Landscape Photography – Knightshoots Landscape Photography

Dundrennan Abbey, Threave Castle and Feeding Red Kites

South West Scotland 2021: Part Twenty Two

26 September 2021

I woke up to realise I wasn’t going to get lucky with the bay this morning either. I had totally missed high tide, and the sky was covered with cloud again. A little disappointed, I basically just packed up and left.

My first aim was going to be Dundrennan Abbey. I arrived just before they opened, but as I looked at it, I realised it wasn’t going to be a shot for me today. Not only was it a pay to get into monument – which I don’t generally do unless its a site I’m really keen to visit – (I’d be super poor If I did them all!) but there didn’t seem to be a clear shot of it from any direction. With high walls, trees, and private land to one side. I took one cursory snap on the phone from the only spot with a clear view, then moved on to my next location. In hindsight, I could probably have gotten a formal shot from here, but to be honest, it didn’t really captivate me, and there’s nothing really wrong with my phone photo that my Canon would have made different.

Dundrenan Abbey, a very brief visit, and this is the only photograph I took.

My next spot was Threave Castle. This one was a really a nice location and had a lot of promise. For me today however, a strong breeze continually blew the small boat into a poor position, the sky looked grey – flattening everything and River barked endlessly at every passing pedestrian. This last one stressed me out terribly. My attention was so split, I missed a really gorgeous shot, which frustrated me even more. Hauling the dog in and making her look at me to curb her distraction, I sat and just waited for the boat to bob back from behind the tree, and the sun to try again…please?!. I tried hard for an hour to stop the frustration and stress getting worse, and eventually decided that I had waited long enough. I stood up to pack everything away when a brief glimmer of sun appeared, swept across the scene and was then gone for good. I barely caught it in two shots (one with light on the boat, and a second as it wiped across to, and over, the castle behind) This site needed something prettier going on in the sky I felt, a long exposure perhaps, to smooth an otherwise distracting water and definately a visit without River getting angsty! I left disappointed, but once I managed to blend the two photos I had, I think I feel a little better about this one.

Threave Castle. A sudden burst of sunshine really helped this shot!

On the day however, sadened, frustrated and getting fed up of the continual grey and a ratty dog, I left to go to the kite feeding station. There were bird hides at Threave, but I couldn’t visit those with River being this way, so perhaps seeing Kites in a controlled situation might offer a bit of bird spotting and a chance at trying bird photography. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but everyone here was lovely which helped my mood greatly. I paid my £5 entry and settled into a position outside to wait until the birds were hungry, while River settled under my coffee table staying relatively settled.

The people who run the farm, coffee shop and kite feeding sessions, put chunks of raw meet out at 2ish, and at first the kites didn’t seem interested. 20 minutes later I noticed that they had all started gathering above my head. There were so many it was almost scary! (see header) Watching Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ as a child, clearly has me traumatised to this day! As we waited, one suddenly dipped down to the raw meat, grabbing a bit in his talons and flying off somewhere to eat it. Then another…. and a third! Once the first few started, the others went for it and soon they all started swooping to the table and floor.

What a spectacular display!!!

I tried my hardest to capture these beautiful birds, filling my memory card right up, but I knew that nearly every shot failed due to my inadequacy as a bird photographer. I didn’t care though, I was just loving every second! When other spectators had their bird watching appetite sated, they slowly drifted away. But I stayed put, mesmorised by these magnificent creatures. Three hours flew past (literally!) and despite dropping temperatures and bouts of rain and I found myself staying until the coffee shop was nearly closed and I was the only one left.

Flying over my head, I managed one fairly decent shot of this Red Kite

As I packed up, the coffee shop lady came out and told me I could stay as long as I wanted, as several birds were still feeding. I was cold by now though and needed to be indoors for a few minutes. I bought a last chance cup of tea, and a slice of cake, and watched from the window for a short while. Then as the shop closed proper, I went for a brief walk around the hill next to the farm, not really wanting to leave these beauties, before I eventually left for the Dhoon.

I wanted a picture of a boat wreck that is apparently here, but when I arrived, the tide was very high. So high, I couldn’t see the boat at all. I made myself some tea, thinking to wait it out, but an hour later I realised that the tide seemed to go out much slower than at other areas around here. The boat could only really be gotten to when the tide was fully out… and that was now clearly unlikely to happen until after dark. I considered staying the night, but there were big posters everywhere asking people not to. Despite the Park for Night App having comments from people flagarently and boastfully ignoring them, I considered it a lack of respect since I knew I could find parking elsewhere for the night. Instead, I started my drive towards tomorrow’s locations.

Eventually finding myself tiring, I settled myself in a quiet lay by until I could continue in the morning.

My Adventures

Loch Doon Castle, shopping and Sanquhar castle

South West Scotland 2021: Part Nineteen

23 September 2021

The sleep was hard again last night. The wind was really picking up, and although no where near as windy as some nights I have spent in Fred, I could hear banging where the flap covering my electric connection was blowing hard. There were other banging noises outside too, where the wind caught the caravan awning next to me. I had very few plans for today and to be fair, it wouldn’t do River nor I any harm to have an easy day. I didn’t stress, and eventually fell asleep after 2. I awoke again at 7, and despite trying to make myself go back to sleep, it didn’t happen, so I just dozed and stayed lazily in bed trying not to do anything but rest. At 8 I was forced up when I heard the flap give up, and go clattering away. I got dressed, dived out, and recovered the flap after a riotous film comedy moment, chasing it around the site.

