Since becoming an adult, there are few things that I love more than heading out for a long walk. I love the oppurtunity to slow down, get outside and just explore. One thing about me though is that, even though I've grown to love walking in this way, I haven't necessarily found it any easier to actually do the walking. I still hate hills and I still find it a struggle getting up those hills to see the views. One walk I remember doing (and struggling with) as a child, and yet

For me, there's nothing like a short escape somewhere you love and that's really familiar At the start of September, my family and I had a weekend away on the Isle of Arran to celebrate my Dad's retirement at the start of the year. We all love the Isle of Arran and it really does feel like an escape for us all. We decided to book to stay in some self-catering apartments in a place we've never been before: Arran Shores in the village of Lamlash. Arran Shores is a group of 14 s

Although I've shared loads over the years about what winter and summer in the Scottish Highlands looks like, one season I haven't actually shared much about over the years is autumn. In some ways, autumn is when the landscape of the Scottish Highlands truly comes into its own. The hills pop with the colours of browning bracken and the heather (my namesake) really starts comes alive with shades of the most beautiful purple. Below is a list of five of my favourite places to enj

Okay, I'll admit it: there's nothing I love more than a bit of history. Even as a small child, I remember picking up a big book all about Scottish history and reading it every night as I went to bed. I had an day off recently and decided it was the perfect time to drive north and head to The Skye Museum of Island Life. This picturesque museum on the Trotternish Peninsula near the village of Kilmuir details the ins and outs of what crofting life on the Isle of Skye would have

I've hinted at this one before, but in some ways, August for me is one of the toughest months to live in the Scottish Highlands. August marks the high point of the summer tourist season and with bank holidays and the English school holidays, it's often a pretty busy month here in the Scottish Highlands. After months of busyness during the tourist season, I have to admit I often feel some fatigue as we head into August. I recently shared a carousel post over on Instagram highl

The Scottish Highlands and Islands are full of interesting castles and ruins and, honestly, I feel, if you're one of many people I've met who thinks visiting a castle isn't for them, you probably just haven't found the right one yet. One a rainy June Saturday, we travelled up to North-West Skye to visit a castle I haven't visited before: Dunvegan Castle. It's the longest continually occupied castle in Scotland and there was has been a chief of the MacLeod Clan living here for

Whilst the rest of the world enjoys beautiful sunny days during the height of summer, the same can't always be said for the Scottish Highlands. So far this July, we have had an incredibly high amount of rain (even for the West Coast of Scotland). It's reasons like this that are the reason I always tell people to pack for whatever weather possiblities, especially in the summer months. I shared a blogpost a few years ago with my list of five things I'd pack on a trip to the Sco

Since moving to the Scottish Highlands in 2020, one of my favourite things about living here is the incredible way small businesses use what they have to create a magical and usually totally unique space. We've been able to support businesses built by the roadside in renovated campervans or sheds thoughout the Highlands and Islands. You just never know what you might come across in an adventure around the Scottish Highlands. One spot on the Isle of Skye that really has done a

Over the years I spent living in the Scottish Highlands, I've noticed that the vast majority of people who are visiting the Isle of Skye tend to be visiting for two days. Although I've spoken before about how I wouldn't recommend trying to squeeze in a visit to the Isle of Skye in one day, if you are limited on the amount of time you have to spend on the island, it'd highly recommend taking two days to explore the island. In the end, I decided to create two different lists. T

There's no getting around it: in my opinion, the best way to get around the Isle of Skye is by car. Since the Skye Bridge was built in the 90's (and the infamous toll was removed in 2004) getting to experience the Isle of Skye for yourself has become all the easier. However, driving on the Isle of Skye is not something you should head into without preparation. As someone who grew up in Glasgow and learned to drive on town, it took a lot of learning to get used to the country

April is a glorious wee month in the Scottish Highlands! After the dreary winter months, April comes along with the kind of light and freshness that makes Spring here so wonderful. The first lambs start being born in the West Highlands, and there's nothing for me that signifies all the amazing things about Spring like seeing the new lambs being born. One of my favourite days last April was the chance to head out on the waters of Loch Carron on Calum's Seal Boat Trip from Plo

My favourite meal of the day! If I had to pick a meal that I love to enjoy most on the Isle of Skye, it would have to be brunch (and lunch). The reason I have lumped brunch and lunch together in this post is that I know not everybody is a sweet brunch person. If I'm being totally honest, I think I'm more of a savoury brunch person than a sweet brunch person, whearas my husband is the complete opposite. So we do often get the best of both worlds. Cafe Cuil, Satran Ahh Cafe Cui

A couple of years ago, I took one of my friends on an adventure to the Point of Sleat. It's been one of my favourite walks in the Highlands to date, and definitely one of my favourite walks we've found on the Isle of Skye. During that adventure, though, we took a bit of a detour and actually ended up missing a beach at the end of the walk. It was only after we finished the walk that we realised we had missed out on Camus Daraich Beach, a beautiful white sandy beach on the is

If you've been reading my blog for a number of years now, you'll know how much I love the Sleat Peninsula on the Isle of Skye. It's such an incredible corner of the Isle of Skye that I've loved exploring and getting to know better since moving to the Scottish Highlands five years ago. At this time of year, when the busy summer season is still a long way off, one of my favourite things to do is get out and explore the places we often tell tourists to visit, but don't always g

After four months of gloom, darkness and cold, Spring has fully arrived in the Scottish Highlands! At the beginning of March, we start to wake up in light again after months of waking up in darkness. The snowdrops are fully in blown and the first daffodils are starting to come through. Hopefully by the end of the month, we'll start to see the first spring lambs here in the Scottish Highlands! March is a really interesting month for those of us that live here in the Scottish H

Since moving to the Scottish Highlands over five years ago now, one thing that I have come to love about this place is whisky. I never really liked whisky before moving to the Highlands, but over the years (and through many, many tastings) it's become something that I really enjoy learning about and discovering more about the history of. Every winter, my family visit the Isle of Arran . It's become one of my favourite trips every year, and I love the chance to really slow dow

February is a real transition month in the Scottish Highlands. Although it's still cold and dark, the evenings seem to feel like they are getting much longer after the darkness of November to January. February is one of my favourite months to explore the Scottish Highlands. Normally lots of businesses are starting to reopen again after winter breaks, but places are still fairly quiet. The snowdrops start to pop through the earth, the first sure sign here that Spring is on it'

If you're planning a trip to the Isle of Skye, chances are there are places in the north-west of the island on your list. And even though I've lived in the Scottish Highlands for over five years, there are so many places in this beautiful region of the Isle of Skye that I've yet to discover. I'm always returning to this part of the island whenever I get the chance and I just love having the oppurtunity to explore more of this beautiful part of Skye. A few years ago, I shared

Growing up, my family and I always spent a week of the summer holidays on the Isle of Arran. It was normally a week filled with adventures and fun, but also normally with the unpredicable summer Scottish weather and a whole lot of midges thrown in. Then, about 10 years ago, we went for the first time at the start of December. We were very skeptical about what winter might look like on a Scottish island known for being a hit with tourists during the summer months. But what we

Every winter, my family and I spend a couple of festive days relaxing and working on the Isle of Arran. It's one of my favourite things to do in the winter months-a perfect wayto slow down after a busy November in our business and before the busyness of Christmas gets really underway. One thing we always have to do during our time on the island is visit Brambles restaurant at Auchrannie Resort in Brodick. For years, my family have been visiting this restaurant during our holi