My Adventures – Page 8 – Knightshoots Landscape Photography

Talisker Bay

Skye 2019: Part Seven

22nd June 2019

Talisker was a classic example of my own inept skills at planning, and because of this, it ended up a highly disappointing evening at the time. After a fantastic day at the Fairy pools, I planned to come here for a sunset, on what appeared to be the only likely evening where I might have a chance at a good, red one. I had seen some online photos that showed a really lovely beach, with lovely features in the sands, an interesting sea stack, a waterfall, and basically a lovely vista well worth going to photograph, so teamed with a red sky, it may be a dream shot…In itself not a terribly bad plan I thought!

The drive over was a very pleasant one, and according to google maps there was a car park nearby to make everything easy. Well, I have no idea where this might be, because there was no car park to be seen, and I ended up at the bottom of a small dead end road looking around at signs telling me there was private property here, there, and over there. I gather from the signage, that people parking here are a nuisance. Another sign pointed me to a beach…but it was clear there was no road going any further. After a look around, I squeezed my camper into a small space where maybe 3 cars might park safely without annoying the folks living there too much, picked up my kit, River, and we began the hike in the direction the beach arrow was pointing. I was a little concerned as to how far there was still to go, and felt I may have missed my opportunity as it was quite late in the day, but after a short hike which took me through woodland, through someone’s front garden (!!), and past a big field with sheep in it, the route opened itself up to the bay just as the golden hour was in its final half hour.

This is when I realised my bad timing.

There was no beach to be seen anywhere, and access to the waterfall was completely impossible. The lovely patterns in the sand were gone…and I was faced with a beach full of boulders. Hefty ones some of them too. I just stood looking at the scene feeling really disappointed in myself. Eventually I clambered over the boulders, and found a position closer to the water, and tried what I could with my camera. With limited viewpoints, everything I tried was just half hearted though, and after the golden hour, even the sun didn’t seem to want to give me the hoped for glorious sunset, with the light slowly fading, and the blue increasing.

It was pretty, and just sitting watching the sun change through all the shades as the blue hour approached was very calming. River didn’t seem interested in taking a dip, so we basically just sat there, watching, and soaking up the peace. Such a difference to the evening a few nights ago at Duntulm! Another couple drifted in walked along the edge, and disappeared again, but apart from them, the beach was entirely empty.

Eventually I resigned myself to the fact the sky wasn’t going to light up, and I packed everything up, turned my back and started to walk off. River plodded silently next to me, and as I neared the edges of the boulders I took one last look before joining back onto the path that led back to the camper.

My heart stopped.

Yep… you guessed it… behind my back the sky suddenly given one last effort, and had lit up. It was only briefly, and by the time I got my camera and tripod back out, there was only a little left..but I managed to capture a little that was still in the east. I missed completely the stunning red I had first glanced.

Not the dream shot I hoped for, but its enough to remind me of several things. Firstly. Don’t go until you are SURE the sunset is fully over (!) Secondly, (this one was very much in hindsight) and more importantly, sometimes, just sitting, and not taking a photo isn’t a bad thing. Soaking up the atmosphere is often a much better option, less stressful, and amazingly good for the soul! This evening was still beautiful, peaceful, and amazingly calming – it just wasn’t picturesque in the way I hoped. Why on earth did I try to force it? I have clearly developed a bad habit of pressuring myself to take a picture, Take A Picture, TAKE A PICTURE!!!… and sometimes, I should just take in the scene. I forgot to remind myself this was mostly a trip to see what was here…the importance of ‘getting THAT shot’ should have been the least important aspect. To this day its a bad habit and one I really need to pull back on, because all it effectively does is put pressure on myself which hampers everything.

I actually left feeling disappointed, and sad… how stupid of me to do that to myself!

Fairy Pools

Skye 2019: Part Six

22nd June 2019

You cannot visit Skye, and not visit the Fairy Pools. Seriously, you can’t I tell you! Not only is it a really enjoyable, easy walk, but there are so many varying waterfalls, that you will have plenty to look at.

When I went, I found the car parking to be much improved since my last visit, and I read they are still hoping to do more…planning some public toilets was one improvement I heard they were thinking about. The car park now is much larger, and can accommodate campers with no issue, and it’s so close to the beginning of the walk, that it is the perfect place to start.

I parked up and noted that the weather was yet again pretty grim looking, so wrapped up well and started on the long hike. I saw my first waterfalls straight away, but decided that I would make my way to the last one first, then photograph them as I made my way back. In hindsight, this wasn’t the best idea, as I completely underestimated just how busy this area would get as the day went on, and as I started, it was definitely quieter.. although.. actually, maybe this wasn’t the wrong decision. At the end the prettiest of the falls was still very quiet when I arrived… so I retract that last line…or at least need to add that maybe there is no ‘good’ time as such. This walk can, if you want, take you all day so my advice would be to simply plan which falls you want the most, and pick either the beginning or end of the day for those, and simply spread out the remainder for the rest of your time there.

I did stop by each fall and see what shots I might be able to get with them nonetheless. I spotted one photographer taking pictures of one, standing in such a position that I couldn’t work out how he had gotten there. I ended up assuming he had crossed the river earlier, and had come down on the other side. He would certainly get a nice shot from where he was standing, and I didn’t recognise the falls he was photographing either, so well done him, they are clearly not ones that get snapped very often! I carried on walking, seeing a few other people on the way, interested that even this early there were several groups here. At one point, where it felt as though the falls seemed to come to the end of their best ones, and I heard at least two groups say that this was probably as far as they go, turning round and going back towards the beginning. If you come here, and you haven’t seen the main attraction.. my advice here would be KEEP GOING! I now realise that these people had missed the prettiest of them all… and you really can’t miss them when you get there.

As I got to the end, I was really pleased I had gone straight there. With just one other couple there, I pretty much had the falls to myself, and was over the moon with the view. The weather, though grim, had held off, and I had had enough wherewithal to have worn Wellington boots… the plan was to walk right into the river and get that well photographed shot looking straight at the falls. River plodded happily next to me, very pleased when it came to getting our feet wet, so I just let her enjoy the water as I started to set up.

