Scotland 2025, Part 1

For the third year in a row (and the fourth time overall) I was able to spend a week or so in Scotland. In January! And, for the first time, it was specifically a trip for photography. I wanted foggy, cold, moody Scotland weather in my pictures and brought along a bunch of Ilford FP4 and HP5 to help facilitate that.

Leica MP, Voigtlander 75mm f1.9

First up, Stirling. I spent an afternoon in and around Stirling Castle, at the Church of the Holy Rude and the graveyard that surrounds it. There’s a pretty killer view across the town where you can see the William Wallace monument up on a hill.

Leica MP, Voigtlander 75mm f1.9

It was heavy overcast and foggy much of the day, which made for some atmospheric graveyard shots.

Leica MP, Voigtlander 28mm f2

Leica MP, Voigtlander 75mm f1.9

In the next few days I rented (ahem, hired) a car and drove up Loch Lomond, around to Inveraray, and up to Glencoe. There was a lot of meandering…and a few ruined castles, like Buchanan or Kilchurn.

I try to imagine being a farmer in Scotland in the 1450s, living in the same room you were born in, tending your land, never venturing farther than the nearest town. Then, one day, a multi-room and multi-tower castle or cathedral goes up. You are…afraid? Impressed? Indifferent? I don’t know. In any case, these places must have been an imposing presence on the landscape. In a way, they still are.

Leica MP, Voigtlander 75mm f1.9

Leica MP, Voigtlander 28mm f2

The landscapes - imposing presence or no - are the highlight in Scotland. Just driving around is always a great experience; it’s even better with the fog and snow and storms. I managed to be there during Storm Eowyn (“once in a generation”) and am glad it worked out that way.

Leica MP, Voigtlander 28mm f2