The Scottish Highlands by Campervan

Welcome to the Scottish Highlands, the third in a series of posts on our tour of Scotland. Highlights include swimming in Loch Ness, the moors, the Isle of Skye, the Isles of Harris and Lewis and the little-known and unique St Kilda Archipelago.

See the Photo Gallery below for the full story of our adventure.

The Why?

The Scottish Highlands and the moors were always on my bucket list, ever since I saw movies like The Hound of the Baskervilles and An American Werewolf in London. From these movies I visualized the moors as dreary, permanently fog-covered lowlands. Instead, we experienced a mountainous terrain alive in shades of purple, green, yellow, and rust. I will forever associate the colour purple with Scotland.

The Logistics

Deb wanted us to tour the Scottish Highlands in a camper, which is not something I am accustomed to. My motto has always been “4-star, or better”. So we rented a campervan from Atlas Motorhome and Campervan Hire. They were a pleasure to deal with. Because it was a last-minute rental we had to pick up the campervan in Glasgow. The bus from Edinburgh to Glasgow was quick, comfortable, and inexpensive. And after thorough lessons on how to fill the water tank, drain the gray (used) water, fill the gas tank for cooking, operate all the controls, and yes, empty the chemical toilet, I felt empowered. Off we went.

We drove at a leisurely pace along a scenic route and stopped often to take in the sights. It was fabulous. We spent 4 nights to get from Glasgow to Leverburgh, on the Isle of Harris.

After our day tour of the St Kilda Islands on the Sea Harris boat, we spent 5 nights driving back to Glasgow, again taking a scenic route. And again, it was fabulous, but it did rain a lot. We plan to return to the Glencoe area someday in the middle of summer to camp, hike and kayak.

The last half of August is the end of the camping season on the Hebrides, so we were able to book campsites last minute. But on the Isles of Lewis and Harris, the campsites are few and far between, and some do not provide services. One night we asked a local if they knew of any campsites nearby. He looked around and said “Wherever you want.” So we pulled into the driveway of a house under construction, with a view of Luskentyre Beach, and we “wild” camped. We had no problems.

Scottish Highlands Photo Gallery

Click on the photos below for the full story of our adventure in the Scottish Highlands.

Then click on Travel Scotland for more stories about our adventures in Scotland, including our day trip to the mysterious and abandoned St. Kilda Islands.

A young boy watches the ducks on the eastern tip of Loch Ness in The Scottish Highlands. The tranquil water on Loch Ness belies the myth of the Loch Ness Monster.ducks Loch-Ness Scottish-Highlands Scotland

This fisherman casts his line into Loch Ness, The Scottish Highlands.lake-fishing Loch-Ness, Scottish-Highlands Scotland

...while the owner of this establishment casts a different kind of line into Loch Ness, The Scottish Highlands.Loch-Ness Nessie Loch-Ness-Monster Scottish-Highlands Scotland

The original stone White Bridge is a hump-backed, single-span, wade bridge. It was built in 1732 to cross the River Fechlin in The Scottish Highlands. It is still standing, but it cannot handle today's traffic.bridge stone-bridge humpback-bridge White-Bridge River-Fechlin Scottish-Highlands Scotland

Here is the replacement for the White Bridge to cross the River Fechlin in The Scottish Highlands. It doesn’t look like a big improvement, does it? It is wider though.bridge stone-bridge White-Bridge River-Fechlin Scottish-Highlands Scotland

Beautiful Loch Ness, across from Urqhuart Castle, in The Scottish Highlands. We went for a swim at this spot even though we read the water temperature is 4-5C all year round. They were right. Brrrrr!! We both had colds the next day.lake swimming-hole lake-swim Loch-Ness Urqhuart-Castle Scottish-Highlands Scotland

The full length of Loch Ness is beautiful and serene. This shot was taken near the west end of the lake in the Scottish Highlands.sailboat sailing serenity Loch-Ness Scottish-Highlands Scotland

I didn’t know Scotland and the moors were so colourful. The moors of the Scottish Highlands abound with shades of purple, green, yellow and rust in summer. We stopped near Suidhe Viewpoint to shoot the colours, and it is hard to imagine there could be a better location. Suidhe Viewpoint is at the western end of Loch Ness. moor Suidhe-Viewpoint Scottish-Highlands Scotland

Here is another example of the vibrant colour palette of the moors near Suidhe Viewpoint in the Scottish Highlands.moors heather Suidhe-Viewpoint Scottish-Highlands Scotland

The purple heather is prominent on the moors of Scotland in summer. This shot is from Suidhe Viewpoint, near the western end of Loch Ness, The Scottish Highlands. I will forever associate the colour purple with Scotland.moors Suidhe-Viewpoint Scottish-Highlands Scotland

The colours of the Scottish moors continued to amaze us at Suidhe Viewpoint, near the western end of Loch Ness, The Scottish Highlands. But another surprise was how high the hills are on the moors. I expected a flatter terrain. Gorgeous countryside.nature-photography Moors Suidhe-Viewpoint Scottish-Highlands Scotland