Now here’s an interesting thing – today I found myself being surprised by things I didn’t realise before. For instance, I had hot running water. (Whaaaat?!!) I checked the gas hadn’t accidentally turned on, but no, everything was as it should be. I put it down to being hooked up to electric – it must automatically activate the boiler without the gas. Bonus!! My ‘cowboy’ strip wash went on to become a full on hair wash and complete clean up in Fred. Well, I wasn’t going anywhere, and certainly wasn’t going to waste this opportunity! It was still very windy, and the (driving) mizzle was literally sitting on top of us so that visibility was practically zero. My second discovery was that I could deactivate the immobiliser whilst the keys were in the ignition – WITHOUT having to turn everything off and back on again. For 2 fecking years it’s been a real pain, but where no-one had ever explained the alarm system, I guess I would never have learned BUT by an accident. I chilled, sorted everything out and fixed the flap with a reel of fishing line I had found abandoned on my journey. Finally, at about half 2, the weather began to break and I was able to think about visiting Loch Doon Castle. Since I was at a location where I had services, I emptied the loo again, filled up with water, and disposed of the grey waste. I had no chemicals left for the loo however so had to ask for advice on that. The site had no shop, but the owner advised me that the closest shop supplying it, was in Cumnock, shutting at 5pm. I prepped everything anyway ready for the chemicals (so I just had to add it), then headed off to Loch Doon Castle.

I arrived some 15 mins later, took a few photos, but it wasn’t at all photogenic today and I really struggled.

Miserable views, and no luck finding a nice viewpoint at Doon castle

I tried some external shots without too much luck, and then some internal ones which really didn’t do it for me either. Eventually I settled on my poor patient dog who was simply laying on a broken bit of wall watching me. Turns out she can be a really calm model when she wants to!

Realising that this location was really a bit of a bust for me today, I decided that I should probably leave and head off to find the shop in Cumnock to get my toilet chemical. I arrived with 25 mins to closing, picking up some dog treats for River, and some double sided tape to fix a cigarette lighter extender module down – the only little job left for me to do.

I looked at where to go next, and decided that Dumfries and Galloway could start tonight after all. I settled on Sanquhar Castle first. It was another ruin, but I hoped the evening light might help give it atmosphere. It was an odd site really, right by a housing estate and I literally parked outside someone’s house, needing just 2 minutes to walk over. The castle itself was heavily fenced off, but looking at all the angles of the remains, and the warning notices pinned in several places, it was clearly a dangerous structure, and so overgrown that I think its been fenced off for quite a while. This was a shame really, as it might have looked good in the light that was presenting itself.

Instead my attention was drawn to a white cottage that looked amazing sitting below a very low and moody cloud that was a gorgeous pinky shade in the dying light. I stood in what I assumed was an old moat for the castle, and took what images I could. A dead tree was a major irritation here, but the colours and dying light still gave it a nice dramatic feel for me.

Cottage to the side looking really nice in the evening light

I finished when the rain started coming down again, hurrying back to the van before I got too wet. It got very heavy, very quickly! I decided to find somewhere else to settle for the night instead, since it was obvious I couldn’t stay outside someone’s house. As I left, the road out of the village towards my chosen stopover, was closed, and there were no directions on how to get around the blockage. With an erratic phone signal, I began to feel unsettled, and it took a bit of time to find an alternative route round. The situation didn’t get much better either – it got dark quickly, it was pouring with rain and then my sat nav lost connection completely. In my head, a mini voice began to have a huge panic attack until eventually the grown up, sensible me, calmed it a little. My nerves were really shot, and I was also very tired, but I had to drive on – I found myself on a narrow, winding road with no verges or space to make a permanent stop. Eventually, some 20 minutes later, I saw a big layby, and I decided to pull in to wait the night out here, before I got myself into a deeper pickle. The relief at being able to just stop safely, was immense!

Even though the van was plugged into the electrical hook up last night at the campsite, I was unsure what was draining the leisure batteries so heavily, so I planned on preserving them as much as I could. I took the small push button light out of cupboard, and used the double sided tape I’d bought to stick it to the ceiling. Viola! Lights, without using leisure batteries! That was it. I stopped all the problem solving and worries, ate a quick meal and climbed into bed.

I’d absolutely had enough of today now!

My Adventures

Craigengillan, Ness Glen and Dalcairney Falls

South West Scotland 2021: Part Eighteen

22 September 2021

Last night I’d driven until I realised that by driving in the dark I was missing the chance to see new places, and I got really tired. So when I pulled in to where the two other motorhomes were, I settled and fell asleep quickly without having a single idea of where I really was. When I looked out of my window in the morning, I was parked up in a concrete area nestled in among the trees, the sky was filled with cloud and one of the motorhomes had already left. I couldn’t see anything else. I could have been anywhere! I again took my time getting ready and looked at my map for today. While the aim was to visit Doon Castle, I noticed that Ness Glen was on the way, so decided that it might be more fitting to do that first. If it was going to rain today I would be less in the open and I’d have part cover under the trees in the glen. I also considered Dalcairney Falls, a good walk from the glen, but do-able if the weather stayed dry. I readjusted plans a little and headed off down the single lane road with my ideas for today looking like they might be quite promising.

As I was driving I noticed the sun break through the cloud a little, and when I rounded a bend on a hill, it beamed down on a white house in the distance. It looked SO beautiful, I pulled over when I could and took some photos before the sun vanished again. This, it turned out, was called Craigengillan, and a lot of the land in this area belongs to its estate. Although the house has been here since the 1600’s, it, and its lands, fell into disrepair over the years. The people who bought it in 2000 have since invested into its preservation and conservation, turning the whole area into a beautiful site for tourists and wildlife alike. They seem to have done a fantastic job. I really loved how this chance photo turned out, and that it gave me a good reason to look into what it was and what they have been doing.

Craigengillan Estate, a chance photo as I drove.

I continued my drive to the Roundhouse takeaway down by Loch Doon, and parked up. The hope was to pop back in there on my return for something as a treat for my tea this evening – nice idea, surely?? Only I didn’t quite make it back before closing time.. missing by just 5 fecking minutes…5!!!! Grrr. Anyway, for now it was a nice positive idea and as I got ready, I decided that I would add the second walk to take in Dalcairney falls after all. I didn’t think they would have much water to ‘fall’ with, but still felt it might be worth checking out. I could walk it from here, and I couldn’t find clear instructions on any parking closer than this anyway so I may as well make a big ol’ hiking day of it, right? I packed myself a lunch, some drink, and headed off.

