It was my flatmate+friend C’s birthday two days back and it was her first birthday away from family. So I wanted her to have a special one. But I didn’t know what would be special enough. And then…I looked up the internet to find some fun things to do around Edinburgh. And I bumped into the website of a company called The Hairy Coo.
Right, if you are not from Scotland, this might never ring a bell. The Hairy Coo is the name for Highland Cattle. Coo in Scottish-Gaelic means a cow!
And this website offered a free tour to the Scottish Highlands. I looked hard to see if there was a catch and I couldn’t find any obvious red flags. I walked into C’s room and asked, “If someone offered you a free tour to the Highlands, would you go?” And C looked at me as if to say, “Are you mad? Of course I would go!”
That’s how easy the plan was. We were going to bring in her birthday with a tour to the Highlands 🙂
I could do this two ways – I could either write and describe the entire experience or I could post some pictures. And sometimes, I have to admit this as true, words fall short. Now I’m not a photographer so don’t keep your hopes too high but do take a breather before you skip a beat looking at these stunning pictures.
Now a friend once said to me, if the landscapes are so beautiful, you don’t need any talent to capture good photographs. I would think this is one such case.
A couple of hilarious things the tour guide kept saying to us…
“It’s icy out there. be safe, no skating on your bahookie!”
“The hairy coo stink so bad, they stink of wee weeies and jobbies all the time!”
This tour was that chapter in my life where I fall in love with Scotland for its beauty, charm and grace. I am sure this blog is going to be a good account of many more such experiences…
Give me but one hour of Scotland,
Let me see it ere I die!William Edmondstoune Aytoune
Do leave your comments on,
How you liked the images?
Can you identify any of these places?
Have you ever been to Scotland?
Do you have any other suggestions for trips/tours I could go on?
What is the most scenic place you have been to?
Have you ever lived somewhere and suddenly fallen in love with that place?
Have a wonderful day ahead folks 🙂
aishwaryasivakumar 
It is so kind of you to treat your friend and flatmate to a trip to the Scottish HIghlands. Those views, and the nature and architecture you saw. Brilliant and it must have been a lovely day of walking and taking in the sights. I’ve never been to Scotland but I want to go one day to see the Stonehenge. It is a tourist attraction and so many people have seen it, and I still want to see it 😀 Hope your friend had a good birthday!
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Hi Mabel, lovely to hear from you again. Yes it was a wonderful trip indeed and the sights we took in were absolutely stunning! Scotland is beautiful you must visit this place. If you do find yourself anywhere in the UK, it would be lovely to meet you in person so do drop in a line here 🙂
Hope things are going well for you.
PS, C had a nice birthday and she was very happy we could go on the tour to the Highlands 🙂
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the pics did indeed tell the story stunningly! so gorgeous it all looks. reminded me of a ancient BBC series called Monarch of the Glen! awesome too! lovely post
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Monarch of the Glen! Haven’t seen or heard about it. But now that you point out, I might look for it 🙂
I’m glad you liked these pictures though 🙂
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lovely ones.
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Lovely!
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Thank you for stopping by 🙂
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Lovely, such thoughtful friend you are.
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Aww, thank you so much 🙂
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gret creation
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Thanks Ashwin, like I said in the post, when the landscape is so beautiful you don’t need talent for photography 😉
Glad you enjoyed the post. Cheers.
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Beautiful pictures, Aishwarya.💗
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Thank you so much my dear 🙂
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I have picked up from readings* that there is a dark wildness about Scotland and its animating spirit. Even the ancient Romans seem to have wanted it walled out. You caught that tone nicely in at least one of the photographs, or it caught you. But you are right about the beauty. It’seems different from anything I’ve seen.
* Shakespeare’s “MacBeth” especially, but even in the current fiction of Ian Rankin ( excellent detective writer).
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Hello Albert, thanks for stopping by. Scotland is beautiful and its beauty and charm have been written many times over by many poets and writers. And if you haven’t already been here, you should definitely visit soon! 🙂
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I haven’t been out of India much…. So if i am asked to pick one place from India, it would be Manali ,Himachal Pradesh.. There is something about this city that i was drawn to instantly… The sight of the river Beas, flowing across the city is so vivid. And those snowcapped mountains. I still remember my mother’s way of describing the city, ” a white tiger resting on the mother nature’s lap”.
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That’s such a beautiful description V! 🙂 It’ll stay with me for a very long time!! Thanks for sharing this. Lots of love and luck to you 🙂
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I really liked the silver horse statues, the stunning bridge over the beautiful water and the big lake with reflections. The castle was so dramatic! 🙂 Thanks for sharing the scenery of the Highlands, Aishwarya. xo
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Oh hi, I am so glad you made the time to visit me here. It has been a while since we met 🙂
Yes the Highlands are beautiful and if you ever find yourself in this part of the world, do drop in a line. The silver horses are called Kelpies – they are mythical creatures supposed to live in water but when they do crossover to the land they assume the shape of a horse! And that lake with reflections – that’s Loch Katrine. The picture does no justice whatsoever to reality…
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