http://www.northwest-highlands-geopark.org.uk/index.html

Anyone been up that far north? Got any tips?

I'm thinking i might drive up there and pollute the area with a diesel engine and a Canon 30D

only in my dreams.. kinda far from florida!
sniff

In my dreams too - the farthest north I've been is Edinburgh and Inverness (I don't remember for sure, but I don't think Plockton or Oban is much further north than that).  I would absolutely love to go up to the top!

Same here.... fair distance from Australia tho :(
Pity. Have Scottish ancestory too. :/

i wonder if midges are a problem at this time of year...  might be able to go up in a couple of weeks time as it stands.

http://www.northwest-highlands-geopark.org.uk/index.html 

It looks interesting ... rocks 3,000 million years old ... quite a respectable age ... very remote. 

I noticed that MrsRatbag mentioned,

Oban

Ahhhhhh ... one of my favorite Single Malt Scotch ... along with Talisker, Lagavulin, ... and some others, as well. 

I see that inshaala also invited suggestions,

Got any tips?

The park itself ... and nearby areas will certainly offer a unique way of seeing how Nature has molded and reshaped our planet.  Here in the USA, sites that come to mind include the Grand Canyon, Brice, Canyon Lands, the Wind River, ...

You'll want to capture a sense of age (skree or talus at the base of a great clif), a sense of scale (lichen earning a meger living on the side of a boulder) as well as the sweep of the landscape ... and the unending battle between rock and wave.  Listening to the Hebrides Overture (also known as Fingal's Cave), music by Felix Mendelssohn, would be a plus. 

While you are on that trip, you might also want to experience some of the evidence of the earliest human habitation since the most recent Ice Age ... Standing Stones: Neolithic Monumental Art.  In all of the world, these structures are unique to the British Isles and Northern Europe. 

According to the map image, there are at least 3 dozen significant sites in and around Inverness that you could visit.  As a reference, I used: Burl, Aubrey; "A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany"; ISBN: 0-300-06331-8.  On amazon:  Stone Circles of the British Isles (Hardcover); "A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany" (please ignore the incorrect cover image for this one -- it's actually the same edition as the one I own).  These are also available on amazon UK, "Guide to Stone Circles ...".

--
Martin

p.s. Midges are tiny and insignificant -- use either Deep Woods OFF!, or Ben's 100. ... but please don't apply to the camera, lens or filter. 

Would love to, but like Kassie say, Florida is too far away. Someday... Enjoy!

Love to go there , Think the worst time is June for the midges..

Thanks for the insights Martin :)  I dont think i'll be sticking around inverness very long tho - where i am planning on going is the tip just south of the letters NC on the grid.  Might check out some of the ones on the east coast to the north of inverness - the vague plan in my mind is to drive up that way... then come back down the other side.

It looks like if i am doing this it is at the start of May... so hopefully good enough weather and not so good that the midges bite my head off... will probably get some DEET coming to think about it - worked wonders in Peru

On the 30D front - i went into a camera shop today and asked about repairs for my auto exposure (dropped it in peru - been full manual since) - he quoted me £200... i can buy a new one for around £350! So i walked back out again :)  I think i'll add that £200 to the "next lens on list" fund :biggrin:

Oh and musically i'll probably buy some highland music along the lines of "Campbellton Loch I Wish you were Whisky"... or buy a few Billy Connolly recordings so i can get my ear in again... although how far a glaswegian accent will take me when i am so far north i dont know ;)

Thats almost in my backyard, a 90 minute drive for me, great atmospheric area. I was there last December, waterfalls being blown upwards that time.You can see some of the places in my gallery and in the scenery section of my website www.scotaviaimages.co.uk

Midges not to bad in May, use some Avon skin so soft as a repellent.

You might have to delay the trip if the fuel shortage starts to bite.

Fuel shortage..? i think i need to get back into the loop.  Havent been reading the news for a while...

Just had a look through the shots - looks great :) Tho i could only go by names like Ben Hope i know are in the area (most northerly Monroe no?)...

I might rack your brains at some point about things to see... still have to wait and see about timings etc :)

Midges - As Garlor said Avon 'Skin so Soft' is the stuff, no idea what chemicals they put in their cosmetics but it is the only thing that deters Scottish midges.

