Plockton Palms: A Tropical Twist in the Scottish Highlands
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There are some things that almost all summer visitors to the Scottish Highlands expect: to view hillsides covered with purple heather, to hear the haunting sound of bagpipes and to taste true single malt Scotch. Nevertheless, this far north few, if any, ever imagine to stroll along a flourishing grove of palm trees.
The two of us left the Isle of Skye and soon found ourselves in the hamlet of Plockton, population 378. We discovered the architecture along Harbour Street was similar to other Scottish towns with two and three-story stone cottages built in a long row. The one distinguishing difference was that Plockton’s seawall was punctuated with trees that made us and other first-time visitors do a double take.
This fishing village just happens to face east along Loch Carron which allows it to bask in the warm westerly North Atlantic Current. Consequently, these Cordyline australis palms thrive in the mild climate. What a delightful surprise to have a tropical twist on a Highland getaway.
If you enjoyed this story in our series, we invite you to check out our travel books that use our theme, A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Characters.™ Each impression features an original photo and a story that’s exactly 1,000 characters long.