This was where I felt a little sad, and worried.. I really wanted to get one of those lovely long exposure photos, with the soft water, but without my big stopper, I was really concerned how I would best achieve the shot I hoped for. I got everything ready, and decided to look at what filters I did have, and see what I could do for the best. I still had my little stopper, so put that in the bit of holder that just about still held a filter..it did help a little, but wasn’t quite enough to darken it to the level I needed…in the end I pulled everything out, put a polariser on, held the little stopper, then ended up holding groups of everything else I had together manually in front of the lens. It looked clumsy and ridiculous, but when the shot had finally taken, I could do nothing but stare at the screen. I had never taken a shot like it….it was everything I had ever wanted in a photo. The clarity was spot on, the ominous clouds bounced across the top of the mountain behind, the water fell with such a lovely soft flow, and the light was amazing. I just kept taking more of the same. Probably no point to that, but I really wanted to keep this image! Behind me, I could see lots of blue sky coming, but this photo had nothing but the moody clouds, and they simply stayed put, giving me plenty of opportunities to get high wispy bits, or lower angrier clouds. I felt on top of the world!

Once I had the all the shots I could get, I began the slow wander back…and as each moment passed it got hotter and hotter, as all the blue chased the cloud away. People arrived in their swimming costumes, and bathed in the deeper pools, many paddled in the shallower water…I trudged along in wellingtons, a jumper and a thick rain coat…much to the confused looks of all the holidaymakers! I didn’t care…I continued walking into the river on the falls that I could get to, and tried to catch as much as I could on my way back. As the crowds built it got harder and harder, but I waited patiently where I could, and just took my time. This was my plan for today, and I was in no real hurry. River was also having a ball, completely in her element she was in and out of the water, laying down, swimming, and just shaking all the drips off constantly, and really seemed to enjoy this hike far more than any of the others. In all, it took me most of the day.

The numbers of different types of falls, surprised me. They weren’t all gentle bubbling brook ones, some were high and thin, some came from different angles towards themselves, crashing down in one big mass of water, one came down so tidily, that the flow away was crystal clear, showing the rock formations, and colours clearly. Others were full on bubbling masses of water over the boulders. The variations were striking every time! This is a photographers dream for sure, and the challenges varied with each and every fall. Some were very easy and obvious shots, some only had one spot you could shoot from, but several others offered a few options if you felt a little adventurous.

One such fall was towards the beginning of the walk (or towards the end as I was making my way back to the start in my case). I noticed this one because of the photographer that had stood there earlier in the day. As I got back to it, I wondered how he HAD actually gotten to his position, and feeling brave, decided to climb down towards the river to get a closer look. As luck would have it, having wellingtons on helped massively, because I was able to navigate across the river, and get across to the other side after all. Round here I was able to walk back to the waterfall the man had been photographing, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with the location. It just felt SO calm and peaceful, and almost like I had a private little glen to myself. No-one else was here, and during the time I spent here, only one other couple ventured across. The light by now was very harsh, and it was really difficult to get a shot I was happy with, but I spent some time trying nonetheless. The atmosphere here was just so gorgeous, I didn’t really want to leave, and River obviously felt much the same, as she was just content to lay in the grass, sunning herself. I must find out when the light is at its best for this secluded spot, and try again… well any excuse really will do! I suspect, in times of heavy rain or snow melting, crossing the river will be MUCH harder so maybe I should just rejoice in my luck on this day, and remember the joy and peace I felt at this spot.

I eventually got back to the bottom towards the evening, and ended up shooting the twin falls at the start of the walk. These seem to get overlooked a lot, and yet they are so very pretty. I guess most people aim for the main walk at the start of their walk, and by the time they get back here, they are a bit waterfalled out! This should have been a pretty easy and straightforward shot, but I didn’t bargain on the famed midges coming out to play, and battled them terribly, as they tickled every exposed bit of skin I had in their attempts to land and have their meal for the night! I snapped quickly, and ended up pretty much running from the spot. Next time, I will try this shot earlier in the day, or at a different season!!

As a first serious scouting of the area however, I could see lots of potential at many of the spots I shot, and I could see a lot of learning curves, on where I went wrong. One of my biggest issues ended up being that stark, strong sunlight, which pretty much whited most of the falls out, and my skill set struggled to work out how to take the photos to show them to their best. I was over the moon, however, to see one of my best shots to date come out this walk, highlighting to me where my photographic learning is progressing.

I cant wait to go back!!

Sligachan

Skye 2019: Part Five

21st/22nd and 24th June 2019

Ahhh, I love this place… aaaaand so does every tourist, photographer and hiker that come to Skye. In fact its so well photographed that its pretty impossible for anyone to miss this place, especially considering… oh, wait… did I just drive through it???

Thus was my first experience of Sligachan.

Unbelievably, for such an amazing location there’s very little here to spoil it or point it out noticeably… well apart from the HUGE number of tourists. There’s literally, just a hotel, a small camp site and something just back off the road near a small car park- and that’s it. The route to most locations I visited took me through here several times however, so I afforded myself several stops over the week, (to try and capture the quieter moments) and rather than post multiple times, I will pop them all together in one.

My first proper stop here, other than a quick scouting trip where I just got frustrated with people, was after I had finished breaking my leg, camera and spirit at Brides Veil Falls. I decided that I deserved a proper night at a campsite, a decent shower and some alcohol (which I tend to avoid on these trips, as I drive so late into the evening and early in the morning) I got to the campsite, asked availability, and was pleased to find that there were several spaces free. I didnt need any electric hook up, and the price, including free showers, was very reasonable, so I found a nice pitch, and settled in. I had hoped for a meal cooked for me this night, but the hotel was hosting a wedding, so both the bar and restaurant were closed for the private function sadly. Instead, I cooked a simple, quick, one pot meal, then went for a nice wander to chill out from my days upsets, and to get some ideas for the morning. I planned to be out well before the tourists arrived, and since it was midsummer, that meant I had a good few hours that would work for me from 5 or 6am if I chose, as people started arriving around 8 am here. I wandered up the river a little but soon got caught in boggy ground with my casual slip on shoes, so abandoned the walk up that way. I did get some nice ideas however, and seeing that there was little likelihood of there being a nice sunset, I headed back to the campsite, to have a shower, some wine, and a wonderful early night.

