Heather Bloom — Scottish Highlands

About this spectacle

Each summer, the Scottish Highlands around Glenshee transform as vast stretches of moorland and blanket bog ignite in wave upon wave of purple heather blossom. Walking through the landscape, visitors are enveloped by a low, sweet fragrance carried on cool highland breezes. The colour deepens in morning light, when slanted sun picks out the richness of the purple against golden-brown bog grasses and distant dark ridgelines. Bees work the flower heads in audible numbers. The scale is immense — horizon to horizon, the moorland appears as a rolling purple sea broken only by outcrops of grey stone and the occasional silver flash of a lochan. The silence is punctuated by the call of red grouse bursting from the heather underfoot. On overcast days, the colour becomes almost luminous, and mist drifting across the hillsides adds drama without obscuring the bloom. It is a landscape of quiet immensity — simple yet visually overwhelming in its saturation.

When to go

Apr — Oct, peak Aug — Sep

Getting there

Nearest airport: INV. Nearest city: Perth.

Booking options

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