Ness Glen was beautiful, and it was a very easy walk alongside the River Doon. I stopped to take a few photos on the way, seeing some beautiful dappled light by a small waterside bridge. I thought to take more on the way back when I would be walking towards the water flow to save myself keep looking back as well as forwards, and so, just took my time enjoying this walk. Start at the end and work in the photos on the way back, it seemed like a great idea, although as it turned out, I was once again taking the current weather for granted, and not considering that it might change. Thank goodness I’d turned to capture this scene, because of course, that’s exactly what happened!

Ness Glen and the River Doon. When the sun broke through it looked magical.

I got to a large wooden bridge, walked over the river and then took the extended route towards Dalcairney falls. The walk to Dalcairney was a little tougher, being a further 2 miles, and going uphill. At a few points it rained lightly, and one other I went slightly off track, going higher than I needed. I rerouted myself however, and tried to follow google to correct myself. We passed a derelict building, and then entered an open hilly area. River had been off the lead for most of the walk by this point, but on spotting some sheep, she started to run towards them. When I realised what had caught her attention, I immediately called her name sharply, followed by a stern ‘Here!’ She stopped in her tracks coming straight back to my side, and seconds later a farmer appeared in the field. He gave me a little curt nod of approval, and said nothing as I walked passed with River close by my heels. I was never prouder of my little dog than I was at that moment.

Not long after that, I descended to a proper path again, and finally, 3 hours after I started my walk, I reached the falls… Well.. The dribbles. (see header) I don’t think I have ever seen any photo of these falls that showed a flow as poor as this one! But, well, I had this for my visit, so decided to work with what I was given. The location was still beautiful, so before anything, I rested with River for a while – soaking in the peace and tranquillity here. She thoroughly loved paddling in the calm pool beneath the dribble, so I let her enjoy that while I ate my lunch. I really struggled to see much to photograph, so settled on the solitary log in the middle of the water, with the thin stream of falling water as an afterthought behind it. To be fair there wasn’t much else to focus on!

Dalcairney main falls – normally considerably more impressive than this!!

As I was shooting this, River started splashing in the water next to me, which she never does… And when I looked, she seemed to be having the same issue as she had yesterday. I hastily left the camera in the middle of the water and encouraged/carried her out as best as I could, so that whatever this was, she wouldn’t collapse and drown. Her face showed the same fear, but she clearly trusted me and let me carry her part of the way (she hates being lifted up), recovering again with no after effects, very quickly. This had me very confused. I went and got the camera, and we left this side of the falls. Ultimately, I didn’t know what else to do, but carry on. I felt horrible being torn between giving up, and wanting to continue here today, but there was nothing else I could do but book in to see the vet as soon as I could after my return in a few days. (they were amazing, and made a space for her the morning after my return) From here on in though, meantime, I kept such a close eye on her, I wouldn’t let her get much further than a step or two away from me. Thankfully she didn’t have any more episodes while I was away, having just one minor one a day after seeing the vet. It turned out she had an ear infection, and it was causing her to have seizures. I was asked to keep an eye on her just in case she was going to have them more regularly, in which case further treatment was available and advisable. Thank God it wasn’t anything worse, and my mind was put at ease with the reassurance these were not unusual, and often disappeared after the underlying cause was treated. Apparently I’d acted exactly the way I needed to on both occasions, remaining calm, and reassuring, but making sure she was safe in her environment. Since then, River has been fine, and we haven’t seen a repeat episode.

Back to today though, as I got to the top of these falls, I crossed the little bridge, and then descended back down the opposite side to see if we could capture the lower falls as well as the main falls. The lower falls seemed to be stealing the show over the main ones today. It was tricky getting to the best spot, but we made it, crossing the river, and basically coming back to the first side but much lower down. I am sure that in full spate this would have been impossible, but I struck lucky today. I took my pictures, and we climbed back out to the starting point on the first side.

Climbing out was actually a challenge in itself, with a large tree that had fallen over a now obvious path in such a way that I literally had to manoeuvrer in and out and around branches that had completely covered the route. Have you ever tried climbing a tree horizontally? Me neither, it was…interesting, and quite fun. Without this in the way, it would have been a much easier shot from my original side, but I hadn’t noticed this path from above it earlier.

We then started the long walk back. My feet were painful, but today felt like it was a success, and River was very much back to her normal self, sniffing just about every hole she could find. I took a few shots on Ness Glen once we reached there again, but without the sun casting small dapples of light in the area, it all looked very flat in the camera. I’d been very lucky getting the earlier shot I now realised! By the time I got back to the camper my feet were too painful to do much, with two days of over 7 miles each were taking their toll on my plantar fasciitis. With the roundhouse having just closed, and the rain trying its hardest to stay off as best as it could, I decided to stop off in a campsite here, just so I could recharge Fred, and hopefully have a shower. Sadly there was no shower or toilet block of any kind, although there was electricity, so I was very happy for that and decided to stay anyway! As I picked out a spot to park up in, a cloud of mizzle finally settled on the area for good. It was very grim and wet, so I was just thankful to have a place to stay without having to look any further!

For some reason, I struggled to sleep though, even with the sound of the rain that eventually established a wonderful soothing sound throughout the night. It was a good thing that I only had Doon Castle to do tomorrow!

My Adventures

Clean up day, the Irving Dragon, Greenan Castle, and…

South West Scotland 2021: Part Sixteen

19 September 2021

I had a glorious nights sleep… Possibly the best in ages, and I seriously did NOT want to get out of bed. Lazing until gone 9.30, I finally got up and just did a slow potter, cleaning myself and the van at a very gentle pace. I took a short walk out with River to give her a chance to stretch her legs and spotted a small rainbow over Hunterston Pier, before wandering back to the camper. It was all very chill!

