Scottish Highlands, in the North of the United Kingdom, has the best photography locations in Scotland. Plenty of islands, lakes/lochs, rugged coastlines & mountains, makes this area a paradise for landscape photographers.
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In this list, you will find the most iconic locations and some other beauty spots. Definitely the best place for landscape photography in Scotland. At the end of the post, you can find a map with all geolocations.
Famous audiovisual films contributed to the fame of these landscapes by choosing Scotland for its scenery. Films like Harry Potter, James Bond Skyfall, and series such as Game of Thrones & Outlander filmed in Scotland.
If you’re curious about the locations we mentioned and where they are, we’ve also included a list of Scotland’s most famous film locations at the end of the post.
The best landscape photography locations in Scotland
Definitely, Scotland is one of the best destinies to make a photography tour! Also, it’s a great place for Night Photography.
If you was asking yourself Which part of Scotland is the most beautiful? Here you have the answer!
Glencoe
Glencoe is a must-see area in your Scottish Highlands journey. With very easy access to famous spots like Etive Mor Waterfall or the Three Sisters, this area has become one of the most popular spots for landscape photographers.
If you are an adventure photographer, you have a few options for hiking and climbing the mountains of this valley. But if you prefer easy locations, besides the previous waterfalls, you also will find famous film locations in this valley.
A good tip, is to check Instagram to find hidden photo spots. There you will find, hundred of different places from where you can capture breathtaking pictures of Glencoe area.
Bow Fiddle Rock
Close to Portknockie, you can find the Bow Fiddle Rock. An incredible and photogenic rock formation on the northeast coast of Scotland. We recommend to plan carefully your shooting, as the tide and waves can change the spot fast.
In this area, you will find other interesting rock formations, as the Whale’s Mou’s. This is is truly a gem for photographers, but sorry to repeat, be aware to visit at low-tide.
Old Man of Stoer
The Old Man of Stoer (don’t confuse with the Old Man of Storr) is a dramatic sea stack at the north Stoer Head Lighthouse. From the parking of the lighthouse, you will need to walk around 30 minutes to arrive.
Be ready for strong winds in the area, anyway the path is not dangerous and the place is easy to find. During the footpath you can find some other interesting compositions, so we suggest you to dedicate a few hours to this place. It’s perfect for sunset shooting and close to that, you will find our next recommended spot.
Clashnessie falls
Close to the Old man of Stoer, you will find one the most beautiful waterfalls in all Scotland: Clashnessie falls. Its just 15 meters, but the beauty of impressive of this fall, make this spot a must-see spot.
The path to arrive is fairly rough and boggy. Its signposted from the beach car park and easy to find. Simply respect the area to avoid problems with the owners of the land.
Stacks of Duncansby
Our northeast recommendation: The Stacks of Duncansby. This impressive two rock stacks is only one of the attractive of the area. The 3 km. path along the coast offers incredible views of this landscapes.
In this area, you can find some other different spots to photograph as the nearest lighthouse. Also, this area is one of Britain’s best sea bird colonies. So, if you are planning a tour to the northeast part of Scotland, don’t miss this spot!
Castle Sinclair Girnigoe
Not far from Duncansby, there is this magnificent castle. The rock formations and cliffs that surround the castle, make this another must-seen for your north Scotland tour. These landscapes will offer you different great compositions to capture in one shot the icons of Scotland.
This location is fairly far from touristic routes, so its hard to find as one the best photography locations in Scotland. So if you are looking for something unique and original, we are sure this place not will defraud you.
Eilean Donan
Eilean Donan is one of the most iconic castles in Scotland. Located where three great sea-lochs meet and surrounded by the mountains of Kintail its one of the popular spots for photographers. Thanks to this location, in the entrance to the Isle of Skye, is a very popular spot that you will enjoy better during sunset.
Best photography locations in Isle of Skie
The Quiraing
At the Quiraing, you’ll find some of the best landscapes on the Isle of Skye, making it one of Scotland’s top photography spots. You can opt for easy shots near the car park or tackle various levels of hiking.
It’s much easier to go north, and in the south, you can capture unique shots. Regardless, head there during sunrise, so the light will color all these landscapes.
Old man of Storr
If you are planning to visit the Isle of Skye, the Old Man of Storr is probably one of the pics you will want to take. The main rock pinnacle has a height of 164 feet (50 m), and the elevation from the sea is 2358 feet (719 m)
The path from the car parking to the viewpoint takes 1 hour 15 minutes. Anyway, the views you will get once you arrive at the top will make your efforts rewarded.
