It was my sister’s birthday earlier this month and we had a family holiday in Aviemore and the Isle of Skye to celebrate. You can see all my photos on my Flickr and some videos on Instagram, but here’s what we got up to with 10 of the most interesting photos.
On our first day in Aviemore, we went up Cairngorm but sadly the funicular is being renovated so we stopped off at Loch Morlich on the way back. Aviemore is known for winter sports but it’s pretty great in hot weather too and it was hard to believe this was Scotland in September with loads of people swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding.
We were really lucky with the weather and walked to the Green Lochan the next morning. It was a bit more effort that we imagined but worth it. Look how green it is! Unfortunately, I also got eaten alive by midgies for the first time in forever and was covered in bites for the rest of the week.
Nicolette’s birthday treat was afternoon tea on the Strathspey Railway. I’m not sure I’ve been on a steam train before and it was certainly a special experience and everything was delightfully old-fashioned.
Then we headed off to the Isle of Skye, stopping at Eilean Donan Castle for lunch. It was good to be away while the media was in full monarchy mode and we also had the fairly unique experience of having so many flags at half mast in our photos.
It was a good time to finally visit the Isle of Skye too as there weren’t too many tourists and weather was generally good, if a bit grey and moody. We did a bit of a whistlestop tour of the sights and this is Lealt Falls.
And this is Quiraing View. Skye is completely ridiculous with basically 360 degree incredible views everywhere you go. Autumn suits it perfectly too.
Sometimes you’re even admiring a view and Skye is like, hang on let me add a picturesque little sailboat for you. This is at Armadale Castle & Gardens, where it poured with rain the whole time but all my photos show blue skies. Sorcery!
We do love a boat trip and this time we went on the Seaprobe Atlantis tour around Loch Alsh, which has a glass bottom so you can see underwater. Sadly it was a bit too murky the day we went but we still saw a lot of fish and a jellyfish. It was really interesting up top too with seals, shipwreck, salmon farm and Skye views.
The rain at the garden earlier meant we got a beautiful rainbow and everyone on the boat was trying to get the perfect photo. This is mine with Eilean Ban Lighthouse under the Skye Bridge.
We were staying on the mainland at Strathcarron and luckily Attadale Gardens was nearby so we could squeeze in a last garden before home. It was a really good one too with lots of sculptures to spot and a DIY honesty cafe. This view is incredible too – you can just see the railway line and I really want to come back on the train sometime and do the Kyle Line as it goes so close to the water and through the mountains too.
Angel Bunny had a great holiday too and especially liked the gardens. You can catch up with him on Instagram at @angelbunnytravels.
Lots more on my Flickr and Instagram, including a surprising amount of dinosaur content.