As I got back towards the hotel, I was stopped by two American women asking if this was the place of ‘the legend’. I had no idea, so they walked away to the hotel to ask someone there. As I wandered around the bridges one last time, they came back to me, and happily informed me that it was. On my blank expression, they explained that they had come all the way from the USA to Skye specially to fulfil the instructions in the legend…that if you dip your face into the water under the bridge for seven seconds, you will be blessed with eternal beauty. To be fair, they both clearly had a really good head start on that one, but fascinated I watched them make their way down to the waters edge, and cheered them on from the new bridge, as each in turn, did indeed lean forward on their bellies, and hold their faces in the cold flowing waters under the old Sligachan bridge.

Its a sweet legend now I have read it, of a mighty warrior, a daughter whose tears reached the fairies at this place, and of how they granted her a wish to save her mother – go look it up before you go, its well worth the read before your visit. Next time I am here I may give the face dipping a go – you never know – it might reverse time a bit…!!!

I woke in the morning fully refreshed and raring to go, being at the (people free) bridge easily, by 7am. My first visit here, and the walk last night, had me mildly concerned about the hill right behind the Old Bridge. On both occasions the light had been directly on the hill making it look a little flat, and rather bland to my eyes, and my fear was that it would look like that today too… but I needn’t have worried. Today I was blessed with a bit of cloud cover to the left, that cast a nice shadow over the hill peak, giving it a bit of life. I snapped photos eagerly from this side while it was there, then moved around to some other positions as it cleared, leaving the hill flat again. This shot ended up one of my favourites, even though it’s probably the spot most photographers use…

As I was on the opposite bank, I met with another photographer, Thomas. For a while we worked together, chatted about our work, kit, and offered tips or suggestions to each other. He was really interesting to chat to, preferring black and white pictures, which is different to those I take. He spoke to me about the use of tone, and the difference it made in how he looked at a picture. “For colour photography, sunrise and sunset are the best times ” he said “because the colours are so beautiful. For the middle of the day, it can get quite hard though, and that’s when I think black and white can work well. You aren’t looking for colour, you are looking for tone instead”. He went on to explain what helps for a tonal photograph, and it felt that I was being given a valuable and worthwhile tutorial. I was also fascinated to hear, and see the results of, his recent trip to Norway on a photographic trip with a guide. “The guide knew lots of secret and quiet spots, and the best time to visit them” he explained. This is a dream trip of mine, and his shots were amazing, making me feel desperate to do one of these!… sounds like I really need to get saving, or finding funding of some sort, if I ever hope to fulfil this dream though… it wasn’t cheap!

I considered Thomas’s photography to be considerably better than mine, and have since looked at all of his galleries on the internet as a source of inspiration, so I was quite pleased when, after following me to a spot I had hunkered down in, he declared “Oh this is a fantastic spot, you have found the best one yet!” (Featured image at top) It helped me feel that I could do something right to please a real ‘pro’! As we took photos here, the first tourist bus arrived, so he decided to finish, having achieved the shots he wanted, and the site was getting more and more populated. I too started packing down shortly afterwards, when I was joined by another man, Bucko, who was clearly video blogging. This looked interesting, so we chatted about that, about photography, and a number of other things for quite a while, continuing to chat as we both left and wandered back to our retrospective vehicles… we swapped Instagram details, and we have been following each other and chatting occasionally, ever since. This is such a nice way to meet new friends!

A few days later, another new friend (met on the Old Man of Stor adventure) told me of another location very near Sligachan, with a lone white house, the river and the mountain as a backdrop. It sounded really pretty….but I never found it. I have since seen other photos of it, and now think I know where it is, but this will be a site for another day…. however, I did try to find it. On the way I found Sligachan falls. How I missed this on my scouting trip I have no idea, as its a very short walk from the photo above! The main route through Sligachan is the A87, but at the hotel, it forks onto the A863 (the turning to the left if you are standing with the bridges behind you) After a short walk up here, you will see a foot path to your left, and this takes you directly to the falls…do go, you will not be disappointed!!

The view when I got there was gorgeous, and as luck would have it, the Black Cullin mountains were clear of cloud cover enough to afford some nice dramatic shots without obscuring its impressive shape. I was in love with this view, and could have stayed much longer! River, however, was trying her hardest to get down to the water, but there was no obvious way down from this side. She had my heart stop several times when it looked like she might actually try and jump off the steep edge. Eventually for her safety more than anything, I decided that I had enough shots, and should leave before she managed to leap off !

(Update)…I have since discovered that its pronounced Schleeg-a-chan… ch pronounced as in loch…just so you know!

(Second update)…I found the white cottage on a second visit in Jan 2020… just a bit further up from the falls, and down a small private road. Very easy to get to, and quite a classic shot!

Fairy Glen and Brides Veil Falls

Skye 2019: Part Four

21 June 2019

These two locations are just SO beautiful, but boy, what a roller coaster day!

My first stop today was at the Fairy Glen. Other than the many photos I had seen of the spirals that can be seen here, and Castle Ewan, the very picture worthy rocky outcrop, I didn’t really know much else about this place. I had a list ready for today, thinking that I would take some pictures here quickly, and move on, but I left thinking of the many different shots I wanted, and fully regretted giving myself such a short window. My advice would be for everyone to allow time to explore! Next time I come here, I will tour the whole area, and take the time to photograph everything!

I parked in the first spot I found, which happened to be right near the road, and just at the start of the Glen, then picked up my kit, and went for a hike. The second I rounded the first hill I fell in love. The area was covered in gentle mounds looking like a mini mountain range for fairies. They were big enough to give me some exercise climbing up them, but small enough that you can be up them in minutes. Unbelievably, I didn’t stop to take a single photo in my rush to get to the main attraction. A decision I sorely regret.

As I closed in on Castle Ewan. I realised that not only was it over the other side of the road, but I could have parked much closer. Where I had arrived first thing in the morning, there had been only one other car in my spot, so assumed that was the parking spot. There appear to be several lay-bys though, so the area can accommodate around 10 cars in all, that I saw.

The weather was still fairly grim looking, but far out on the horizon I could see that there was nicer weather coming. By the road at the foot of Castle Ewan, there is a pond, and after a quick wander I finally got my camera out. The scene looked awesome, with some really moody cloud behind. At one point the wind dropped slightly, the water stilled, and I managed to get one of my favourite photos of the trip. Seconds later I heard a splash, and I realised River had jumped right on in. Her timing couldn’t have been any better really! This water was much safer than the waterfall on the River Rha, so I let her enjoy the swim.

