Natural beauty in the UK

This was one of my happy places that I used to head for in Galloway, never met anyone there in 30 years of visiting

Just me and my dog

One of my issues, living in Aviemore, is that I often fail to see the natural beauty surrounding me. It’s basically become so commonplace that I just don’t “see” it anymore. I do occasionally stop and just look around but it also helps if I’m with visitors as they’ll be astonished at some points, making me then appreciate them all over again.

I ran a 28km loop today, through Abernethy Forest, past Ryvoan Bothy, An Lochan Uaine and Loch Morlich. I did have my GoPro with me so might see what I managed to capture, but I wasn’t really paying all that much attention!

Feel very lucky to live on the edge of the South Downs National Park. Rarely take pics while out on the bike, but do take the camera when walking the dog………Colours a bit muddy on a couple of these.

One of the finest beaches in the UK – Knockvologan

Beautiful photos, Matt, the Ben Lomond in the evening one is gorgeous, the aerial perspective with the mist is beautiful. The photo with the canoe has me wondering if the water is all going to run out of the bottom right corner… (winking emoji)

The Marlborough Downs, from the Wansdyke, West Woods, the source of the Stonehenge Sarcen Stones on the  horizon, and Silbury Hill  is somewhere in the middle distance. Great skies around here.

I am in a similar position to scotroutes but living in the Highlands north of Inverness. You can’t avoid amazing views and beautiful landscapes, but you certainly can become blinkered to them. Now and again though, maybe a misty morning perhaps, it blows you away.

After our kayak trip down the thames a few years ago I discovered that the view from Richmond Hill along the river was considered so beautiful that in 1902 an act of parliament was passed to protect it. Pretty amazing, and a shame that more such acts don’t exist.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/marble-hill/history-and-stories/the-view-from-richmond-hill/

There is beauty all over the UK and it could be in cities too. It’s clearly not natural but a London street with a low sun, frosty mornings on Calton hill, the stone and statues of Edinburgh rimed with ice and your fingertips aching.

Sometimes the unnatural makes the natural beautiful. The view down to loch maree from the pass, the winding road leading your gaze to the water and punctuating the vista perfectly.

Almost all of the UK including Scotland isn’t natural and has been ravaged by humans for millennia but seeing as it’s turning into a photo willy-waving contest ?

(Currently in France and about to drive home and a bit depressed about it)

This is normal, do not be alarmed. It is the risk one takes when visiting France

These kinds of threads are the best of STW – lovely to see different bits of the UK

Agree w Ampthill, I spent a couple of very enjoyable years enjoying the countryside around MK soon after graduation

North of the border – that’s a hell of a lot of human ravaging to create those landscapes 😉 I need to get up north of the border looking at those and MOABs pics

Yep – just spent the day canoeing from Glenridding to Howtown on Ullswater, having a picnic and back again with my family. Not high octane ww but probably one of the prettiest paddles I’ve done for a while.

Would not have wanted to be anywhere else today,

North of the border – that’s a hell of a lot of human ravaging to create those landscapes 😉 I need to get up north of the border looking at those and MOABs pics

It was actually the sheep and the lack of people.

After the clearances huge areas were turned into sheep farms. They ate everything.

No bushes or trees, no birds. No birds, loads of midge.