Scotland: A visual journey (and some memories)

We returned from our little trip north of the border on Friday (and I promptly had to scrub up in order head back out for drinks and a post-birthday celebration with some friends). Thank you all for your birthday wishes; it's been a lovely week. And the fact that it's now a bank holiday weekend tops it off perfectly.

I'm not going to give you an exhaustive account of where we went and what we did every day. Joe came out in chickenpox the day before we left but has actually been quite cheery. He also slept well in his new surroundings (afternoon naps included) so it meant we managed to get a good balance between going out exploring and staying indoors and relaxing. We had a little lodge overlooking a loch and it was so peaceful; just what we needed after the past few months.

So instead of a blow-by-blow account of our holiday, I've decided to note down some memories (like I did last year). They don't correspond with the photographs. Editing and choosing from so very many was demanding enough. So, without further ado: Scotland 2015. Here are the things I took away with me...

So many primroses growing wild on the hillsides... Drifts of bluebells everywhere... Empty, winding roads carved through mountains and mossily-carpeted pine forests...

Dark skies... Soft rain and dazzling sunshine... Cow parsley and Red Campion on the verges around Glasgow... Mist and snow on the mountaintops... 

Whitewashed cottages with periwinkle-blue front doors... Highland cattle with their shaggy coats and long horns... Field after field of golden gorse... Roadside signs for chimney sweeps and Tunnock's Teacakes...

Fairytale castles filled with glittering things... Beautiful gardens and hidden places... Little lochside towns... Shops selling sweets and Scottish soaps... A tiny gallery displaying paintings up in the loft space...

Woodland paths edged with wildflowers and wild strawberries... Sleeping well... Swallows performing acrobatics outside the balcony each evening... Soft sofas and good books to read...

Ferry crossings to small islands... Old ladies driving the local taxis... Pebble beaches and windswept picnics... Constellations of ox eye daisies... Dense, verdant hedgerows...

Raspberry and marshmallow ice creams... A bright blue fishing net for Joe... A friendly bookshop with a Penguin Books-orange front door... Treasure-hunting along the loch shores...

Bute: Bucolic landscapes with farmhouses and washing blowing on the lines... 

Houses with antlers over the door... Seaweed and driftwood... Gruffalo trails through woodland gardens...

Watching Twin Peaks in the evenings and feeling as though we were in a perfectly evocative setting... 

Wandering and finding unexpected little places... Watching Joe explore and see things for the first time...

Marvelling at contrasts: Tiny churches and houses, giant redwoods and mountains...

Tumbling streams and waterfalls flanking the roads... Spotting deer and rabbits... 

Owls hooting at night... Stiles leading off into mysterious-looking forests...

Stone bridges... Fishing boats... Distilleries and oyster bars...

Gardens filled with rhodedendrons and clematis... Lichen-covered trees... Dry stone walls...

Knowing why we love this part of the world so much, and hoping that one day our journey up there will be one-way...

Four days of blissful peace and quiet and beautiful scenery. It really was restorative.

Oh, and Joe's spots are now fading. All's well that ends well.

Phew! I told you there were a lot of photographs...