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.
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.Aberdeen Harbour
Pan, tilt, zoom and scan the webcam as you watch the ships entering and leaving the busy Aberdeen harbour.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.Banff Harbour, Aberdeenshire
Control the camera to change the views.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.
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.Bowmore Distillery, Islay
Change the view and see the lochs outside the distillery.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.Campbelltown, Argyll
Contol the views - Westport Beach, the reef or the islands of Islay and Jura.Camvista - Scotland
The Scotland index of a larger site covers a number of locations across the country (some of which are not operated by Camvista) including:
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!Elgin
This webcam looks out from the club house at the Highland Gliding Club, Easterton Airfield, Birnie, near Elgin, Moray.Fair Isle
Two webcams from one of Scotland's most remote islands (though there is an air service).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.Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries & Galloway
A view of the Main Street in Gatehouse of Fleet looking toward the clock tower, with Cardoness Castle and the sea in the background.Glasgow- George Square
View the changing face of Glasgow's main square which hosts many different events during the year.Glencoe
The view from the King's House Hotel looking down the glen, updated every two hours.Greenock, Inverclyde
Looking across the river Clyde.Kilmarnock, Ayrshire
Three webcams provided by East Ayrshre Council at The Cross, John Finnie Street and Green Street.Kyle of Lochalsh
Looking over to Skye and the Skye road bridge.Lewis - Eoropaidh Tea Room
In the extreme north of the Isle of LewisLinlithgow - Union Canal
Change the camera views to see the Linlithgow canal centre, the Union Canal and the narrow boats moored there.Loch Lomond
Change the views to see different aspects including the loch, Loch Lomond Shores visitor centre and the Maid of the Loch paddle steamer.Loch Ness
So that you can keep watch for Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster - both above and under water.Montrose Basin, Angus
Located in the gallery area of the Scottish Wildlife Trust Montrose Basin Wildlife Centre with views across this tidal basin. Seals, herons, eider, and many hundreds of small waders inhabit the area, ospreys hunt there in Summer, and thousands of pink-foot geese winter there.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!New Deer, Aberdeenshire
Looking from just outside the ancient town of New Deer in Aberdeenshire, towards the mountain of Bennachie, the best known and most climbed hill range in North East Scotland.North-west Scotland and Skye
There are links to a series of Webcams near Armadale at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig College (part of the University of the Highlands and Islands) looking from the college across the Sound of Sleet to the fishing and ferry port of Mallaig. If you look out at the right time you might just catch sight the CalMac ferry leaving Mallaig for Armadale or the Small Isles of Rùm, Eigg, Muck and Canna. Another webcam looks north east from the college across the Sound of Sleat to "Britain's last wilderness", the Knoydart peninsula. Further webcams include one located behind Bernera Farmhouse looking west across the meadow to the Kyle Rhea narrows and Ben Aslak; then there is a webcam at Bernera Farm, north of Glenelg, looking north east down Glen Bernera towards Glas Bheinn. Don't forget to click on the webcam image to view a dedicated archive page that includes a captioned view of the most prominent features on each webcam plus thirty days of images and time-lapse sequences. Other webcams of Skye from the same site, include:
- Badicaul by Kyle of Lochalsh
- Eilean Donan Castle
- Loch Harport, Minginish Peninsula
- Loch Ness
- Skye Bridge
- Urquhart Castle & Loch Ness
- White Heather Hotel, Kyleakin
Oban Bay
Overlooks the bay area, with the islands of Kerrera and Lismore beyond.Ochil Hills
View of the Ochils from Stirling University.Orkney
A view of Stromness Harbour, updated every hour.Orkney - St Magnus Cathedral
View of St Magnus Cathedral taken from the office of a local chartered accountant.RSPB
The Webcams from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds includes Ospreys at Loch Garten.Rutherglen
The site has been listed in the top 25 views by the webcam portal site EarthCam - rubbing shoulders with views of Brooklyn Bridge, Tokyo and Nasa astronauts in space. A plus is the quality of the sound being broadcast - the site comments "if you listen, you will hear the odd reveller go home after a wee drink or two after the local pubs and bars close."Shetland
Click on the Webcam link on this official Shetland tourism site and get a series of Webcam views around the islands.Skye - Sligachan Hotel
Views of the Cuillin mountain range.Stonehaven Harbour
Control the camera to change the views.Traffic Scotland
CCTV views of motorway traffic near Glasgow and East Central Scotland (including Edinburgh and the Forth Road Bridge into Fife).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?