I was very mindful of needing to empty the portaloo, and get some water, and even though I was tempted to retry the castle later, I decided that these items were getting to be a priority. I looked at Ayr, where the council were trying a scheme allowing motorhomes overnight parking, and services for £5. I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay a night there however, (it wasn’t near any of my photographic locations) but I had no objection to just paying for the services and thought a good drive might also help Fred’s Leisure batteries. This then, would be my first course of action today. I arrived at the car park, and found the motorhome parking area easily, although couldn’t immediately find any services. I eventually found an unmarked (or labelled) yellow portaloo disposal point/ thing, with no instructions on what to do, so I had to inspect, and guess how to do this. I couldn’t see anywhere for my waste water, or any fresh water tap either (the term serviceS was obviously a bit of a stretch! LOL). Maybe the waste water went in with the loo water, but I had no way to transport it FROM the tank in Fred, so had to leave it. Normally, you open the tap under the van over a grating, and they clearly didn’t have that here. Maybe I should look into finding a sports bottle or some such just for an alternative disposal method. Looking at my park for night app, I found two symbols I didn’t recognise… One was a public loo… But the other, thankfully, was a water fountain! I drove closer, had a look at it, and then filled as best as I could – 3 loads of my small water carriers, taking an absolute age each time, and proving quite heavy to carry and lift! Putting the water into Fred, it raised the tank level to half full… Hopefully enough to finish the trip. Now I just needed to conserve the leisure batteries, and hopefully find another area for the waste water over the next few days.

Unsure on what to do next I decided to drive to Irving for a sculpture I had seen that had really taken my fancy. The Irving Dragon was created by artist Roy Fitzsimmons, apparently using the red sandstone from an old demolished railway bridge. I’ve no idea how old it is, certainly not ancient, but I found mention of it being there in the 1980’s at least. On arrival I found a huge car park a very short walk away, and several campers here. After parking up, I took River for the short walk to find the dragon, deciding to come back when the light was a softer shade of yellow. It was a bit harsh at the moment (see header), although in hindsight I quite like lighting in the photo above. As sunset approached, I climbed the hill again, but was saddened to notice that although there were still very few clouds above me, several were building on the horizon. Another chap was there with his camera, and began chatting to me. He grabbed so much of my attention that I missed my chance to capture much at all, and completely missed the sunset in the end. Disappointed, I tried what I could, but once the sun had fallen behind the cloud, the dragons colour went very flat.

Just missed the best part of the sunset… but maybe I’ll have better luck tomorrow?

I returned to the camper and watched as night fell, and the moon rose. I simply couldn’t be bothered to try a night time shot, so stayed in bed really struggling to sleep… looking at my watch for the last time at just gone 3am.

20 September 2021

I was awake again at 6.30, but refused to get up. I tried my hardest to go back to sleep but it didn’t happen, eventually getting up at 7.30 and pottering around the van. Finally, I decided I should try the dragon in morning light, preparing to go without the full camera bag, and to just travel light. I gathered the tripod, dog and left to see what I could get. There was a cloud building, but it still gave a few intermittent bursts of light that looked great. Setting up the tripod in one of the positions I had settled on, I went to grab my camera off my shoulder, to realise it wasn’t there! I checked if I had put it down. Nope… then realised I must have left it in the camper! Full of annoyance at myself, I picked the tripod up and trudged all the way back down the hill, noting that the cloud was actually closing in pretty fast. When I got to Fred, I saw it sitting on the drivers seat waiting for me. (how lucky was I not to come back to a smashed window, and missing camera eh?!) I slogged back up the hill again, just as the last beam of light hit.. Then it was gone. I set up anyway, and waited just in case another glimmer happened, and I waited… and I waited. Eventually I gave up, I took a few cursory shots, anyway, and came back to the camper. I was too tired and grumpy to stick around.

With North Ayrshire done, I decided to start South Ayrshire, and I headed to a location I was very keen on seeing – Greenan Castle. This castle was literally perched on the edge of a cliff, giving a chance of a really dramatic shot – if I could time it right! I drove to the car park nearby, and the cloud abated in the wind giving me blue skies for a little bit. As I arrived at the car park I was saddened to see that it was another with a height barrier, so just parked on the street. The walk over was fairly easy, but the tide was far too high for the shot I hoped for. I had a good wander though, setting up in a different position to the side and by a pool, waiting for the wind to settle to take the reflection shot… I waited… and I waited… and again gave up. It wasn’t going to happen, and in reality, I wasn’t that pleased with the water level at this spot at any rate. I took one shot of it between gusts of strong wind, (well I was here after all!) before picking everything up and walking back to Fred.

Greenan Castle. I almost got this shot breeze free… almost. Need the water here to be a little higher to cover the seaweed too I think. Otherwise I like the position

I thought I would try Dunure Castle instead, and drove there as the cloud made its return. The weather was very changeable in this wind today! The ruined castle looked very flat in the now cloudy light, but again, looked pretty dramatic standing on the edge of a cliff. The cloud did lend itself to a moody shot instead, so I tried that. Unfortunately, for some odd reason, I couldn’t really get it to work for me, even though I tried from several sides and angles. I realised that I was very tired from the lack of sleep, so didn’t beat myself up over it, putting today down to being a scouting day instead. These locations had a lot of promise despite my inability to get the dreamed for shots today. This one for instance, I think would look great with a little dramatic light directly on the castle and a higher tide.

Dunure Castle…. This would be perfect with light on the castle, plenty of mood behind, and a higher tide, I think!

As it was on its way out, it didn’t really work here, but I realised that I might have better luck back at Greenan castle instead, now the water was lower. I drove back there, went to look, and was shocked to see the tide was actually so far out, that I had missed my chance entirely! With a tidal water that moved in or out extremely quickly over the beach area, opportunities for the shot I hoped for, at this location, were obviously only available in a very small window!! I gave up for today.

