Foccer font of Scottish knowledge please!

[Tori]

I am planning a photography road trip to Scotland next year. I've never been. (Well, I've been just across the border but no further)
I particularly want to see the ospreys, so plan on a visit to Loch Garten.
Does anyone have any ideas of nice places that I can plan my route around please? I've googled alot and I'd like some local opinions. I'd like to do a bit of wildlife photography, some lochs and anything that will be a bit different to take snaps of
 
Thanks alot

[robby boy]

Loch Garten is a stones throw from the Cairngorm mountains, with plenty of nice wee lochs and woodland walks for good photo shoots, it is also about an hours drive from the Moray Firth famous for Dolphins, there are plenty of distilleries down Speyside if you fancy a dram, and plenty stately homes and castles dotted around, there are also gardens etc if thats your thing, if your taking the bike there is plenty of excellent roads out on the West coast which is a couple of hours ride from B of G. Hope this helps.

[paul.s]

if your going up the west coast stop off at loch ken near castle douglas for some great shots of the red kites.theres allso the feeding stations in the galloway forrest

[Looney tune]

Are you camping ? If yes, I have a large 'garden' only 20 minutes from loch ken and all that surrounds it, the kites are fab.
I could also set you up with a gamekeeper on Drumlanrig (Queensberry) estate where you can photograph wild goats, pheasants, partridge and anything else you find. Drumlanrig castle is a lovely place and a strong hold for red squirrels. Near to me there are the Striding Arches by Andrew Goldsworthy, there were photographers up there last week camping, taking pictures of the sun rising through them. Thornhill is the main village and very biker friendly.
Whatever you decide, enjoy gods country !
 
You will find all these and more in Dumfries and Galloway on Google.

[Chillum]

'Ware the MIDGES

[BIG MAC]

The Isle of Arran is 'Scotland in miniature' Rugged in the North...rolling hills in the south...Walk 'The comb'  arete and over Glen Sannox for stunning scenery. high corries, and views which on a clear day areamazing to the uninitiated. You can ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick in the south east  then off again Lochranza to Claonaig and onto the Mull of Kintyre in the North West. I would allow a couple of days at least in Arran...I still recall looking down the slope of Bheinn Bharrain at a Golden Eagle flying up toward me on a Thermal I guess we may have been 20 feet apart and he fancied a nosey at the interloper in his domain....Eagles don't eat BIG MACs thankfully!

[Tori]

Thanks for the ideas! I've kind of worn out the red kites in Stokenchurch down here, so I probably wouldn't do a feeding station.

Looney, the Drumlanrig offer sounds like it could be great thanks! There are three/four of us visiting and we're probably not going to be camping (Midges put me off, and I'm not sure how bad they are in may/june?) so any ideas of cheap places to stay in the nearby area would be a great help?

Any sightings of birds we don't get down here would be fab! I fancy the Isle of Skye, but I don't we'll be going that far north, so Arran may be an option thanks.

Does anyone have experience of any of the osprey centres?

I particularly like boat trips/anywhere on the water, so please keep suggesting places as I'm planning my route around all the places we fancy visiting.

Thanks alot

[robby boy]

The osprey centre a Boat of Garten has pictures of the nest broadcast to it, you can't actually see the nest, you can get a glimpse of them feeding in Loch Morlich if you're lucky, There are boat trips from Chanory point near Inverness for the dolphins. Take a good supply of Avon Skin So Soft (the green spray bottle) for the little biting Foccers, stinks to high heaven but does keep them at bay a bit.

[Tori]

Another loch to visit then thanks! I know the bird spotting is always a bit hit and miss, but it'd be nice to give it a go The dolphins sound good too. I'll have to google and see what I can find. We're getting closer to Skye with this itinery, so it looks like we may end up there after all!

I am a midge magnet

[Phil TK]

I'm up that way next June. I'm cycling from Glasgow to Callander, Kenmore, Calvine then Kincraig.

 Any particular pubs I should look out for en-route?

[Captain Haddock]

Wherever you decide to go, go up the east coast first and do the west coast afterwards, they are both lovely but the east coast is higher and rounder as the rocks are older and more worn down by errosion, the west coast is lower but more spectacular as the younger rocks are far more rugged in appearance, don't miss out on Skye though.
If you go near dundee beware of my mother-out-law, when the maps say 'here be dragons' they aint kidding!

[Raymy]

 Any particular pubs I should look out for en-route?

All of them



When in Rome etc

[b3tarev3]

Isle of Mull for some sea eagle action.

[Captain Haddock]

Isle of Mull for some sea eagle action.

[BIG MAC]

Caledonian Macbrayne may still be doing 'Island hopper' type tickets may get an out of season deal....Cal Mac ferries run on champagne or Unicorn tears or something and their prices reflect this

[Tori]

I'll take a look thanks

[Chillum]

I am a midge magnet

For a split second there I mis-read that and wondered why is was a downy smiley

[HarryHornby]

Take a good supply of Avon Skin So Soft (the green spray bottle) for the little biting Foccers, stinks to high heaven but does keep them at bay a bit.

But it does leave you with baby soft skin!   
 
Honestly though, it's true, it's good stuff, the midge hate it!

[GringoRojo]

Chanonry Point for Dolphins, get there at least 3 hours before the high tide and wait all day (no need for a boat trip - pics in my facebook page)
Mull for White Tailed Sea Eagles at Grass Point, and Pennigael for otters (although they are quite common around the coasts of Mull and Ardnamurchan)
Knapdale for Beavers and there's a B&B nearby that has resident Pine Martin.
Loch Garten visitor centre for capercaillie, crested tit and red squirrel. there's a fishing pond at IIRC Rothiemurchus Estate that Simon King staked out to get fishing male osprey.
slightly further west you'll find breeding Slavonian grebes on Loch Ruthven.
but you can also get fishing osprey at the Lake of Mentieth, a short distance from Glasgow.
Inversnaid and Rowardennan areas of the east side of Loch Lomond is great for nesting redstart and pied flycatcher, although they are fairly widespread in the atlantic oak woodlands.
St Abbs Head on the Berwickshire coast is great for nesting seabirds - gannets, kittiwakes, razorbills, guillemots, but there's also the Isle of Lunga & Isle of May both great for puffins, and Troup Head is another good place for gannets and auks.
Black guillemots can be seen in almost any west coast harbour, and many on the east coast too.

each location deserves at least a day to get the pics - you know wildlife, it doesnt always show up on demand.
do you have at least a 300mm plus tc's?
thinking about all this, I'm actually quite jealous. might start planning something myself.

[Tori]

Ahhh Alan, thanks alot! I'm all puffin'd out from Skomer, and plan to do the gannets at Bempton on the way up, so all the others are added to my list!

I have a 100-400L that I treated myself to earlier this year. I also have 24-70L on order from santa ;-) You're welcome to join me on journey if you like! There should be four of us, but I'm thinking it may just be me in the end!

[Captain Haddock]

Doh! Ignore my previous laughter session, I hit 'quote' on the wrong reply