Where to Find Webcam Views of Scotland
Still pictures are all very well but today's Internet webcams can sometimes provide a more direct view of the "real" Scotland - including what that famous weather is really like. Of course, you have to remember the different time zones across the world when viewing live webcams as it may be dark in Scotland and daylight in your part of the world.
Spectacular Scotland
Camvista provides webcam views of a number of locations in Scotland (and in other countries too). The Scottish sites include:
Camvista also have a series of Panoramic photos of a large number of locations around Scotland.
BBC Webcams
For many years, viewers of BBC Scotland news used to see the traffic passing on the Kingston Bridge across the river Clyde in Glasgow. That camera, plus others, are on-line.
- Glasgow - River Clyde and Kingston Bridge.
- Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat - from Napier University.
- Edinburgh Castle
- Edinburgh Panorama - across the city.
- St Abbs Head - the rugged coastline looking onto the North Sea.
- Dumfries - Looking across the river Nith from the Robert Burns Centre.
- Rural Perthshire - from the window of a BBC Radio 2 presenter.
Meteorological Office
In addition to providing local weather date, the Met Office have set up Webcams at some of their weather stations around Scotland including:
- Loch Glascarnoch - 14 miles from Dingwall in Wester Ross.
- Aviemore - useful for winter skiers.
- Aboyne - Aberdeenshire, west of the City of Aberdeen.
- Eskdalemuir - one of the wettest places in Scotland.
NAtional Driver Information and Control System (NADICS)
A number of live camera views of motorway traffic near Glasgow and East Central Scotland (including Edinburgh and the Forth Road Bridge into Fife).Aberdeen
Aberdeen City Council have not been mean with their budget and have set up three webcams - looking over the harbour, Castlegate and Union Street.Ardgrain, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Webcam broadcast from the historic Grade A listed Scottish barony of Ardgrain, which dates from 1629. The webcam has views of the rolling countryside looking towards the market town of Ellon, Aberdeenshire. Part of a website packed full of local pictures and the detailed history of the baronial site of Ardgrain through the ages.Ben Nevis
A Fort William tourist site brings you views of Scotland's (and the UK's) highest mountain. When it's dark in Scotland, there is a collection of Ben Nevis and Nevis Range images to look at instead.Bruichladdich Distillery
The "world's first non-stop whisky show" has an increasing number of cameras updating the view every second. These webcams leapt to fame when the US-based Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) were reported to have been monitoring the whisky distillery, using the close-up webcams. The agency claimed that it only took a "tweak" to allow the malt whisky production to change to churning out chemical weapons.....Cairngorms
Weather data and webcam views for hill walkers - and armchair viewers. But the pictures are only updated twice a day.Dundee
Dundee City Council give you control of the Webcam for two minutes (though you may have to wait a while if there's a queue ahead of you!Dundee
The bonnie city of Dundee from Law Hill. You can control the view from side to side and zoom in and out. Trust the "City of Discovery" to come up with a cool view!Dunoon
Covers the main street in Dunoon so, unlike many webcams, this one produces a picture even at night as result of street lighting.Dunoon
The webcam from Argyll and Bute Council overlooks the harbour - impressive no matter the weather!Edinburgh - View From the Mound
This view of Edinburgh castle and Princes Street is provided by the Bank of Scotland whose Head Office is located on a prominent position on "The Mound".Gardenstown/Gamrie
The webcam is looking towards the coastal village of Gardenstown on the North-East coast of Aberdeenshire and the site also has a page on the Gardenstown Weather Station, provide constantly updated weather information. There is also local information about local tourist attractions such as Church of St John the Evangelist, which was built in 1513 and celebrates the defeat of the Danes at this site in 1004.Glasgow- George Square
View the changing face of Glasgow's main square which hosts many different events during the year.Glasgow - SECC
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre hosts pop concerts as well as conferences and exhibitions. You can pan around and change the view - including a sight of the new Glasgow Tower and Science Centre.Glencoe
The view from the King's House Hotel looking down the glen, updated every two hours.Kyle of Lochalsh
Looking over to Skye and the Skye road bridge.Loch Linnhe
The view from Huntingtower Lodge at Drimarben near Fort William, across Loch Linhe.Loch Ness
So that you can keep watch for Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster - both above and under water.Mull, Ben More
Photographs are taken every two hours and uploaded as jpeg images to keep file sizes down.Mull of Galloway
The Northern Lighthouse Board, Lighthouse Library has set up a number of Webcams on the lighthouse on the Mull of Galloway. Even at night, there is the flashing light to see!Nevis Range
Multiple webcam views of Scotland's highest ski area. And there are video clips to download elsewhere on the site.Orkney
A view of Stromness Harbour, updated every hour.RSPB
The Webcams from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds includes Ospreys at Loch Garten.Scalloway Harbour, Shetland
Looking to the East from the navigation tower at the North Atlantic Fisheries College.Skye
This webcam is at Sabhal Mór Ostaig (Scotland's only Gaelic College) and it shows the view across the Sound of Sleat to Knoydart and Ladhar Bheinn, and to the mouth of Loch Hourn and Beinn Sgritheall.Fife Panoramas
From a guide to Fife, these are not Webcams but 360 degree Java panoramas of a number of locations in Fife including:
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
