Best of 2005

First installment of my "celebrations" of our Scottish adventures, a selection of pictures and places we visited in 2005...

Loch Katrine, February 05
This was the first of many visits to Loch Katrine. An interesting fact is that Loch Katrine has been the reserve of pure water for the City of Glasgow since 1859. We walked and cycled around the loch but never had the chance to sail on the Sir Walter Scott, the steamship which has been cruising the Loch Katrine waters for over a century.

Highland cattle - February 05
Obviously, you can see many of them in the Scottish Highlands all year round; this one was photographed in the Trossachs where they sometimes spend the winter months. In Glasgow, I have often seen them in Pollok Park.

Stirling Castle - March 05
Not the best shot of Stirling Castle ever but I like the different angle,
with the Ochil hills in the background.

Falls of Dochart, Killin (Pertshire) - May 05
This picture was taken in May and the falls very pretty wild and impressive. I came back in October and the river level was a lot lower, not giving the same feeling of power I get from this picture. More pictures of the Falls here.

Inchmahome Priory, Lake Menteith - May 05
The Augustine priory - or its ruins - is situated on an island in the middle of Lake Menteith (the picture I used for the title of this blog is Lake Menteith); you have to get a small boat to get to the island and back and it always feel like a little adventure. I love taking visitors there and they always seem to enjoy the experience! Little bit of trivia, Lake Menteith is one of only four bodies of water in Scotland to be called a lake and not a loch.

Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis - May 05
I like the copper roofs of the cathedral behind the greenery of the trees in the Necropolis; and coming across wildlife in the middle of a city is always a pleasant surprise!

Holyrood Park, Edinburgh - May 05
This was taken by my sister on one of her visit to Edinburgh. How very Scottish!

Cottages in Luss on the banks of Loch Lomond - August 05
On a dark winter day, Luss can be a very wet and miserable place. I once got lost in the hills over Luss and ended up knee deep in a nearly frozen river, surrounded by dead sheep, in almost complete darkness. But that's a story for another day ...
In summer however, the gardens and windows of this pretty little village are covered in multi coloured blooms which make for a most enjoyable visit.

Urquhart Castle - Loch Ness - August 05
I managed to resist until August of my first year in Scotland before I fell in the tourist trap of Loch Ness. It is not the most beautiful or spectacular loch in Scotland but definitely the most visited by tourists, still trying to spot the world famous monster! I never actually managed to visit the castle, which offers splendid views over the loch (this picture was taken by one of my relatives) but it is most certainly on my to-do list - and who knows I might meet Nessie...