As we sat here, the tourists started arriving fairly quickly. It was 9 by now, so my advice would be to get here for sunrise or 7ish to have a better chance for people free photos. From here on in, I battled growing crowds that arrived, literally, by the bus load. Because of this, I decided to photograph Ewan first, to avoid any further crowds being too great an issue, and hiked up to the top. As I started up the narrow path, I saw a shot I liked, with the path up being an interesting leading line in, and set up in readiness for the people at the top, to come back down. While doing so, I had a group of people behind me also waiting patiently. Realising I was holding them up, I told them to go on up, to which they replied…’no, its OK…get your photo first’. I was so pleasantly surprised at this reaction but so extremely grateful for it! I grabbed several shots as soon as I could, then let them through with lots of individual thanks you’s. I followed them up and clambered up to a lovely point at the top, in line with the rocky peak. River and I waited here a fair while at this point for all the people to pass, and we just chilled at the top for ages. The views from here were well worth just sitting and looking at. Mind you, not having a great head for heights, and this particular spot being pretty narrow, was really scary for me, with drops to either site of the spot I sat in – having this chance to find the calm I needed was an additional benefit to the wait however!!

Once clear of people, I took some shots at the top, then wandered down, around the still evident spiral, and up one of the mounds next to castle Ewan. I was a little disappointed that there were no stones in the spirals when I went, as they really do heighten the magical feel of the photos of this place. I believe its a tourist thing though, and the locals come along and move them, because they aren’t natural to the area. There’s even a sign asking people to not move the stones because ‘the fairies don’t like it’. I understand the thought process of continually removing the stones, and trying to encourage people to just enjoy the area for its natural beauty, but in my mind, I can see the removal of them having a very different effect. With no stones, the spirals get walked around, thus wearing down the grass. With the stones getting removed, tourists then go to find more stones to put them back, and in doing so, may destroy another area….and what’s actually wrong with having a stone spiral? Many stone circles are not natural, but add a greater interest to a location, and some even enhance the area. I personally think they do here, since I think my photos looked pretty flat and bland from this angle, with just a big bit of worn green grass to the front of the castle. The spiral adds some additional interest, especially if you can capture it with the stones’ shadows. As it goes, my shots were full of people anyway, so were anything but magical. This location is most definitely an early or late one, as its very popular, and I think a capture with stones may be very hit and miss. Thankfully Photoshop exists…and people can be tastefully removed…

My next stop was Brides Veil Falls, not too far from Old Man of Stor. I had been looking forward to this one, as photos of it showed a really picturesque waterfall, and, from a different angle, a nice viewpoint taking in the Stor rock formation in the background. It wasn’t signposted from the road, and the only real reason I spotted it was because a big bus of tourists was parked in the small car parking spot. I waited for a few minutes before they finished loading all the passengers, and parked up as soon as the bus pulled away and a space became available. There is space for about 3-4 cars, but if another bus came in, I wouldn’t have been able to park anywhere.

I could see the area was boggy, so changed into my wellington boots, a very wise choice in hindsight, as I ended up having to cross the waterfall river for both views that I ended up liking the most. The weather was a bit hit and miss – like this morning at the fairy glen, it was grey above me, but to my right I could see growing patches of blue, so hoped they would be with me by the time I got to the top. The route up was steep, muddy and very slippery, but I scrabbled on up with the dog beside me undeterred, and driven in purpose by the promise of a beautiful shot. As I got to the base of the waterfall, I realised that the best position would be either straight on, or on the other side of the river and that I was currently in the wrong place completely.

As luck would have it, there was a large flat stone that would be perfect to set up on, facing the waterfall, so I looked at crossing the water hopefully using some sturdy stones to get over. It took a minute of careful looking but I eventually found what I hoped to be a good route and started across. The first three stones were good and solid, but stone 4 wasn’t in the slightest. As my weight was fully on it, it slipped away from under me, and my left leg plunged into the cold water right up to my knee, cracking my shin really hard against the rock I was aiming for. I scrabbled onto the rock, screaming in my head. I grabbing the leg in agony and just sat there for a moment to allow the initial searing pain to pass and settle into a groaning ache. That’s when heard my poor dog crying on the other side of the water. Thinking she had followed me I suddenly remembered her, and struggled back up to my feet to try and find her a route over. After a fair bit of encouragement, she managed to find the good route I was pointing at, half jumping and half swimming across the water. She came round to the big rock, and just sat under the tripod as I set everything up, focussed, and got ready to shoot.

That’s when the heavens opened. I grabbed the old Niagara rain mac that I had in my bag, threw it over the whole set up (and dog), and simply huddled down into my own coat to wait it out. There wasn’t much else I could do. I consoled myself and the dog, rubbed my sore shin gingerly and just sat there. Then, to my right, I saw a big group of tourists just staring me. A totally mad woman sitting in the middle of the river, with her dog and camera under a pathetic flimsy raincoat, in the pouring rain. I wasn’t sure if their looks were of complete disbelief or total amusement at the sight. I could do no more than put a big happy (currently fake) smile on my face, and give them a joyful thumbs up signal. They just stared a moment longer, turned, and started to make their way back down. Please God may they have not taken a photo of their own…

The rain eventually stopped, so I reframed the shot and went to take the photo…when I realised another photographer had worked his way into the top of my shot with a partner. Cussing quietly at my ongoing bad luck, I just gave him a courteous little nod, and waited some more for him to finish his shot. I don’t mind this sort of wait too much, as I know the love for the shot they may be getting, and I know at some point, either past or future, I will undoubtedly be that photographer that someone else has to wait for. It seemed to take an age for him to take his photos, he was certainly in no hurry himself, but eventually he did start packing up (still in no apparent hurry) and I readied myself for my shot at last. Then the heavens opened again. I waited this one out, then as it finished I grabbed several shots before it might have come down a third time!