Instead I decided to have a drive down to Girvan, to hopefully see if the services and parking were better there, and to pick up a little shopping. I got to the parking spot after the sun had set, so just settled in for the night, planning everything else for the morning.

My Adventures

Lynn Waterfall, Camphill Reservoir, and Portencross Castle

South West Scotland 2021: Part Fifteen

18 September 2021

After a good night’s sleep, I decided to just take a stroll and a little look around the marina here. By chance, I noticed a man locking up a gas enclosure and spotted they had bottles in the size Fred used. I stopped the man, asking if they were full, available to sell, and if me not being a boat owner was OK. A lot of questions all at once, but I was met with a cheery smile and three yes’s. I just had to bring in my old tank, and he would get me a replacement one out in a moment, that I could buy. Really pleased I had ventured over here, I hurried back to Fred, picked up my empty, and bought myself a full bottle. It was super easy! Now I definitely didn’t need to worry for a little while!

It had been raining for a good portion of the night, and though no where near enough to fill any waterways, I suspected a waterfall would be far easier than anything out in the open, so settled on Lynn waterfall as my first visit today. I wasn’t expecting to find a space in the tiny car park, especially being a Saturday, but was pleasantly surprised to find a few spots I could park in. Then I started the hiking loop, loving all the fairy houses and carved toadstools hidden along the route. When I got to the waterfall, I was overjoyed to find a full fall at last! It was a bit of a scrabble down, then I realised that the best position was actually across the river. Very carefully, River and I gingerly made our way across the fast running water, and once we touched the other shore, I heard whoops, cheers and applause. Shocked and somewhat embarrassed to realise that people had been watching my shenanigans, I looked for the source of my congratulatory praise to find a big family on the top of the falls waving and clapping. I shyly waved back, then hid my blushing face as I started to set up my tripod. (wanted them to realise I was this side for a purpose, and not just a nutty old woman taking pointless risks for fun) Then I walked around to several positions to find the nicest view. Down stream slightly was nice, but we lost the second fall behind a big tree, too much to the right, and the sun glared into the camera… So I settled for a mid position.

Lynn Waterfall, a nice amount of water at last.

I moved over a little when the sun gained enough height to be a little more out of my shot. From here I liked the view better so spent some time snapping a number of shots (all the same…why DO I do that when I like a place?!! Lol) and soaking in the atmosphere. River had a good explore so I was content to just chill here for a while. In hindsight, I wish I had played a little more with the shutter speed to freeze the water a fraction less, but I think I was concentrating on avoiding the glare from the sun, so I’ll try and remember this for future. The shots themselves after the dribbles I had encountered so far on this trip, really made my day though.

Lynn falls a little further round to the side

Once I had filled my happiness bucket here, we made our way across the river and back up, and then finished walking the the loop, enjoying the walk thoroughly. From here I thought I would quickly check out a reservoir – but as suspected, the overflow was very dry. I made a mental note of a parking spot for another time instead. The overflow at Camphill Reservoir is really pretty, so I definitely want to try that sometime, but today wasn’t the day sadly. I took a phone photo to remind myself, and headed off.

Looking at the weather forecast and seeing that the cloud would continue to clear, I decided that I would try a spot I had really been looking forward to seeing, Portencross Castle and pier. Two photographic opportunities for me, so, excited, I made the drive there – only to be chronically disappointed and very frustrated by the local council or landowner. The only access, it seemed, was down a long narrow road with double yellow lines all the way down. That’s all well and good, but when I got to the bottom, the car park had a height barrier stopping me parking anywhere. It was also a dead end. Frustrated, disappointed and very annoyed that there were no signs much earlier warning this route was unsuitable for motorhomes or large vehicles, I gingerly tried a 3 point turn, and drove all the way back out. How a larger motorhome might manage this I have absolutely NO idea! I was desperate to find somewhere I could stop to enable me to walk back, but there was nothing. My heart sank and my frustration at feeling so unwelcome really started to eat at me. I got all the way back to the main road, and started to drive back the way I had come, finding a parking spot where I could pull over to check a map. I found nothing to the south, but on closer inspection found a possible spot to the north, giving me just over a mile to walk. It was my only option, so I drove back up, round past a nuclear power station, and was relieved to see a nearly empty public car park with no restrictions right by Hunterston Pier. I could also see the castle in the distance, so decided to make a quick dinner, and then start the walk. I would be back after dark I expected, and didn’t want the hassle of eating then, especially as it might use power for the lights. It didn’t seem like Fred’s driving was keeping the batteries topped up very well, as it had last year, so I needed to be a little more conservative on my power usage where I could.

The hike was pretty easy following a simple route along the Ayrshire coastal path. The tall cliffs to my left housed Peregrine falcons. I heard them cawing loudly and my app identified their call without any hesitation. My walking route was flat and easy, but ahead of me I noticed cloud building on the horizon. I really hoped it would lift enough to give a nice sunset and not block it out. The sky otherwise was getting pretty clear and it was nice to see the blue. With an hour and a half to sunset, my hopes were raised a little, even though the huge disappointment I had felt earlier, still haunted and lowered the tone of this visit.

Ayrshire coastal path looking back at Portencross and Hunterston Piers

When I got there, the pier looked very disappointing. I found it hard to get a composition with a lowered mood, uncooperative light and a flat incoming tide. An ongoing problem with plantar fasciitis didn’t help by adding sore feet to the growing list. I had hoped to get the waves coming over the rocks, but a) I wasn’t quite in the mood for scrambling over rocks to look for compositions with these feet, and b) there were no waves at all… The tide was literally just gently rising. This was actually an issue I have seen throughout this break, even at Clough lighthouse, it was a real struggle to get an ethereal mood to the shot. I gave up in the end, walked on a bit towards the castle and instead found a mound to climb up. I took a photo from the top, looking back the way I had just come. The lush green of the grass, the brown of the rocks and the blue of the sky were really nice, and to complete the scene there was a little house tucked in the trees. Hunterston pier, where I had parked, was just visible in the distance, and when I looked really hard, I could just see Fred. You wouldn’t think the walk had been that long looking at that..

