns out pretty good hahaha. It's not like a pro but not bad at all. 

So they said that the best view to see fireworks on New Years Eve was to climbed to Arthur's Seat. We went there and yeah we witnessed the beautiful fireworks all over the city but too bad my camera cant zoom that much. I had photos of fireworks but it was too far and looks so small. I am a lil bit disappointed but its fine, better luck next time. Instead of taking pictures, I enjoyed myself watching the fireworks light up above the sky. I do really like to watch fireworks. I enjoyed it a lot. 

These are the fireworks photo i captured in the Queen Street Garden.

Edinburgh Scotland - Arthur's Seat

Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills in Edinburgh, Scotland which form most of Holyrood Park, described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design". It is situated just to the east of the city centre, about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east of Edinburgh Castle. The hill rises above the city to a height of 250.5 m (822 ft), provides excellent panoramic views of the city and beyond, is relatively easy to climb, and is popular for hillwalking. Though it can be climbed from almost any direction, the easiest and simplest ascent is from the east, where a grassy slope rises above Dunsapie Loch. At a spur of the hill, Salisbury Crags has historically been a rock climbing venue with routes of various degrees of difficulty; however due to hazards rock climbing is now restricted to the South Quarry and a free permit is required. (Wikipedia)

During our visit to Scotland we went to Arthur's Seat. I want to see the whole city so we went there. I never thought that the climbed was so hard. I thought that its just like an ordinary hill, but i was wrong this one is tall and what makes it so hard to climb was the snow that become an ice. I was so icy and slippery and so cold and so windy. It was scary, i thought of not going to the top, i thought of giving up. But in the other side that was once in a lifetime opportunity so even if the situation was like that, i still go. It takes us almost two hours to reached the peak (by the way we're not a mountain climber and we don't have exercise, so its a struggle for us lol). 

All i can say is its worth the climbed. It's worth the struggle. It was beautiful up there, you can see the entire city. Also if you happened to be there during New Year, its a beautiful spot for watching fireworks up there. Even though its a struggle in our first climd, we still go back there to see the fireworks during New Year. We did not went to the peak we only settled halfway to the peak where we can see the city. The peak was too far to climbed and its dark.

We settled in that hill during the new years eve to watch the fireworks

Arthur's Seat

Edinburgh City

Peak of Arthur's Seat 

Edinburgh City

New Years Eve fireworks from Arthur's Seat

My camera cant zoom that much so the pictures i took was like that. That fireworks is from the Castle and its far from the Arthur's Seat. You need a better lens if you want to have a beautiful photo of the fireworks.

Photography - Long Exposure Day Time

I am eager to learn long exposure, I love to see long exposure photos, but it is hard to do it, it needs filter things. I don't have those things. Long exposure for me turn out good only during night time. 

During our travel to Scotland in the highlands it was always gloomy. The sun always hide in the clouds hahaha and had a snow. We had a stopover in Lochness where you go into a small tunnel with a small body of water cascading into the sea, and there's a little bridge too. I tried to do a long exposure as its a moving water. Ohh well i am happy that it turns out pretty good. I was amazed, i want to do more hahaha

What do you think of the photos below? I know it's not perfect but I tried hard capturing it so for me it's beautiful (bias) hahaha

Invermoriston Bridge - Scottish Highlands Tour

On our second day tour in the Scottish Highlands, our first stop was this bridge. This bridge looks so magical with the snow on it. According to this site, this bridge is the Invermoriston's Thomas Telford bridge it crosses the spectacular River Moriston falls. Built in 1813, the bridge was part of the main road between Drumnadrochit and Fort Augustus, until it was replaced in the 1930's with a new bridge. Today it's a great spot for photographs and to see salmon leaping. We did not see a salmon that day haha but it was truly a good spot for photos. It's so picturesque. I love how dramatic is it with the snow all over. I feel like I was in Narnia haha. The first time i saw it, I was like WOW and keep saying i hope we stop here, and the driver hears me, we stop for a photos haha lol, that place was really a stop over for the tours.

I always dreamed of SNOW ever since, and this part of the highlands was a dream come true. I experience snow in England but not like this. This is so magical. The all white surroundings is just so dreamy. I want to stay more, but we only have 20 mins in this area hahaha. So i took photos as many as i can. See it below. I like it so much even how cold it was lol