Gateway to the mountains

lovely...has the feel of a painting

Thanks, Jim, but it is not intentional. I have noticed a considerable drop-off in quality when downloading my images. They look very soft when, in fact, the slides are very sharp. However, glad you like it.

Another beauty. My favourtite area.

In my two week holiday touring the Isle of Skye and the Inner Hebrides, the ubiquitous Gaelic rainfall abated for a grand total of four hours; the alleged Scottish sun declined to make even a token appearance. They don't call it Eilean a Cheo (The Misty Isle) for nothing. The astonishing part of this picture is the bright blue area above the ridge, a decidedly unnatural color for a Scottish landscape. Your excursion to Skye was blessed indeed.