The UK, Instagrammed

I present to you my past month’s adventures in England and Scotland, via iPhone 4.

With the exception of a handful of shots, most of these are Instagrammed. We spent the past month with family in Kent and London; friends in Oxford; university friends on a beautiful estate near Inverness, Scotland, for the New Year; and circles of friends — from Egypt and other places — throughout London.

I did a few things for the first time: wore a kilt, went clay pigeon shooting and shot a rifle, sipped whisky I actually liked (Dalwhinnie), ate pheasant, and more. I loved catching a good friend from college during a night of soup dumplings in Chinatown, and staying with one of my husband’s good friends in Islington, which is a lovely area of London (and has a tiny but solid pho shop).

London.

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Oxford.

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Scotland (Near Inverness).

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Kent (Maidstone/Leybourne).

Other Places Caught with My iPhone:

Published by Cheri Lucas Rowlands

Senior editor at Longreads / Automattic

37 thoughts on “The UK, Instagrammed

  1. Some familiar sights here – London, Oxford and Kent are all places where I’ve lived. Maybe they’re too familiar to me – I really struggled to take pictures while I was back home in the UK. I’ve enjoyed looking at these places through your eyes.

    1. So nice to see a note from you here, Jon. My husband said a similar thing to me — it’s challenging for him to see the places of his childhood through fresh eyes.

      Glad to see you back in Vietnam!

  2. Wow can’t believe these are from an iPhone! (well, I am a Blackberry user so that might be why). I especially love the colours seen in Inverness. I hope you enjoyed my home country 🙂

  3. Perfect. I’ve been considering a cool way to display photos on wordpress, this is exactly what I was looking for. I’ll have to give it a go!

      1. Fab! I’ll definitely check that out. I enjoyed all your pictures of the UK. I moved out here (from NorCal too!) almost one year ago and I’m still learning and finding new things. Looking forward to seeing your next adventure. 🙂

  4. Hey Cheri – WOW
    I have never used instagram but love photos and you have taken some beautiful shots and as others have mentioned some interesting shots / angles.
    Love – The Tube In London, Coloured Lights Under Bridge in London, Through The Window in Scotland & the Donkey at Leybourne.
    I may have to look into instagram after seeing these, you kept this skill quiet !!
    lovely to see you, speak soon – say Hi to Nick
    Jay, Nat & Jacob xxx

  5. I enjoy your photos. The shots that you choose are not “hey I have a phone and I can take a picture.” They’re very inspired, clever, and show some real thought. Rare on the Internet these days.

    1. I appreciate this comment. I know some people dismiss Instagram because it can churn out images that are quick, mundane, and meaningless. But I think you can use the app to create imagery that’s thoughtful and interesting.

  6. I love all of these photos so very much! I miss the UK desperately, and I love how you captured the wonder of the land in your photos! Thank you for the great post!

  7. Love your evocative photos! Especially the ones from Scotland this round. There is one of a man standing in the road. For some reason, I am taken with that shot, among others. Feel a story is there.. might be a prompt one day if I may use it…

    1. How interesting that particular shot stands out to you. My husband and I were with friends, heading down to a waterfall and river. Not sure what he was thinking at that moment… Thanks for the comment!

  8. I just love the pictures – you think of taking things and angles of things that I would never think of and you manage to capture the essence of a place. xx

  9. Love all these, but most of all I like how you can see where I grew up (Leybourne & Maidstone) through fresh eyes, and present my past – and present? – to me anew.

  10. I liked the way the clusters of pictures appear to the viewer here–classic modern city, classic scholarly haunt, nature and rustic idyllic habitation. Maybe it’s just me! Rich.

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