I was really pleased with the images at the back of the camera, so after I had my fill taking those shots, I packed the kit up and hobbled up to the rough area that the other photographer had been standing. This was the second shot I was aiming for, with the Stor in the background, and I was really pleased to see that in that direction, the sky had turned really blue. Hopefully that had been the last of the rain for today…it was certainly beginning to try and break through the clouds. In the viewfinder the shot looked like a typically beautiful postcard image. I sorted myself out slowly, as best as my leg would let me, and River dog had a good explore of the area. It felt safe here for her, so I let her wander a little wider, sniffing sheep poop, ferns and everything a dog finds exciting. it was absolute bliss…. for a few minutes anyway. I snapped about 4 shots of the beautiful view, then turned to get something out of my bag for the briefest of seconds. Just at that point, a sudden gust of wind came from nowhere, grabbed the camera and threw it to the ground. It was absolutely one of those horrific slow motion moments when you yell that long ‘NOOOOooooooo!!!!’ in your head, and you see your arm thrown out in the vain hope that you can grab the camera, but you miss… then all timey wimey reality comes back in an instant short sharp snap, at the horrifying, gut wrenching sound, of smashing glass.

I raced over to see the camera had hit a rock, that my expensive Lee Big stopper filter was in pieces, and the holder was dented. Dreading the worst, I carefully lifted the camera, choking back fearful tears, terrified of what other damage there was…OMG.. the lens? The Camera??? The £££’s started mounting in my head and I was beside myself when I finally pulled the filter holder off to examine everything, and turn the camera on. It was fine. I couldn’t believe it. I checked again, and again – The lee filter had saved my lens, and the camera fired up without issue. No scratches, no dents..only the filter was gone. Although I was unbelievably relieved, I was gutted and despondent by now too. This spot had been little more than a big group of bad events that just seemed to torture me endlessly. I really couldn’t face any more. I carefully picked up every part of the filter I could find, reforming it in the tin until it was clear that I had picked up all the pieces of glass, packed the rest of the kit away, then feeling completely and utterly deflated, I slowly hobbled my way back down the hill.

I got back to the camper, put the kettle on, and took the boots off to examine my leg at least. There was nothing there. The chronic bruise I expected was absent, despite it still feeling terribly painful to the touch…and in fact..it took over 5 days before my lower leg suddenly turned a yellow colour as the last of the bruising finally made its way out. Still sore for weeks after, I read up that I had likely suffered a bruised bone…which, apparently, is as close as you can get to a broken bone as it gets without having an actual fracture. Leg inspected, I had a cup of tea, and looked at the photos of the day… the last picture was lovely. Just the shot I had hoped for. So..after all that, it had been a successful day after all!! My tip here is to simply remember…A good cuppa makes everything in the world great again!

Brides Veil Falls with Old Man of Stor in the background

Duntulm Castle and Bay

Skye 2019: Part Three

20/21 June 2019

With my sat nav finally finding me at Mealt falls, I typed in the address for Duntulm bay, and set off, aiming to drive past the Quiraing, then turning north at Uig. (in hindsight, I could have just stayed on the A855! Duh!!) Anyhow, according to the sat nav, I clearly needed to drive back past most of the route I had taken, but it almost immediately tried to turn me down a dead end road, just past the road I needed to take. It actually did this three times over the week, before I recognised the proper turn off. If you are using satellite navigation to get to the Quiraing, do not follow it down the dead end road where the residents have kindly put a hand written sign up stating ‘this doesn’t lead to the Quiraing’, because, funnily enough, they are right! If you are heading towards a small group of houses, its the wrong road. If coming up from the Mealt falls/Portree direction, its a small B road just before then, that heads off towards Sartle, and Uig. My apologies to those residents for turning round there so many times…!

Once on the right road, finding Duntulm was pretty easy, as it was just along the one road at the top of the Trotternish peninsular. As I came around the bend. I saw the bay, and was pleased to note that there was a long lay bay for cars to park so they could visit the area. I wasn’t so pleased to notice exactly what NO advanced planning does for a photo shoot. There was no beach…and the tide was coming in. The nice pebbled beach shot I had hoped for, was out of the window clearly! (I didn’t learn from this either – I forgot to look up tide times (and indeed, sunrise/set positions) all week – not that the internet was reliable enough to check). Maybe I should be thinking of planning a trip a little better next time, rather than just travelling on a whim with a few basic ideas while I am actually away in situ…

On arrival, I decided to scout the area out with River, and found that the castle was within a few minutes walk of the parking spot. The castle was a ruin, sitting on a rocky outcrop and the area was blocked off with signs warning of danger. Looking at the castle position, I didn’t think it was going to have many years left here.. and indeed, some of it may have already fallen to the sea beneath. It was a bit hard to tell as the remaining castle was just a few low walls that were over grown, or in pieces. I saw some people had ignored the signs, and were having a look over the site, wandering about fairly easily. I decided to join them eventually. I had seen a stunning spot that one photographer had used, which had a fantastic rocky foreground, looking out to the sea and the little island out there (I believe its called Tulm island). I couldn’t find the spot anywhere, and was totally perplexed as to where the photo had been taken from, thinking in the end, that maybe it was an older photo, and that the bit of wall had fallen by now. As I went to leave, I was blessed with a burst of sunlight over the ruins, which really brought the place alive. Thankfully I had my mobile phone on me, and caught it. (*Edit* I have since found out that the photo I liked, was actually taken in Tulm Bay, which appears to be the other side of the castle)

From here, River and I hiked down the hill towards the sea, to see what the view might be from below the castle looking up at it. I liked this view a lot, and started across the rocks towards the cliff base, to get an idea of shots. River began to struggle a little, so I eventually just snapped a photo of the Castle from where I stood. (this is the shot you can see on the Skye location and map page) My thinking was, that in the morning, I would try again for a sunrise, hoping too, that the tide would be lower, so that I might get further round. The idea may have been a good one but I wasn’t bargaining on the night I was about to have.

I returned to the camper, and decided to have a go at a beach shot anyway. I had seen some really nice rocky lines heading out into the ocean, and thought that these might at least make a nice foreground to practice on. Seascapes are not my strong point and I don’t feel as comfortable with these, so I felt this would be a good opportunity to give them a practice, even if they didn’t have a nice sandy bit in the photos. As I walked down the road, I couldn’t see any obvious paths to the beach, so ended up just carving my own way through the grass. There were very large pebbles lining the beach between the grass and the flat rocky spurs I was aiming towards, so River and I carefully picked our way across, finally coming to a bit I liked. I crouched down, and framed up what I thought might be a nice shot, and started working on these, using my ND filters to slow the waters. I moved a little, and took some more. These weren’t as nice as I hoped, and the tide was heading in pretty quickly, so I had to move back in a bit of a hurry. As I grabbed my bag, I hadn’t noticed that I left one pocket open, and half my batteries flew out, two right into the water. I fished them out, but for the duration of the rest of the break, they refused to charge properly. Gagh! I am such a clutz!! As I moved back I saw another rocky spur and took some shots of that one, feeling slightly happier with this composition. I think I still have a lot to learn in this field of Landscape photography, but feel fairly happy with my early attempts.

