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Hi, I want to go to North Scotland. Obviously has to be beautiful scenery to photograph, but if anyone who has knowledge of the region has any recommendations would be very grateful. (The recommendations I got for Seville last year were extremely helpful!).
What areas would you recommend to visit, north of Loch Ness? And within those, what
Fantastic food/restaurants,
Clean dog-friendly campsites,
Dog-friendly hostels or hotels
Interesting villages
Best bits of coastline.
Thanks,
Sus
Go north from Inverness, take the Ullapool road and the turn off at Garve. further on you come to Achnasheen - go right here to Loch Maree, Poolewe, Gairloch etc, go left to Lochcarron, Applecross peninsula & Torridon. Either way the scenery will not fail to impress. Can't help with the dog friendly hostels. If you've time then carry on the Ullapool road (but avoid Ullapool) and head on up into Sutherland if it's remoteness you're after. Best advice would be to go to a bookshop & study some text/pictures on the area to see what suits you best - enjoy it wherever you end up!
Ian.
Sus, Most of my PF was shot in the Assynt and Coigach areas of the North Highlands well north of Inverness, might be worth a look. Not too sure about campsites but a call to Visit Scotland would sort that out Im sure. The best about the Northern highlands is the mountain areas are very accessible and the coast is all around you. There are also thousands of lochs with photo opportunities around every corner. Phil
Thanks - this has given me some good leads. Malcolm - I don't know - as far north as I have to to get something a bit different - I've been to Fort William, Callender and Aberdeen coast. I'll check out Torridon and Sutherland - and those scottish portfolios for some ideas!
Just found Torridon on the map - that looks like it would suit nicely!
Food's a lot better than it used to be and there are quite a few good restaurants. The only proper a la carte ones I have personal knowledge of are The Cross in Kingussie (south of Inverness), The Three Chimneys at Trotternish in Skye and the Torridon Hotel (although it's a few years since I was last there). The Old Bridge Inn in Aviemore is also worth a look for quality pub grub.
Don't know much about hostels or hotels because we tand to rent cottages.
Interesting villages - spoilt for choice really. There are some nice harbours along the Moray Coast (Banffshire) as well as up the Sutherland Coast (Lybster, Latheronwheel etc). There are also Dolphin boats in the Moray Firth and there is apparently a reasonable chace to see Orca off Cullen (Banffshire again) in May. Other places to see are Glen Affric and Glen Cannich, both north of Inverness; for the scenery and the red deer respectively.
As for the west coast - too much to summarise. If you go to Skye then Elgol and The Storr are a must and you can pass Loch Duich and Eilan Donnan Castle on the way up or down. Otherwise the advice given above is excellent.
Enjoy the break.
I'd certainly recommend the north east coast. Caithness/Sutherland has some really wild, dramatic and stunning coastline with some beautiful wee fishing ports.
The moorlands, while quite austere, should still yield plenty opportunities and it's only a couple of hour's drive over to the west coast if you like things a bit more mountainy 
Can't help on the accomodation front I'm afraid as I always stay with my parents in Thurso.
Oh, and the dogs will love the beaches up there - Dunnet Bay and Sinclair's Bay in Caithness are dog paradise.
I've a few photos in my PF from up there but also check out Martina Cross's who lives up there.
A lot of good advice for you already here... I'd also add a question...
What time of year are you planning of going? If I missed that you stated it - sorry - one of the reasons I ask is to do with the kilted MIDGE 
Beware of those flying sporans - they bight & get inside camera bodies when changing lenses etc
Some great pf's to go through this evening. And I am quite capable of planning the trip around where I eat (my philosophy - scrimp on where we stay, splurge on where we eat). Might look into cottages as well though.
Not majorly into whisky (husband is though, and I like all the products with whisky added you can get - cheese with whisky, marmalade with whisky..., though I was hearing on the radio this morning that Drambuie is in trouble, so I'll do my bit to boost their sales while I'm there.
Thanks for all your suggestions.
Sus,
If you're going to the Torridon area, you must check out the Applecross Inn on the Applecross Peninsula. The Inn has the most amazing chef (Claire) who won the 2005 seafood a la carte chef title - I shot her picture for the food trade magazine last August. Her speciality dish is a seafood platter to die for (so I'm told - I'm not a fan of seafood myself).
As Ian pointed out above, a days photography on this peninsula and grub in the Inn would be a day that would be hard to beat in my book !
If I can help further, drop me a line via the website.
Andy.
Right, Applecross, Torridon and Sutherland definately on the itinery. (I LOVE seafoood). Will miss out Banffshire (been to Banff before) and Caithness (perhaps) this time, as I think we'll concentrate on the west coast.
Perhaps I'm a bit blase about midges, I tend not to get bothered by mosquitoes (it's all that garlic I eat!) but do you think beginning of June would be too late?
Sus, am just back from a week in Lochcarron. Easy striking distance for the whole of the Torridon peninsula with photographic highlights (if you can see them through the snow/sleet at the moment!) specifically being:
Plockton Village
Lochcarron from the south side of the loch
Upper Loch Torridon
Bealach na Ba road to Applecross
Loch Clair & it's Caledonian Pines
Shieldaig across the loch from the Applecross road
South shores of Loch Maree just north of Torridon for Caldonian Pines with Slioch as a backdrop
The coastline from Torridon village all the way around to Kishorn & Lochcarron is stunning - you'll have the mountains of Skye or the Torridon ranges as a backdrop over the sea depending on which way you face!
Good eating at 'Off the Rails' in Plockton and if you don't eat at the Applecross Inn then you should be certified insane.
Enjoy it all,
Ian.
PS check out Colin Prior's 'Scotland - The Wild Places' and 'Highland Wilderness'
PS
Beginning of June should be great - if you're lucky there may still be a smattering of snow high up. The days are longer up there at that time so there's no need to rush around. The midge appears always on June 1st to start biting tourists but won't bite Scottish people until after July.
Ian.
Hi, went to Glencoe in February and the scenery was fantastic. Stayed the Claghaig Inn and the atmosphere was great, food good and so was the drink, real ale and whiskey.
Preferred it to the Thurso area as I always find that a little too bleak for me. Can't help with hotels/b&bs around Thurso as I normally stayed at my sister in laws.
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