Today's post is special for two reasons. Firstly, this weekend marks six months since I started this little blog! It was such a big step for me to put myself forward in this way, but I am really loving this opportunity to share a bit more of my love for the Scottish Highlands and my faith.
The second reason for this post is October 2021 marks a year since I moved from my family home in Glasgow to the north west Highlands. I thought that these two big occasions would be a great reason to write a more reflective blog post on what it has been like to live in the Highlands.
Winter in Lockdown
Of course, my experience of living in the Highlands over Winter 2020/21 was only made more extreme by the national lockdown between December and March. Although at the time I was happy to just muddle through everything I was going through, there is no doubt that moving to a brand new place and then spending almost three months not really seeing anyone was difficult and definitely not the move to the Highlands I was expecting.
However, having those months to really settle into what life in the Highlands would be like was so wonderful. I was able to slowly get used to what winter in the Highlands was like. I got to see whether or not I'd cope with the quietness and the coldness. I am hoping we never have another winter in lockdown, but in a lot of ways, I am thankful that my first winter here meant I could really get the chance to get used to my surroundings and life in this place.
Spring and the Return of Normality
Finally the cold weather started to thaw in April and we started to return to reality. This is actually been the time of year I'd seen the least in the Highlands, since I have always had university during this time in previous years. But it was such a beautiful thing to experience this time of year in this amazing place. I absolutely loved seeing signs of new life starting to appear as each day passed. New lambs started to bleat in the fields near our house. Our garden at home, which looked so desolate in the winter started to show signs of colour as spring bulbs came into bloom.
I actually really love the Highlands in Spring! Although the weather is fairly unpredictable (that is always a case in the Highlands) it is much quieter than the summer months and the weather can be really nice. I am hoping that next spring, I will be able to explore more of the Highlands in this quieter season, and I really looking forward to sharing these adventures with you all!
Spring was also the season I took the plunge and published my little blog. It's definitely been a real learning experience, teaching me to be patient with what I am learning each day. God has been showing me through this whole process what it means to trust Him throughout the journey and I am so looking forward to where He leads me next.
A Busy Highland Summer
Even in this unusual time, the summer is always busy in the Scottish Highlands. We were finally able to start to welcome some of my family and friends from Glasgow during these months and I absolutely loved being able to show them some of the places I love in the Highlands.
The busyness of the tourist season and the busyness of work has meant that I haven't been able to enjoy as many little adventures in the Highlands as I hoped. However, we were able to enjoy our wonderful weekend in Dornoch, which was a real highlight. We were also able to do some more day trips on our days off, including our visit to Applecross and our walk around Duirinish. I actually really enjoyed these day trips, since it meant we could enjoy some of the wonderful places nearby our home, without being so worried about booking accommodation or somewhere to go for dinner.
Autumn Joys
I've already said how much I love early autumn in the Highlands and it was so nice to fully experience the joys of this season too. I've really felt most comfortable living in my new Highland home in this month. Now I feel I really know the people who live nearby and I'm starting to feel like a local myself. I am really excited for a slightly quieter Highlands so that I can start exploring a bit more.
I am hoping that we will get the chance to explore a new area of the Highlands during these months, maybe even going for a weekend away at some point. I am optimistic that this quieter season will allow us to explore some of the places we normally avoid in the summer season, such as Skye and Loch Ness. I can't wait to find out more about these places and to get the chance to write about these wonderful sights in the Highlands.
Throughout this past year, I have really grown in my love for the beautiful and diverse Scottish Highlands. I have met new people and come to realise just how much variety there is in this region of Scotland.
Thank you for joining in this journey with me. I'm so excited to see where this next year will lead.
Heather x
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