The sun highlights the rugged beauty of Boreray Island in the St. Kilda Archipelago, Scotland, while birds add their own splash of interest. For more photos and information about St. Kilda, check out part 4 of this series of posts: St. Kilda Islands - The Abandoned Islands.seabirds birds seabird-colony rugged-beauty natural-beauty Boreray-Island St-Kilda-Islands Scotland

Walking together on Luskentyre Beach, on the Isle of Harris. They say the Gulf Stream and the shallowness of the water makes it swimmable, but the colds we caught swimming in Loch Ness told us otherwise. The Outer Hebrides, Scotland.Luskentyre-Beach Isle-of-Harris Outer-Hebrides Scotland

This panoramic shot of Luskentyre Beach, on the Isle of Harris, doesn't do justice to the size of the beach. The beach is 2 kms long and half a km wide, if you include the shallow water. Dozens of jellyfish and starfish are left stranded on the beach during low tide. The Isle of Harris is where the famous Harris tweed is made.beach Luskentyre-Beach Isle-of-Harris Outer-Hebrides Scotland

These next two shots better illustrate the vastness of Luskentyre Beach, on the Isle of Harris. I stood in the middle of the beach and took this shot in one direction...Luskentyre-Beach Isle-of-Harris Hebrides Scotland

…and then I turned 180 degrees and took this shot in the other direction. Otherwise, I couldn’t convey the vastness of Luskentyre Beach in one shot. The Isle of Harris.Luskentyre-Beach Isle-of-Harris Hebrides Scotland

We made the drive to the Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The stones are in a cruciform pattern. They are located in a field among a scattering of farms and houses, with a road running beside them. Nothing special, except the stones.cruciform standing-stones Callanish-Standing-Stones Isle-of-Lewis Outer-Hebrides Scotland

The Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis, in The Outer Hebrides. It was difficult to shoot compelling photographs of the stones from the ground. Sunrise or sunset would have been better times of the day. But a drone would have come in real handy, honey.standing-stones Callanish-Standing-Stones Isle-of-Lewis Scotland

The Callanish Stones are not nearly as isolated, protected and commercialized as Stonehenge. The Callanish Stones can be seen from the roads and neighbouring farms. And you can walk among the stones and touch them. Isle of Lewis, The Outer Hebrides, Scotland. standing-stones Callanish-Standing-Stones Isle-of-Lewis Outer-Hebrides Scotland

The stone circle in the centre of the Callanish Standing Stones was erected around 2900 BCE, but the rest of the stones may have been added later to create the cruciform pattern. The tallest stone is the central monolith stone, which is located within the stone circle, but off-centre. The monolith stone is oriented to the north and south. The stones are thought to have been erected for religious rituals. There are several other circles, arcs and single stones erected within a few kilometres, signifying a focus on ritual activities in the area.standing-stones Callanish-Standing-Stones Isle-of-Lewis Outer-Hebrides Scotland

The purpose of the Callanish Standing Stones is not understood. Several theories exist. Some think the stones were some sort of prehistoric astronomical observatory. Folklore talks of men being converted to stone for their religious beliefs. Some believe druids used the location for rituals. A small mound was added within the stone circle many years after the stones were erected. The purpose of the mound is not known either, but it is possible the use of the site has changed over the years. The mound has a hole in its centre and several smaller stones scattered about. Some describe the mound as a chambered tomb. In any case, the mound is believed to have been added long after the monolithic stones were erected. What is clear is that the numerous other stone structures within a few kilometres of the Callanish Stones indicate a high level of activity in the area. The Isle of Lewis, The Outer Hebrides, Scotland.cruciform Callanish-Standing-Stones Isle-of-Lewis Outer-Hebrides Scotland

Kilt Rock, on the northeast coast of the Isle of Skye, resembles the pleats of a kilt. Inner Hebrides, Scotland.kilt Kilt-Rock Isle-of-Skye Inner-Hebrides Scotland

Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls on the northeast coast of the Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland.Kilt-Rock Mealt-Falls Isle-of-Skye Inner-Hebrides Scotland

The palette of Scotland's Highlands and Hebrides is colourful, including shades of purple, green, red, yellow, and rust. This shot was taken on the Isle of Skye.Colour heather Isle-of-Skye Inner-Hebrides Scotland

Eilean Donan Castle, near the Kyle of Lochalsh. This location has been used in many movies and TV. It is the heart of the MacRae clan and has plaques to honour the locals that fought in the great wars. Scottish Highlands, ScotlandGame-of-Thrones MacCrae Eilean-Donan-Castle Scottish-Highlands Scotland

On the last night of our tour of the Scottish Highlands we finally managed to be at a campsite that allows campfires, before dark, and without rain. So we cooked over an open fire, roasted marshmallows, and sat by the fire. The marshmallows were not what we remembered from our youth. The Scottish Highlands.camping campervan camper-van camper-across-scotland Glencoe Scottish-Highlands Scotland