I walked down to the castle, which is apparently open sometimes (not today though), and looked at several viewpoints. The strong evening sun put one side into an unflattering flat light, and the other side into full darkness. The dark side I hoped to use for the sunset, as the path has a wonderful curve that leads you to the castle, so the shot I needed before that would have to be out on the rocks… The only position I could get to that would give a half light and half dark shadowing. I clambered out to the point I identified as the only probable good viewpoint, wincing with each step, and really struggling with my balance for some reason, and sat a while setting up, just enjoying the peace. As it goes, the composition from here was really nice, and not one I normally see from this location. It’s just a shame we didn’t have a better aspect of the tower itself. but beggars can’t be choosers right?

Portencross castle from the rocks. Even the back of a castle can look pretty in the right light!

Once the pictures here were done, I turned my camera to the setting sun, only to realise that the huge bank of cloud had really built up on the horizon between me and the sun. It dipped behind, offering sun rays for a little bit, highlighting a curious scene where a cloud of mist was just laying lightly over a hill on the Isle of Arran, looking like a layer of thin wading had been put down over that section of land. It was rather pretty to watch the mists rolling down gently. (see header photo) Then the sun dipped out of view altogether, casting the palest of warm glows onto the clouds above me. I walked back to my prime position still with the slightest hope of a dramatic sunset, but very little happened but the light fading. This seemed fitting for my mood to be fair, so I took the pictures anyway. Just to add to my annoyance of the day, I hadn’t brought my wide angle lens. This meant that I couldn’t get the shot all in one as I hoped. Très frustrant indeed. Instead I cheated and did a panarama of the scene and stitched it together… this was harder to do than it might normally be, because River seemed to want to get into a number of the shots!

Portencross Castle as the sun finally disappeared for the evening

After I finished what I could do here, I packed up and walked all the way back in the quickly dimming light. Luckily it seemed quicker getting back, but by then my feet had absolutely had enough, so I just went straight to bed.

My Adventures

Whitelee Wind Farm and Lochgoin Monument

South West Scotland 2021: Part Eight

11 September 2021

Wind farm day… Only when I woke up early hoping for the sunrise shot I dreamed of, the cloud was SO thick you couldn’t see out of the window!!

I went back to sleep.

I eventually woke up to rain a couple of hours later. With the view still quite restricted, I simply took things easy and waited the weather out. The predictions were looking a little more promising as the day went so on I felt there was no rush today. The cloud lifted a little eventually, and it made for some nice shots from the camper window… Was that cheating?

Grim view from the window as the last downpour finally headed off

Eventually the rain stopped down to a light drizzle, and the clouds were above the turbines, so I decided to go on a long walk with River to gauge some nice moody compositional spots. I headed in the opposite direction to yesterday, walking past turbines 40, 24, 9, 8, 78 and down towards the Lochgoin Monument (see yesterdays map). This monument commemorates John Howie the author of The Scots Worthies, a book from 1775 that documented notable Covenanters and ministers. (Covenanters were a group of people in Scotland who had signed a petition against the interference of the Stuart kings in the Presbyterian church affairs, back in 1638. What followed was over 50 years of horrific persecution, violence, torture and murder)

I took some photos there, but I was sure that I could get nicer pictures in better weather and/or light. For now however, at least this documented my visit. After I had taken photos from a few different positions I realised that this exact spot was no longer in East Renfrew, but actually in East Ayrshire instead. This meant that, after all that walking, I couldn’t mark this spot off the East Renfrew leg of my county challenge … Oh well. One in advance…

As I took the pictures, I noticed a couple of breaks in the clouds, dancing small pockets of light across the Eaglesham Moor. While the light danced, it hit the occasional turbine. This looked SO pretty that I hoped to maybe capture one lit up against the grim grey sky as I turned to continue my walk around. For now, the walk ahead had no breaks in the cloud, so I aimed instead to get to a good viewpoint as soon as I could.

I started towards the Lochgoin Reservoir, only to realise several minutes later, that I was heading down to the farm by mistake. I walked back as quickly as I could and continued the hike round past the water and towards a marked lookout spot near turbine 43. My destination was Blackwood Hill.

I confess to feeling a little tired by the time I got there, and realised that it was pretty close to where I had ended at last night. Here River and I finally stopped for a good long sit down, some fluids and a lunchtime snack. It was a wonderful position. I could see for miles, and the distant hills and towns were bathed in glorious sunshine. Above us, the heavy skies remained. I saw more and more patches of sunlight come across the fields right over to me now however, so I positioned myself looking at a group of turbines, hoping that 3 of them might catch the light at once. I took loads of pictures of them all individually catching the sun, but for one patch to hit my complete grouping in one go, proved annoyingly elusive – then suddenly, after what seemed an age of trying and waiting – it happened!! I was over the moon, but realising the composition wasn’t quite right, tried to re adjust the shot. I was too slow though – the light had already gone off two of them. I waited, but it didn’t happen again, so I re-evaluated the shot I had captured and decided that I might be able to crop it to help it work better.

Light breaking through to hit some of the turbines

After this I wandered back and as I did, I spotted the Lochgoin monument in the far distance. I realised that from near where I stood, it would be perfectly positioned to sit in the middle of the silhouette of Ailsa Crag even further away, so I walked a few paces over to my left get the best view. I put my long lens on, zoomed to the max, and rattled off a few shots, moving an inch this way, half a foot that way until the position was perfect. The image on the back of the camera was really pleasing to my eye. I chuckled to myself…was this technically a 3 in one county shot? I was standing in East Renfrew, shooting the monument in East Ayrshire, against Ailsa Crag that was in South Ayrshire. How do I mark this one off?! Satisfied I’d gotten the best shot that I could, we finally headed back to the camper for a much needed rest. I’d ponder that question later if I really needed to.