The sky was getting fairly cloudy by now, and it was clear that if it continued, there would be no nice sunset, although I thought I would keep an eye open just in case. Luckily the camper was parked close enough to the castle and cliff that it wouldn’t take me long to get into position if things changed. As I started back for the evening, I noticed on the far side of the bay, that a small group of people were setting up a bright yellowish tent. They would have a nice view of the bay in the morning, I mused, especially if the tide was out…

Oh how wrong I was.

Over the next hour or so, the sky got greyer, and night felt to have crept in much earlier than the previous one. There was a slight wind picking up, and eventually it started to rain. As the hours progressed this got steadily worse until I realised that I was sitting in absolute fear of the camper being blown off the whole edge. The rain hammered down so loud, that sleep was nearly impossible. I did eventually manage a few dozes in between the lulls of the intense, punishing rain, and the now howling wind. The van rocked pretty aggressively from side to side for several hours, and my thoughts turned to the poor guys in the tent… I didn’t expect them to have anything left of the canvas in the morning at this rate… If, indeed, I was still around to witness it myself…!

Eventually, at about 4ish, the worst of the storm passed over, and the wind finally died down. I managed to get to sleep at the now gentler sound of rain, only to be rudely woken up an hour or so later, by something outside the camper, scraping against the side. It stopped and I managed to start drifting off again, only for the sound to return. I laid in fear of what it might be, my now tired brain going fully into overactive overdrive mode. Eventually, I heard a sheep bleating, and realised the sound was a sheeps horn scraping the van. Envisaging deep creases being carved into the side of my camper, I jumped up, threw open the door and yelled ‘FECK OFF!!!’ I have no idea where ‘feck’ came from, and I am pretty sure the sheep wouldn’t have cared less for my manners in not using a full swear word… but they all just stood and stared at me (in my head, they also stared at each other with that ‘what did she just say?’ ‘No idea!’ confused conversational look – such that an overtired, sleep deprived, delusional brain invents). I was too tired for this and stomped out in a foul mood an attempt to scare them. They just casually wandered away instead, giving me the occasional disdainful look. So much for me being scary…

By now the rain had eased right off, but I was too awake to do anything but try and push on. I got myself ready, and let River sleep in, as I stepped out to try for a dawn shot of the castle. I made my way down to the base of the castle and looked over to the campers. I was astounded to see the guys casually packing the tent down! They’d survived the night! The gorgeous view I assumed they would have, was completely non existent. Hopes for the tide being out were dashed when I realised that it was in fact, coming back in again and was at present only a little lower than last night. My dreams for a sunrise shot were also dashed by both a) the still heavy dark clouds overhead and b) the lighter sky showing up behind the castle pushing it into silhouette. Today was definitely not feeling like a good day.

I settled myself in at the position I wanted, and decided to just wait out the weather, and to shoot what I could. I managed a few shots low down, then moved a little higher as the tide rose. I found the shots to be really dramatic. with the low light and fast moving angry clouds really helping to add to the drama. I sat through several heavy downpours, but none really lasted long enough to make me think of returning to the camper, and I found them strangely exhilarating to sit through. It helped that I loved what I was seeing in the back of the viewfinder, so I stayed and kept shooting. Eventually, patches of blue sky started arriving in among the grey cloud, and the day started to feel a bit better…

Dunvegan Castle, Rha River Falls and Mealt Falls

Skye 2019: Part Two

20 June 2019

After Neist point, My intention was to go to Dunvegan castle, as a good friend had recommended it. Photos online certainly looked like it was a good location, and I found the drive over to be easy and pretty straight forward. As I drove nearer, however, the area became wooded, and it was obvious that getting a view of the castle might be trickier than I thought – indeed as I arrived at the castle car park it became clear that unless I wanted to pay to get in, I might not get a shot at all! As this was a cost saving trip, I had to make the decision, and so decided against paying anything out at this point. I left the car park feeling a little deflated, driving up the road a little more to see whether there might be a viewing point further up. I couldnt find one sadly, just more trees, and fences preventing any access, so I unhappily abandoned this one from this particular trip, just feeling confused on how to reach an opposite shoreline that gave lovely shots of the castle by the water that others had captured. Maybe they were taken in the grounds by a lake, I mused..?? (on my return home, I read online that there is a position that grants a free view, but it looked to be even further on than I drove, so next time I will check that out)

With this site a bust, I decided that I would head over towards Duntulm Castle and Bay, with the aim of trying to do some nice low level, coastal shots, that I haven’t really managed to get to grips with yet. As I drove over towards, and then through, Uig, on the way, I got lost in happy memories of 2012 of when I had camped here with the children – I couldn’t see the site now though, sadly, and wondered further when it had ceased trading. Still lost in my memories, I blindly followed the road round a tight hairpin curve then continued on for a little bit before realising that the sat nav was doing that wonderful thing of ‘You haven’t been paying attention to me really, have you? You haven’t noticed that I have stopped working have you?! Well, try and find out where you are now, SUKKAAAAaa!!!’… all I knew right now was that I was driving down a long single lane road, in a very open flat bit of moorland type countryside… somewhere in… Skye…

After thumping the screen and trying to restart the bloody thing, it was clear that I didn’t really have much choice but to continue forwards and hope that I would come up to a crossroads or signpost telling me where I was. After a bit, I drove over a cattle grid, and then noticed to my right, a gushing waterfall that was right by the roadside. I didn’t recognise this from my list, I didn’t recognise it from any other online Skye photo I had seen either, so felt the need to stop and explore! There was a parking spot for about two cars, right by the falls, and with a short walk down to the river, I was there within a minute of leaving the Camper. It was lovely down here. A pleasant, flat, green grassy area right by the river, and the falls to the left, it would make a perfect spot for a private picnic in the height of a gloriously sunny day I thought, as there were no other visitors here at all.

