South West Scotland 2021: Part Eleven

14 September 2021

Today I went to find Barr Castle. Now, I wont lie, it’s not exactly an inspiring castle by a long shot, but I had seen some nice reflection shots of this one, so I had added it to my county list as a possible plan b location. Since I was sitting nearby in the rain, it seemed only sensible that I should at least go and have a look. As I left the camper with River I couldn’t miss the fact that she was limping. I checked her paw and saw it look a little raw after yesterday’s walk, so I left her in Fred to rest up. I think long walks on tarmaced paths don’t do her paws any good, since I remember something similar happening on my highland trip a year earlier. I must bear this in mind for future. River didn’t object to being left, so I headed off, in the drizzly rain, on this one alone.

The walk was easier than I thought, being flat and much closer than I expected, although as I got near I realised that access to the castle itself wasn’t anywhere near as easy. Since I had seen so many photos I assumed that there should be an entry to this one, but couldn’t find it from this path. Frustrated I ended up doing the naughty thing and climbing over the low fence here and walking up the short hill trying to see if I could find a proper way in. On walking all the way to the front, I realised that the photos I had seen online had likely been taken from the road itself! (although, where on earth did the photographers park?!) I tried as best as I could, but just about every photo was drab in the grey weather so it felt like a struggle to get a nice shot.. and with a pond full of muck, getting a reflection was even worse.

Instead, I tried a shot through a fallen tree, various framing ideas to isolate the castle, all different spots around the pond, but nothing really worked to bring this location to life for me today. I think the cluttered pond really put me off and eventually I just gave up. This needed something that I wasn’t getting today. As I went to leave I spotted an awesome tree growing with a big hole in it. How its managed to survive such an intrusion in its trunk, I have no idea, but the whole tree looked very healthy (see header), I also spotted some amazing mushrooms growing on the floor. They were seriously impressive and HUGE!! I’d never seen anything quite like this one before, and couldn’t just leave without taking a photo to remember it with. Looking at it closely, I found it quite beautiful.

On the way back to Fred I had a think on what I could do today. Ideally, I wanted to redo the temple if there was a sunset, so to bide time, I went back to Barcraigs reservoir to recheck that out. Since it had been a fail the night I tried to park up there, I thought that, if nothing else, it would be a good time to recce the site. In the daylight I found a nice parking spot and took some shots from the window of the van. There was no real need to get any closer, I could tell, since the water level was so low, and the water that WAS there was being heavily distorted in the breeze. I loved some red plants I could see, but beyond this, there was nothing to leave the van for. I sat and contemplated my options instead and checked the weather for tonight. The chances of a nice sunset had dropped considerably. Giving up on a shot here then, I thought that I would just check out a possible parking spot that was closer to the temple for another time, and then maybe move back onto Inverclyde to try the county again.

I drove around the roads near to the Temple and found a spot that was much closer. Marking it on my map, I then started towards, I thought, the M8, only I accidentally made a wrong turn and ended up at Barcraigs reservoir again. Amazingly, this time round, I could instantly see that the water was as still as glass! I re parked up at the spot I’d found before, grabbed the camera and hotfooted it to the waters edge hoping to get there before the next breeze started up. This time the image looked quite a bit nicer, although I am sure with a higher water level and an interesting sky/snow element, this image would be really quite beautiful. I was just glad to get it as it was today! The reflection shot I had been hoping for for the last two days, not of a castle, but this little house (or fishing lodge?) will do me just as well thanks!

I didn’t have any set plans for tonight, so found a little spot to park up that would offer views of Dumbarton Castle from across the Firth of Clyde. I drove over and checked that out, finding it pretty easily, although the tide was out so the scene was very messy and drab. It was still fairly early however, so I phoned round a couple of places looking for a gas bottle refill, and found one not too far away at the James Watt Dock Marina in Greenock. This was just a few minutes drive further on, so I headed over there quickly before they closed. The lady there was super helpful, and a little bit of a saviour as I was one bottle down, with my second desperately low. There had been a shortage of gas bottles over the last few months, and I haven’t been able to get a refill, so my relief was quite intense. As I stepped outside, I noticed just how still the water was in the marina. These places don’t usually excite me, but something about this scene encouraged me to reach for the camera and grab some shots.

With the gas problem sorted, I drove back to my parking spot for the evening, and plotted a few locations to consider over the next couple of days. After I’d had had something to eat I stepped out as the light began to fade, in the vain hope the river might be still as it was nearing high tide. It wasn’t and the breeze was quite consistent here, but the view across to Dumbarton castle was still quite nice so I just took a picture of the sight as it was anyway, hoping to check again in the morning. You never know right?

As I settled for the evening, I noticed a motorhome pull up for the night, and several cars that pulled in, waited ten or fifteen minutes before disappearing off again. I came to realise this was an area for taxi drivers to wait at until a call came in. This quietened by midnight and I found myself sleeping really well.