As the hours passed, the heavy clouds cleared quickly so I made the call to head back out for either a clear sky sunset shot, or even a colourful one if I was lucky. Either one would do! River was exhausted (well we had just done 6.5 miles) so I left her behind to rest up while I trotted back to the spots I wanted to try for sunset…

As I walked, I spotted a lone tree on the horizon some distance away. With a lovely evening light bathing it, the blue of the sky behind, and a pink tinge to the cloud above, it looked lovely to my eye, so I hastily set up and tried to take a few photos. I needed to zoom in to the max, but even with an extender trying to help, it still looked small in the frame. (see Header) I felt it was still worth stopping for though, even if it did cut the time to sunset considerably closer than I was comfortable with.

Since I hadn’t picked a nice spot yet – and I only had a rough idea at that – I quickly headed on my way but soon found myself stopping a second time. This time it was to photograph the sun dipping below the hill, with a delightful starburst in the making. This spot proved rushing any further would be a waste of time, since I now realised I was in the wrong place to actually see the sun dip below the horizon itself. As I positioned myself for this shot, I saw the one I would have loved to have taken… but sadly the water level in the reservoir was far too low. I think that maybe a reflection in the water would make a strong image and that this would be much better after a period of rainfall. For now, I concentrated on trying to get the best angle for the sunburst.

Once I’d managed this one, I saw that I still had 5 mins to the actual sunset. I suspected it might be worth re-trying the monument shot I’d taken earlier, but I realised chances were going to be slim once I spotted that the sun was now behind a cloud. Any colour there a few minutes ago was already fading to a dull blue and quickly at that. I tried the shot however – gotta be in it, to win it, right?! Unfortunately the lens extender (which slightly restricts the amount of light that can get to the shutter) and the rapidly fading daylight, made it very hard to focus. Eventually I had to admit to myself, that I wasn’t going to get this one. Maybe I could just cheat the earlier shot, and put the colour that I was now looking at, into the image when I edited it…

Matching the bit of colour I saw in the sky later on, this was taken earlier in the day.

I walked back towards the wind turbine I had photographed and used my phone to take a quick snap of the severely depleted reservoir. This was to remind me that when full, it might be worth coming back to try a good reflection shot. Finally, completely exhausted, I plodded back to the camper for a well earned rest tonight!

My Adventures

Pollok Country Park, Linn Falls and Whitelee Wind Farm

South West Scotland 2021: Part Seven

10 September 2021

After a good nights rest, a reset, and a gentle morning, I left Emily at mid day with a clearer plan of action.

I was hoping to finish Glasgow, but rather than take shots of the city proper, I turned to two country parks just on the city outskirts – still technically in the Glasgow City ‘county’ so these can be counted as valid locations in my county challenge! My first port of call was Pollok country park, recommended by Emily’s flatmate. Parking was easy to find, and free, so I got there quickly, and walked towards the river, gauging a couple of extra shots as I walked along. It was as lovely as I hoped here. The most surprising discovery of all though, was the fact that THIS was the exact spot that I had actually tried to find two days ago!! The river I followed along here was White Cart Water (this river was clearly longer than I checked!), and the spot I had seen in the photo was the weir and old saw mill along the river right here! Clearly the original photo I used for reference had been slightly mislabelled as Renfrew when it wasn’t, or the poster thought that this spot was within the Renfrew boarder. Either way, I was overjoyed, and took no time at all setting up and taking multiple images of this beautiful location. It was still very cloudy, but it didn’t rain so I was really happy. I am determined to come back here at some point, and capture this image in prettier weather. I bet it will look really lovely with a bit of sun to bring this scene alive!

The old Sawmill by White Cart Water at Pollok country park

River entertained herself around me, and decided to rub herself in … muuuddd???. It could have been anything actually, so I didn’t take any chances and took her down to the water to wash it all back off again (much to her annoyance – she’d worked hard at getting that all in there!!) As I did this, I saw a chap taking photos of some bottles with the weir as a backdrop. I had a brief chat with him, and he explained that he was trying to take some advertising shots with his mobile. I asked how they were coming out and he said he was just an amateur and that the photographer he had hired couldn’t do it until October, adding softly ‘are you interested?’ Now, somehow I missed this question, only hearing it later, but I continued the chat, mentioning that I had seen shots like these before, that I bet the box was heavy, and further random conversations. It was only when I walked away a few minutes later, that I heard the question and I wondered if he had been serious, and whether I had missed a chance to earn a few pennies, and try my hand at still life and promo photography. Ahh, when you hear things back in your head after the event right?!

I went on my way, stopping to photograph the weir and old buildings from under the bridge (see header) then looked at Pollok House from the path. It was closed for the day due to Covid restrictions, but the view from here was really nice and super symmetrical which appealed to my sense of order… well apart from the gate being slightly oddly opened. I darted up the steps and evened the opening out before running back down to grab a quick shot with my phone. The lands here were the family seat of the Stirling-Maxwell family, and they lived here for 700 years in various castles before this house was built in 1752 (with a few extensions since then) In 1931 it was here that the first discussions were had to form a new National Trust for Scotland with the then owner, Sir John Stirling Maxwell 10th Baron of Pollok. He died in 1957, and the property was handed to the City of Glasgow by his daughter Dame Anne Maxwell MacDonald in 1966, and then to the National Trust for Scotland to care for in 1998. The family have retained the rights to still reside in parts of the house when they visit Glasgow, which I was really pleased to hear -it means that its still a living residence for this long line of lords and barons.