The best moment to photograph, it’s sunrise. So take a head torch to climb to the viewpoint. We also recommend taking time to explore the area, as you can get different interesting compositions there.
Elgol
Another popular and touristy spot in the Isle of Skye, so donāt expect to be alone here. The beach itself boasts hundreds of jagged rocks that will serve as a great foreground. You can also incorporate Honeycomb Rock into your compositions.
The Cuillin in the background will help you to capture great pics during sunset, which is the best time to photograph this beach.
Fairy Pools
One of the main walks you must do in your visit to the Isle of Skye. Here you will find a natural pools that connect each other with beautiful waterfalls. A paradise for photographers!
The path is easy to find, and well maintained. (Only the start of the path is very steep, but not long) Just be careful to not slide off crossing the river.
The best time to visit the Fairy Pools depends on how long you plan to spend photographing. However, you can reach the top in less than an hour, where one of the most famous spots is located.
Neist Point Lighthouse
Another iconic spot in the Isle of Skye: The Neist Point Lighthouse. The western location in the UK without need to take a boat. This way is a perfect spot for sunset.
The location is fairly easy to reach, and you do not need to walk to the lighthouse to get a great pic. Anyway, move from the parking (the iconic spot) in the area to get original compositions.
As other famous places for landscape photography in Scotland, try to be creative to get something new and fresh.
Mangersta
The Isle of Lewis, located in the Outer Hebrides, offers you great opportunities for seascapes. One of the most famous, and most beautiful, is Mangersta.
The area offers you a lot of possibilities, with a lot of sea stacks close to the coast. The cliffs that surrounded are quite impressive, and there is no path to explore it. So the best advice is to ask local people for the correct way to explore it.
Stac aā Phris Arch
This natural Arch is a really impressive location that you must visit if you visit the Isle of Lewis. You can reach after a 2km path from the South, parking in the Norse Mill. If you are visiting with a small car, you can also come from the north from the closest residence village.
As in all cliff locations, be careful! Sunset is the best moment to photograph, as the cliffs during sunrise will give a shadow to the arch.
Scotland Landscape Photography Map
Famous film locations in Scotland
When Game of Thrones began filming, the production team initially chose Doune Castle in Stirling as one of the first locations. Scotland seemed like the perfect place to film the series. However, the production later decided to move to Northern Ireland because the poor infrastructure of the area made it difficult to shoot on location.
For film enthusiasts, we could include this location in our next serie: Outlander. But also in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail film. For Game of Thrones fans, the most famous locations we recommend you to visit Iceland during Summer, Northern Ireland, Spain, Morocco, and Croatia.
Outlander
This serie could require another specific post to talk about locations. Watch this serie if you like Scottish culture, landscapes, and architecture. During the four seasons, you will enjoy all locations used to shoot this series. During our Scottish Highlands photo tour , we visit places like Glencoe & Loch Katrine.
There are thousands of tours that can take you to Scotland’s most famous locations, from Edinburgh or Glasgow to the Highlands. We suggest checking out this website, where you’ll find a useful map and guided tours.
James Bond Skyfall
Scotland served as one of the main locations for this film, recording scenes from Glencoe to Loch Craignishe, passing through Glen Etive or Duart Castle. Additionally, Scotland featured in other 007 films like The World is Not Enough (1999), with Eilean Donan Castle serving as the MI6 headquarters.
Follow James Bond’s journey back to his roots as the film explores the origins of Britainās most famous secret agent. In the final scene, James Bond’s childhood home is revealed. Despite appearing to be in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, it was actually specially built for the film in Surrey, England.
Harry Potter
For our last film of this extra chapter, we need to focus on the Harry Potter saga. Mentioning all locations where the films were shot requires a full post, just like we did for Outlander.
Glencoe is listed again, along with other famous spots like the Glenfinnan Viaduct, Victoria Street, and Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. Additionally, places like the Greyfriars Kirkyard cemetery and Steall Falls are included as well.
Conclussions
This is our list of the best photography locations in Scotland. Anyway, during your travel to the Scottish Highlands, you will find hundreds of places for landscape photography in Scotland. Also, you can enjoy the beautiful city of Edinburgh, or small old towns during your route, to complete your photo tour.
If you want to visit most of these spots with us, you can join our next Scottish landscape photography trip. During our travel, we will visit most of these locations, but also some others. With our guidance, we will choose the right locations and best compositions to make the most of our trip.
Definitely, it’s one of the best photography workshops and for sure a worthy Europe photo tour. During a trip to Scotland, you can enjoy great landscapes as on a trip to Iceland.
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