My favourite place in Northern Scotland is Skye -  everything is accesible and the island is a microcosm for the whole of Scotland in geological and topographic terms.  If ancient stone circles is what you are after there is one on the road to Elgol just behind the cemetry and chapel on the right.  Most people pass it without even knowing it is there. 
imho one of the best views in Scotland can be seen by following the path beside the chapel over the ridge for about 2miles, sign posted Camasunary, where you will see the the Cullins stretched out before you (if the weather is kind)  and views out over the western isles to Rum, Soay and beyond.
It is a steep path not to be attempted in bad weather !!!

I'm seing a lot of discussion here about 'midges" ... at first, I thought these would be small annoyances ... but, with all of this discussion and concern, now I'm beginning to suspect they may be the size of a hawk or falcon. 

Lest anyone think we have paradise on earth here in the USA, these are the insect pests I encounter ...

noseums -- very small

small (1/8 of an inch), soft flying bugs ... don't know the name

deer flies -- very annoying, get into my hair and bite ... active in June

Blackfly -- a little larger than deer flies, these bite and draw blood ... active in June in hilly areas.  I see them both here and in the Adirondack Mountains. 

--
Martin

It's not how big they are that counts,  it's the number of friends they invite along to the feast . 

Initially attracted by carbon dioxide exhaled on your breath, when they bite they release a chemical which is an invite to all other midges that they have found someone tasty.  They'll descend upon you in their millions.

Inshala,
Good choice of destination, worth the drive and loads to see and do. Out of all the NW of Scotland, I'd do the following......
Drive north from Ullapool to Inverpollaidh Nature reserve. Take a left toward Achiltibuie, stop in the Stac Pollaidh car park. Take a couple of hours going up and down Stac Pollaidh, its one of the best lttle hills in the country and a very good path takes you onto the ridge where the fun starts.
http://www.scottishhills.com/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=2030

Don't worry about the difficult bits on Stac Polly, they are entirely avoidable if you wish (Getting up to the ridge without going along it, is a piece of cake & worthwhile)

Afterwards, drive out to the glorious beaches at Achnahaird, its a superb location with the hills of Coigach and Inverpollaidh behind the white sands (Great place to fly a kite).  Later drive out to the little village of Achiltibuie for a pint in the pub and the views out west to the Summer Isles. Keep this for a good day, the landscapes around here are like something out of Jurassic Park and easily some of the nicest places I've ever been.
This would be a must for me, I've been out that way two or three times in the past.

A visit to Knockan Crag (if your into Geology -I've not went all the way up to it) is not that far north on the main road.
Theres a road that goes north from Aird of Coigach to Lochinver (Via Inverkirkaig) It is simply superb scenery, but beware, this road takes hours to drive along. Its the twistiest narrowest single track you can imagine. We drove along it from north to south after a long day in the hills and it just seems to go on forever. Its difficult to get much past 20mph, but the wildlife, the views and the whole feel of the area is magical, but it does take hours and the driving is murder.
Get the OS Landranger map 15 (Loch Assynt)
May can be the best time to see the place. The gorse is usually out,  painting the whole place bright yellow and smelling like coconut.
We spent a week there in May a few years ago and the weather was warm and dry  it was completely glorious, apart from the last day when it snowed heavily (which was fine as we had a bit of a pub day planned in Ullapool.)
I hope you get good weather up there, coz if you do ....PERU? SHMERU....Inverpollaidh is the place to be. Hee hee.
You've got me going now, I can feel a long weekend coming up!
I bet if you do follow that route I described, you'll go back again & again!
See you
Regards
Anthony

Thanks a lot for that reply Anthony... i'm going to get researching places you have mentioned and have a look at the route (from what i remember of driving around even Ben Nevis on the lower west coast the roads were nice but very windy and small... so i dont doubt they take ages to travel further up!).  Still havent managed to check when the trip might be (it isnt all my plan...)

well dude i can recommend skye - and if you're able try to make it to Fingal's Cave, Staffa (you'll have to take a boat) - fascinating rock formations I was pissed we didn't have time/money to get there..

and I'd wrap up warm as I'm sure you well know ;)
fraid no time for chit chat, assignments due... grabs bag, runs to library..