As River was sniffing around the whole area, I wandered around seeing if there was a good position where I could get closer to the falls. I suddenly heard a loud splash behind me. I turned round quickly to see my puppy, nose in the air, paddling around blindly in the river- I wasn’t sure if she was panicked (I certainly was!) or having a ball! I had never known her to do this before, so I was frightened that she had gotten too close to the edge and fallen in – also terrified that the mass of water from the falls might sweep her away! I immediately ran to the waters edge and tried to encourage her out. She was a good girl, and came back to the edge straight away, and managed to climb out giving herself a good and happy shake, coating me and my camera bag in lots of water droplets and she did. She was clearly not bothered in the slightest about falling in, although, I did notice that she padded behind me for the rest of this stop, and didn’t attempt any further swimming trips…

The falls were unbelievably full with it being nearly impossible to get a shot where it didn’t look like a great white mass! I was also really pleased to see that I could get really close to the falls themselves, and that there were several large rocks that allowed an easy path towards an even more central position. I wished I had put my wellies on however, as I was just one rock short of getting to a nice central position. I wasn’t prepared to risk it on this occasion however, and satisfied myself with trying a few shots from the positions I could get to. The cloud was moving in at some speed, and it wasn’t long before I thought that I should get to the camper for cover, as it was soon going to pour with rain for sure! Not knowing the name of these falls, I tried to remember the landscape as best as I could hopefully identifying it later. On my return home, when I tried to find the name of these falls, and couldn’t find any. I ended up following my route on google maps and found that the river was the River Rha, and that further down there are actually far nicer falls, which ARE listed as a photographic beauty spot (Gagh! how did I miss those?!) My photos aren’t the ‘Rha Falls’ as listed everywhere, but I will certainly try to find them next time! These falls on the river can be found along an unnamed road that runs between two points on the A855 – just after a hairpin turn at Uig, right across the Trotternish towards the Quiraing to Sartle and rejoining the A855 at Brogaig. If it helps anyone, Google maps pinpoints the parking spot as https://goo.gl/maps/cEUSw3av7cRa7Qug8

Onwards! After the waterfall, I continued on in the direction I had been heading, and eventually recognised where I was from everyones photos online. I was at the Quiraing! I pulled over for a brief stop, and realised straight away, that I needed to make this stop a good full day trip. It was as beautiful as everyone had declared it to be, and there were stunning photo opportunities in every direction you looked! I snapped a couple of pictures on my phone quickly, and then continued the drive along the road. Eventually I found myself back on the A855, but took a turn in the wrong direction where my sat nav was still frozen, finding myself now driving down the road towards Portree. When I reached Mealt falls, I realised my mistake, and pulled into the car park there, and quietly beat the stupid toy up. I knew Mealt was going to be a quick stop at some point on this trip, so I thought I may as well do it while I was here!

The car park was a well worn decaying gravel space. There was parking for quite a few vehicles, (even buses), but even then, I had to wait for a space. I didn’t wait long however, and the walk to the viewing spot took barely a minute. I immediately realised there were severe restrictions to this shot…basically…well, there was only one place it could be taken from. After standing behind a lot of tourists for several minutes, I got to the singular spot, and snapped a photo on my phone. Being mindful of all those that were waiting behind me for the same shot, I moved away fairly quickly after that. The view was exactly the same as every photo I had seen on the internet, but I thought I would, nonetheless at least try a shot with my Canon camera. I walked back, picked up my kit, waited a few more minutes for another very heavy downpour to pass, then went back out for a second go. This time I waited a long time. I knew I would be using a tripod, as I hoped to still the waters, but the stream of people was unending, and it proved impossible to just wait for a break in the crowd. Bus after bus kept pulling up, and as fast as one group left a second arrived. Eventually I just bit the bullet, and moved in, set up and just allowed people to snap photos around me as I sorted myself out. I wasn’t the most popular person there, it had to be said – although River, sitting dutifully next to me, pretty much was, and distracted a lot tourists from their frustrations with her puppy dog eyes. The railing proved to make matters really complicated, as I tried to prop the tripod around, on, against it, and in just about every other position, in an attempt to get a stable position. Nothing worked well and the barrier just got in the way. I think maybe a gorillapod type of tripod might manage this a lot better – if there was one that could hold the weight of a heavy SLR camera, plus lens, plus filters…. Eventually I got there, and I was able to get a few photos, leaving as fast as I could afterwards. The Photos felt no different to the ones I had caught on my phone, so I did wonder whether it had really been worth the rather stressful effort. My recommendation here, would be to get here early, or come later to avoid the crowds, and to allow yourself time to set up properly. Also, try to check the best time of day for the sun to rise or set against the cliff face.. that might add something to the shot, as might a bit of drama in the weather or the sea below..as it was, for me, I left feeling a little ‘meh’ about it, and didn’t even bother to return.

Now… which way was Duntulm from here again???

Neist Point and Blackhill Waterfall

Skye 2019: Part One

19 June 2019

After a massive 18 hour drive, broken only by a short sleep, dropping my daughter off in Glasgow, and a quick stop at Eilean Donan castle, I finally arrived in Skye and headed for the first stop on my list, Neist Point, inspired by the stunning photograph taken by Laurance Norah (which can be found in his Skye guide at www.findingtheuniverse.com).

I was really surprised to realise that after leaving Eilean Donan there was a huge 4 hour time difference until my arrival to the location. It certainly didn’t feel that long despite my tiredness, so I can only put it down to all the oooos and aahhhs that entered my newly awakened brain as I beheld the views that passed my eyes over that period! I did do one quick stop to take a look at the Blackhill Waterfall that a number of tourists were snapping at. There was an easy parking spot in a lay-by, but as its right on a tight bend, I had to make a quick snap decision to park up – now, NOW!!! I should say, this is not natural for my brain to do this, even less so for my body to actually respond accordingly…. so I was in mild shock for a bit before getting out of the van with the dog, not to mention heightened excitement at having actually acted on a spur of the moment decision! I apologise now to any driver that may have been behind me at that moment!!!

River and I (she was the Dog with me on these travels… a name which, in hindsight, proved to be ridiculously fitting) took a walk over to the falls to see what everyone was photographing. On seeing the waterfall looking even prettier, I decided to wander closer to see what the view was like close up. Possibly not the best decision I ever made… the ground proved to be heavily boggy, and my canvas shoes were soaked through in minutes. I did try an easier route, but ended up getting a bit stuck. River (white) also ended up looking black. I decided that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, so snapped a single photo with my phone, and vowed to come back on a better day when I wasn’t aiming to be somewhere, and with wellies, and definitely with my full photographic kit. This waterfall is one worth photographing properly. As it goes the whole trip ended up about ‘getting places’ so, although I passed it a couple of other times, I never actually got the chance to do another stop. Next time!!

