Skye and Wester Ross 1947 Shaded Relief Map

The Isle of Skye and the rugged coast of Wester Ross, in Scotland's Northwest Highlands, sit on some of the oldest rock in Europe: Lewisian gneiss here dates back roughly 2.8 billion years, long before complex life existed. Skye's jagged Cuillin ridge tells a far younger story — during the Paleocene epoch, as the North Atlantic began to open, the island became one of the major volcanic centers of the North Atlantic Igneous Province. The magma chambers of those volcanoes cooled into the dark gabbro that gives the Black Cuillin its famously knife-edged silhouette, while the paler granite of the neighboring Red Hills weathered into softer, rounded summits. This 1947 survey captures the dramatic topography that has drawn climbers, crofters, and artists to this remote and beautiful corner of the Highlands for generations.

We georeferenced the original 1947 survey and used digital elevation data to generate the shaded relief in software, hand-correcting the result across the Cuillin's ridgelines and Wester Ross's sea lochs until the landscape appears three-dimensional — an illusion created entirely by the shading printed on the paper's surface, not by any actual texture or relief. The print itself stays flat to the touch, so it frames beautifully like any fine art print. Choose the cloud version for a more atmospheric look drifting over the terrain, or the clean version to let the relief stand on its own.

A note on legibility: text on the original map is small, and can be difficult to read given the map's age. In areas where the relief shading is darkest, the underlying labels are not legible. We recommend the largest available size for the best detail.

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Unframed prints - Printed to order and shipped within 2-3 business days
Framed prints - Custom framed and will ship in 3-4 weeks

Full refund on returns of unframed paper prints within 30 days of purchase. Prints must be returned in NEW condition without creases or damage. Please email us at [email protected] for instructions.

If prints are shipped back to us and are not in new condition, we offer a store credit or can return them to you. 

We do NOT ACCEPT returns or exchanges on framed prints or canvas wraps because they are made to order.

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Made in the USA

We consider our maps to be works of art, so we print and frame them accordingly.

Using award-winning printers with gallery quality fine art paper and inks, our maps will exceed expectations and last a lifetime.

• Archival Paper and Inks
• 100% Cotton, OBA-Free, and Acid-Free
• Heavyweight 21.5 mil
• Certified to last 100 years

Read customer reviews HERE attesting to the quality of our prints.

We use real Walnut for our frames, unlike the lesser quality veneer you will typically find elsewhere. With beautiful hardwood grain, each is handmade to order at a professional frame shop.

• 7/8 inch face and 1 1/2 inch depth
• Acrylite glazing (more clear than glass)
• Acid-free backing paper
• Hanging wire installed