Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Climbing Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver

Chasing Daylight in Scotland: Northwest Highlands

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays

Last week we drove further north in the country of Scotland than we ever have before. Past Ullapool and all the way up to Clashnessie Bay. The bay is a little further north than the sleepy village of Lochinver.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays

We drove miles and miles on tiny roads without seeing any other cars. It was eerily quiet and I loved every minute.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays

Most of the walks we did were under glorious blue skies.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays, Stoer

And we had them all to ourselves.

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We walked under the constantly low light, as it seems that the sun has started to hang out on one far corner of the world.

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The autumn light makes long shadows no matter what time of day it is and the mountains are only ever sunlit on one side.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Climbing Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver

But everything is bathed golden.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays

And you know we chased that golden light all week long.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays

We climbed a mountain that looks like a shark’s fin.

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And ones that are all connected to each other.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays

We played on beaches.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays

And on castle ruins.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays, Clachtoll, Sunset

We hiked above a beach at sunset with thermoses of hot cocoa, tea and a tin of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays

And we said it was the most beautiful sight we’d ever seen.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Suilvan, Clashnessie, Lochinver, Clachtoll, Hillwalking, Family Holidays

Until the sun came up and made pink pillows above our heads the next morning.

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And then we waited for the sky to turn blue and hiked above the house where we stayed to view the bay from up high.

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And it was newly beautiful. (The house in the far right of the above photo is where we stayed!)

We were told that the Northwest Highlands was wild and wonderful and that we would fall in love with the lochs and glens and mountains.

Northwest Hightlands of Scotland, Lochinver, Assent

People in Scotland speak about the West Coast with reverence and sweet sentimental sighs.

Every time we go to a place like this, one that is not covered in any of our guidebooks about Scotland, I feel like we have been let in on a little Scottish secret.

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, Clashnessie, Stoer, Lochinver

One that is spreading in my heart and growing as wide as the night sky over this bay on a clear night.

I see the Milky Way sweeping through space and two families with heads bent back and arms pointing up. Deep breaths of cold night air.

Then we all go in the house and play a round of games before falling asleep.

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Tired legs and full hearts = The best kind of holiday.

4 Comments

  1. Beautiful. I love travelling with you.

    1. Thanks so much Wanda! This was a special trip for sure! 🙂

  2. What wonderful photographs! I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip to the far northwest highlands. My wife and I toured that area a good few years ago, though the weather wasn’t so good for us, and we found it hard to believe that we were on the same land mass as London. The knife-edge mountain is called Suilvan, and it’s unique in the UK. It looks as though it ought to be in the badlands of Utah! In fact, that part of of Scotland is geological;y part of North America (Eastern Canada to be precise).

    Your superb pictures have reminded me of how blessed we are to live on this beautiful little island set in (as Shakespeare put it) “this silver sea”.

    1. Thanks so much! We were amazed by the area as well and how different the landscape is from so other parts of the UK. I agree that we are blessed to live here as well!! 🙂

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