As I turned to leave I saw a group of 3 young men making their way over. One looked like he was being quite a bit cocky, as he jeered at his two friends who were being timid in their attempts at walking over. It wasn’t without some private amusement for myself, when I saw him slip and landed almost face first in the boggy mud, coating his clothes completely. His friends roared with laughter, and, funnily enough, the lad ceased his loud opinionated insults. Imagine that – oh hang on… didn’t one of his friends also have a phone up? …tee-hee…

After squelching back to the camper, getting my footwear changed, and River dried off, I continued both the drive and the oooos and aahhhs.

The road to Neist point (pronounced nEEst point) was a very long one. There are very few turn offs, villages or shops on the single lane road, but I liked all the passing points that I came across. These became very familiar to me as the days went on, and are highly efficient at keeping traffic moving everywhere on such confined roadways. As I got nearer to the end of my drive however, traffic seemed to come to a halt near a couple of buildings. As it slowly began to clear, one driver coming towards me, kindly lent out of his window, and let a few of us know that the problem was only due to the number of people leaving the point, and nothing serious. As I got to the place I was hoping to start, I could see there was plenty of parking, and a lot of cars parked up. Having no prior idea on what to expect up here, this pleased me immensely, as I had aimed at this being my stop for the night too. I was by now, far too tired to drive much more. I joined the parked cars and campers, and took River out for a good walk to stretch our scrunched up tired legs, and to have a look around to see what was what here.

The views were stunning. The sky wasn’t what I had hoped though – it was neither super dramatic nor looking like it might offer up a stunning sunset, but I knew I had several hours yet, so I wasn’t really worried just yet. I walked River around the top to see where I could set up later, and found some nice spots. Since we had plenty of time I thought I would take a walk down to the lighthouse itself, seeing see lots of people wandering around that area. It was a much further distance than I had originally thought… and it went up and down over two rather surprisingly steep hills. I may be out of shape, but I did manage these, albeit with some huffing and puffing, and plenty of pauses to catch my breath.

I got to the lighthouse itself, had a good wander around, and noticed where most of the photographers had gathered for their shots. After a short wander around the peninsular, I returned to the spot, and found they had all left, so snapped a couple with my phone. The walk had been very tiring, especially after such a long drive, and so little sleep, so rather than hike all the way back for my kit, I thought that I might come back for a sunrise shot. Where the sun would be setting behind the lighthouse I assumed it would rise in front of it… Hmmnn… nice idea in principle – maybe I should have considered a) the erratic Skye weather and b) actually checking! DUH!!! As it ended up, I still have no idea where the sun might rise – it rained all night and was still really cloudy the next morning!

My goal on this trip was to get out of my comfort zone. I was getting too fussy about only going out when the weather was clear, and it was leaving a lot of my photos fairly ‘pretty’, but lacking in any drama or emotion behind them for my taste. At the end of my trip I was very glad I did this, as the wet weather, cloudy moody skies, and erratic changes did me the world of good, forcing me to adapt to the changing conditions as each moment came up. Sitting by the lighthouse this evening however, I had no thoughts of the adventures to come, only the peace, and the beautiful position I was sitting in. I sat with River for quite some time before I finally decided that I should probably make my way back to the van to eat something ahead of my planned evening shoot.

After the long, even more exhausting, walk back, and a brief meal, I gathered my kit for the evening, and went to venture out. River was clearly having none of this however, and went to hide in her bed. No amount of coaxing would get her out, so I decided that she might be best left, to rest her poor short legs! I went to my chosen spot, and found several fellow photographers dotted along the cliff. Unfortunately the sky lacked a little, not offering any dramatic clouds, being mostly light to moderate by now, with a few patches of blue, and not being clear enough to allow for a super pretty sunset. The wind however was pretty full on.. and very cold! I found myself shivering in no time, but I stubbornly refused to go back for hat, scarf, gloves or a thicker layer – well I might miss something!! I also had to find ways of weighting the tripod down to help reduce the possibility of blurry shots. As the sun started setting, it was clear the sky had no intention of flaring into a gorgeous colour, and several photographers slowly started drifting away. I stood my ground, and stayed, as did a couple of others. One was unfortunately in my shot for most of my wait, so I ended up having to move position to miss him. As I did, the wind unexpectedly dropped for a few minutes, and the sun finally gave a lovely burst of golden light against the cliff face. This made me really happy, as suddenly the point came alive with warmth and colour, and I managed a few nice crisp shots. What I missed however (although my camera didn’t – yay!) was a tiny rainbow that, for a brief second or two, started to bloom out to sea. Although feeling only ‘OK’ with the final photos, this rainbow shot did prove to be the one I was most happy with. After that, it was to bed in readiness for the morning.

The rain hammered most of the night, and at 4am I decided that it really wasn’t worth trying to get a sunrise shot, as that definitely wasn’t going to happen here today! By 7 however, the rain eased to pretty much an occasional light drizzle so I decided that I really should get up and get down to the lighthouse regardless. Tired and mildly morning grumpy, I sorted myself out and hiked down to the spot with River. Brain hadn’t much engaged, but I was quite pleased with the shots in camera, as for the first time, I got a hint of the pleasure I would get by photographing clouds in my scenes.

Tourists started appearing by 8.30, but satisfied with my morning, I decided to head on back. On the way I found myself chatting with an older American Lady the whole way. She had her whole family here with her as they were celebrating her recovery from cancer with one of her dream trips, and had treated her to her ultimate wish… a night in a Scottish Castle. She was an absolute delight to talk to, and the walk back seemed no where near as hard as it had been the night before.

On the way she asked if I was with anyone. After I replied that no, it was just me and my dog, she stared for a second and declared ‘You are SO brave!’. This is the second time that someone had told me this in the field. I have to confess to some confusion, as I cant say I feel particularly brave just because gone away on my own. Several friends tell me ‘but you are…’ when I recall these stories. Although I feel somewhat amazed that this seems to be such a common opinion, it does make me feel really sad, that as a woman, the general consensus is that I should be feeling afraid to do this. I am pretty sure that very few men get told the same…