The Banks of Loch Lomond

I have made it a New Year's tradition to travel to Glasgow, Scotland for hogmanay. Not necessarily because just being in Scotland lends the concept of the new year an extra glamour (though to be sure it does), but mostly because I have good friends there. One of the nicest things about traditions for me as a non-resident of the British Isles is it makes my movements predictable, so other friends also know where to find me! This year's hogmanay was no exception, celebrated with the requisite amount of beer and friends in a house in the scottish countryside, topped off with a delicious (and eminently traditional) dinner of mexican food.

Unfortunately for my host though, it is the lot of hardworking internet journalists that they must work sometimes, even in the days leading up to new year. Luckily, her dad and I are very similarly minded when it comes to outings (to whit, they should be outside, with countryside, and preferably wildlife) so we headed off to enjoy some of the great scottish countryside. After a last minute plan change due to a cancelled train, we ended up going to Loch Lomond, the large and famous Loch not far from Glasgow.

Scotland is a beautiful country, and of course never more so than when the sun is shining, especially considering the comparative rarity of this occurrence. So we were extremely lucky to have picked a sunny day! The pictures show the scenery better than I can describe, really. When walking in Scotland in winter you really get a sense of how far north it really is. The sun stays low towards the horizon, and everything is lush and wet and green. All the trees were covered in moss, lichen and fungus, a testament to cleaner air as well as a wet climate. The hills in the distance are green-brown with heather, and the highest even dotted with snow. A great walk to round off 2013 with!

Male Goosander

There were also a bunch of interesting birds to look at, including abundant goosander and siskins.


As usual, extra photos can be found by clicking here!

Der Tom