I didn't get a chance to post this last week because I was doing so many things! I had friends fly in from Europe and then I got married this past weekend.

I have so many photos to share, I'll probably do separate blog posts :)

But last week was really special because I got to share the beauty of Scotland with my friend from Berlin. We went on several forest walks, and each time he exclaimed at how remarkable the landscapes are.

I took him to Rogie Falls, Reelig Glen, and Glen Afric, which you have seen before, but as you know by now, the details of a forest can be discovered anew at each visit.

We had lots of moody weather (as usual), that shifted between sun, rain, snow, and fog. Luckily my friend was up for hiking in all weather! We started out at Rogie Falls, where we lucked out with a little sun as we wandered through this eclectic landscape. There's so much variety here - everything from icy waterfalls to lush, green forests. It's my go-to trail for all my visitors!

Then we headed West to see some mountains and check out the Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve (he really likes waterfalls). Along the way, we stopped at a few overlooks with amazing views. We saw a herd of deer here as the sky gave us a beautiful array of colors.

Before the sun set behind the hills, we headed to Reelig Glen - which I call Fangorn Forest. Remember this place? I've done a few posts about it, because it's just so incredible.

This time we spent a long time exploring, going off-trail in a few areas, to chase waterfalls, and really taking in the beauty of this mysterious forest.

The next day we headed to Glen Affric, because of my amazing experiences at Plodda Falls, I knew I just HAD to show my friend!

However, as luck would have it, the weather did not agree. On the way to the trailhead, the skies opened up and a blizzard started. Thick, wet snow flakes were pouring down on us - which was absolutely stunning, but not ideal driving conditions.

There is a 3 mile section of dirt road before you hit the trailhead, and most of it is up-hill, so the slushy snow was proving a challenge for our rental car.

We FINALLY made it to the trailhead, but just as we were pulling into the carpark, we got stuck. Front wheel drive had us spinning wheels until we smelled rubber. With no other choice (there weren't chains or even a spare tire in the trunk!) we had to start digging.

We found some big sticks and rocks, and using our hands and some sticks, we did our best to dig around the tires. Then we shoved the rocks and sticks into the holes in order to give the tires something to grip to.

The whole process (moving inch by inch) took about 2 hours. My friend was exhausted from pushing as we made our slow progress out of the ice/slush.

We were finally free! It didn't stop snowing either - so rather than risk getting stuck again, we decided to leave while we could, so unfortunately we didn't get to explore that amazing forest.

We ended up going to the nearby (and more accessible) Dog Falls, which was still a beautiful winter wonderland (see my last blog post for more!)

After two days of exploring, it was time to get ready for my wedding weekend in the Isle of Skye! Here's a sneak peek (from my photographer) of my next blog post!