In twilight things become vague. There is a glimmer of something at the horizon, but it may well be just fog in the dusk. Stories we tell each about the Highlands become tales and through the dusk of the valleys they become myths. (The Bloodshed of Glen Coe)
Beyond a mighty wall built by the Roman emperor Hadrian used to be a country called Caledonia with brave inhabitants, wo liked to color their faces and didn’t fancy their southern neighbours very much. In the end nothing changed in a dramatic way and the country is called Scotland today. The blue face paint became the colour of the flag and you still don’t want to argue with a Scotsman.
Sure the easy way to discover a country is to make use of the road network and make some photo stops on the way. If you want to get to know a place though you need to make some detours without a vehicle and start to wander. Get sure you have a map, but also be prepared to get lost. Only if you discover on your own you will see true beauty and make the journey yours.
The sun is scarce in the far north. Even when travelling in summer there are many days filled with fog and rain clouds. Weather conditions can change fast and drastically. But the dramatic skies seen so often in the highlands make for an interesting atmosphere fitting the remarkable and somewhat crass landscapes and rich histories filled with bloody clan feuds and brave, yet failed national rebellions against the English. Bad weather just seems to underscore the beauty of the country, other places on Earth need the sun to shine, Scotland though doesn’t need any endorsement from above and looks fine even in heavy rain.
Scotland is a country blessed with beautiful nature but also by a rich historic past. It is the country of philosophers like Adam Smith or poets like Roberts Burns and Sir Walter Scott. The writer of Ivanhoe was a deeply romantic person and made the history and traditions of Scotland popular again, at a moment in time when they run risk to be forgotten. The kilt and the pipes became known once more and even English kings, not always kind to their neighbours in the north, began to wear the traditional Scottish garments. Sir Walter Scott was so in love with his motherland, that he built a romantic castle as residence in the Borderlands. The architectual style being a mixture of different historic periods. It became the prototype for similar houses around Great Britain and the world in the 19th century.
Inveraray Castle is situated close to Loch Fyne in the mighty Highlands of Scotland. The building is part of a large Estate belonging to the Dukes of Argyll, a branch of the Campbell family. The castle was built in the middle of the 18th century, but was remodelled in large parts after a fire in 1877. In 2019 Inveraray still belongs to the Campbell family, but is open to visitors as well. Part of the Estate is also a beautiful garden, a forrest and a cattle farm with highland cows.
Michael Hoffman Photography 