What an utterly wonderful year it’s been. Every season has held me spellbound as we’ve journeyed through the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland. Every two weeks the vista changes as the seasons move through her mountains and glens. I don’t know how to explain in words just how incredible it is to witness. One month, the mountains will be bright pink with Heather, the next they are countless shades of Autumn.
It has been one of the most overwhelming honours of my life.
In the short videos below I have taken film through our tours in 2023 which spanned from April to October. I’ve taken great joy in putting together an illustration of the seasons moving through this beautiful country.
In April, when our touring season begins, we are greeted with bright yellow Gorse bushes, Daffodils, clusters of white Snowdrops and landscapes speckled with Bluebells… The Gorse reminds me of the sun rising to greet a brand new day.
And then towards the end of May, the landscape begins to turn from brown to green as the Winter foliage falls back into a deep slumber… The skies tend to be a bright shade of blue in May.
When Summer comes, the mountains wear a thousand shades of rich, vibrant green. The landscape takes on her summer-foliage, displaying it proudly for all to see.
The Heather waits patiently for her incredible crescendo in August and September, like an eruption of sheer joy. Everything turns shades of pink and purple. The roadside, the mountains, often as far as the eye can see… a carpet of thick, rich purple and pink which is breath-taking. Huge mountains in the middle of the Cairngorm National Park wear nothing but a thick coat of bright pink and purple. The Scottish mountains know how spectacular they look, and they are incredible to behold.
In September and October, the pink begins to fade as Scotland’s journey through the Seasons takes on the most vibrant shades of Autumn (Fall). Every year Autumn holds her grip on my heart, and she holds it tenderly, like she is pumping the very blood through my veins. In the video below, please do watch to the end for a special surprise.
For us personally, Autumn is our favourite month to tour. Life slows down. We drive through tunnels of trees which cover the sky, ablaze with the reds, oranges and yellows of Autumn. It can be like driving through a fiery portal to Heaven. We walk through woodland pathways covered in the deep colours of this special season. It is almost as if she is warming the floor and vistas for us, in preparation for the cold to come.
As the Winter draws ever closer, the mountain peaks become snow-capped, the Autumn colours and pure white peaks showing-casing one another in the most glorious theatre that is Mother Nature…
The Highlands breathes through my soul. My soul breathes through her. I would do anything for her. My feet are deeply planted here, she has my heart. I cannot ever imagine falling out of love with her or leaving her. These are the only words I can find to describe how much I love this special place.
Every location on our Seven Day Outlander Tour has become like a second home. The people we visit along the way have become such good friends. Their kindness and hospitality leaves us humbled. Like us, we often find they work at a certain location because they hold a passion for the place. It is so much more than just a job. It is like our souls have all returned to the places which hold deep meaning for us.
Each tour takes us on an incredible journey which begins in the Lowlands, then moves north to the Highlands. After more than 3 decades of living in the Highlands, I still often find myself spontaneously in tears at certain places along the journey. I can’t explain the overwhelming sense of love and gratitude I feel for doing what we do, but it does make my eyes spill over occasionally when we turn a certain corner and a vista opens up before me. This is because my heart is also spilling over.
Every two weeks the vista changes as Scotland moves through the seasons. What an honour it is to travel this journey through her mountains and glens at regular intervals through the year. Each experience is entirely different to the last. The thrill of it has never left me.
Sharing this with my Soulmate, Andy, is very special to both of us. I love this whole experience beyond words. The amount we’ve learned, the journey we’ve travelled together, spending time with so many special people who have chosen our tour as their experience of Scotland, being here in this special place… it is priceless. I love capturing the film, Andy loves capturing the photos. We are completely immersed in her.
Our tour has evolved into an immersive Seven Day Experience which unfolds as we share the history and stories at each location. Andy and I pass the speaking time to one another effortlessly as we walk with you through the ancient stone walls, neither one speaking over the other. We each share our parts of the story, and as each day merges into the next, the story of this beautiful country unfolds, and the Outlander connection comes to life…
We share a lot of history along the way. It is a real joy having a vocation in life where we get to talk about what we love all day, every day.
I have always said… “If you leave Scotland with a deeper connection to this beautiful land than you even imagined possible, then our job is done”…
2 Responses
What a visual feast! I am saving this to savor on New Year’s Day when I am not preparing the usual family feast. Thank you from Cambria, California on the Central Coast, which is now being battered by inordinately high tides and storms. But I am high and dry with a panoramic view of all the action.
I love your posts. Keep em coming!
Such beauty is beyond words! To be able to live in it would be Heaven. Thank you for sharing!