Satisfied with what I could get with my limited light for now, I marked Pollok Park as one to come back to at another time of the year or when I am next up here, and I then left and went to Linn Park, not terribly far from here. This was recommended by Emily herself, ‘its gorgeous there Mum, we went last summer, and you’ll love the waterfall…’ I duly listed this, and headed over with some hope that perhaps this waterfall might be as impressive as she suggested… but no, the water here was a fraction of the flow as I had secretly assumed. I sent her a jokey text with a photo, asking if there was more water when she was here (knowing full well there was) and she replied with a shocked face at seeing the levels. I wasn’t put off however. I did what I could, and actually really liked just focusing on one part only. The water that was falling here, had gathered to one side and formed a smaller section of falls that was in its own right, still fairly pretty. I really enjoyed this shoot. The low river levels allowed me to step a little further out into the water so I could get a better view. Photos online I have seen since, suggest that this isn.t normally possible! Once this was done, I was pleased to be able to mark yet another county off my list.

From here I decided to go to East Renfrew. I wasn’t sure about doing another park, a waterfall, nor long walk, so decided to go to Whitelee wind farm instead. This was going to be an unusual one to do, and I was very uncertain as to what I could expect here – but as the prediction was for 24% cloud at sunset, I considered that maybe a turbine silhouetted and reflected in some water would look nice…? That was the thinking anyway. I arrived, saw a few spots to park up and then went for a brief walk to gauge the place. I totally surprised myself by really enjoying it here. It truly was far more fascinating than I was banking on. Where I was expecting a bit of an eyesore location, with some interesting/different features to possibly photograph, I found myself in a very well thought out location, designed to be practical, preserving of nature, AND a pleasant place to spend some time walking or learning about these rather awesome structures. This place genuinely had it all worked out really well! I only did a short walk to begin with, just to gauge the lay of the land… wandering around past turbines 40, 41, 54, 55 and around to turbine 43 (see map below) I spotted a possible sunset spot, and headed back to the van for some supper to wait the cloud’s departure before I aimed to go out a little later.

map of part of the huge Whitelee Wind Farm

The sky however, hadn’t read the same forecast as me, and I watched as the cloud got heavier and heavier until it was clear there wasn’t going to be any sunset, and that instead heavy mizzle would be the order for tonight! I moved the van to a safer spot, after seeing another motorhome move, and spotting a sign mentioning gates being locked. With miserable weather here now, I decided that I would stop for the night , and have a full and proper look at this site tomorrow… this was WAY more interesting than I initially expected it to be, and you never know, perhaps the sunset sky was slightly off by a few hours, but maybe the sun RISE would be the glorious chance I hoped for.

My Adventures

Grey Mare’s Tail Waterfall, Jaw Reservoir, Lady Linn Falls

South West Scotland 2021: Part Five

7 September 2021

Today I decided to try to find Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall, and nearby Jaw Reservoir. I had read that this one had a walking trail that would take me right passed it, so I hunted for, and found it, on the All Trails App. First instructions were for a small car park nearby, so I happily headed over to that. Frustration hit right at the start however, when I pulled up to a height barrier preventing me from parking there. I carefully turned round and drove up and down the narrow road for a bit until I found a spot on a verge just big enough for one or two vehicles. Although not the best start, I felt very lucky to have found that at least, or I suspect I would have had to abandon this walk, since I didn’t think there was anywhere else to park. The walk from here looked easy, simply following a small road, but then I missed my turn off to the right and ended up walking all the way along until I hit a private house. Just laughing at my poor luck today, I turned round and retraced my steps until I found the correct route, and from here it was easier to follow.

The walk to the Jaw Reservoir was not hard, it was a bit boggy in places and I did indeed pass the waterfall. It looked like getting down to the base of it might be a bit tricky though, since the sides looked very steep, and were largely covered in huge thick ferns. I briefly tried one open grassy bit of the hill, but gave up thinking I might retry on my return journey. Looking downstream, I thought I could see a possible route to try. River loved it though and bounded on ahead, confused when I couldn’t follow. It’s easy if you have 4 legs, obviously!

For now, I continued on up to the reservoir and when I got there, the water was very still with a light mist over the trees, giving a beautiful vibe to an area that might otherwise be just a bit flat and boring. I snapped a few photos before I took a gentle walk along the edge for a while, simply soaking up the incredible peace here.

A beautiful and calm Jaw Reservoir

With the exception of one man tidying his fishing rod away, some distance ahead, no one else was here, so this peace was very much just for me to enjoy. I ambled along the stony edge of the water until River got all caught up in some fishing wire. As I was untangling her, the fisherman came past explaining to me that it was probably lost here after the line or weight had broken. He went on to say that the water was the lowest he had seen in 30 years, and he genuinely seemed amazed at this level at the moment. As I looked closer, I could see a lot of broken bits of fishing line and where the water level might normally sit. I understood then, just why he was astounded at this – the grass line (which I assume sat just above the regular fill line) was actually quite a few feet higher than where I stood. It was hard to imagine so much extra water here, and how much it might change what I was seeing today. We chatted a while as I worked to untangle the line, and once River was freed, he went on his way. I found myself just walking the rest of the circuit around the reservoir without taking any further photographs, and only once I got back to my starting point, did I encounter anyone else.

On the way back down, I tried again to get to the bottom of the Grey Mares Tail, this time attempting the route that I had spotted earlier. Despite a huge battle through thick ferns, that had me feeling a little unnerved about what might be hiding in there (I’ve clearly been watching too many jungle movies!) this route proved to be no good after all. It stopped by a wall above the river, and had no way to get down from there. Disappointed, I retraced my steps back and then attempted a third route, a little closer to the falls. This nearly ended in disaster when River lost her footing and rolled down what evidently revealed itself to be the steep edges of a gorge! I stopped breathing for a second as she tumbled, but then her fall was broken by a tight mass of ferns and nettles. Though shocked, she was clearly unhurt, thankfully. I paused for a second to breathe again. She remained still in her shallow hammock of plants, and although I could see fear in her eyes, she trusted me totally as I then attempted to guide her back up the steep sides. As soon as she had gotten close enough, I grabbed her by the collar and gave a quick sharp hoick up the last unclimbable portion. Apologising profusely for nearly choking her, I hugged her hard and she licked me frantically as we perched where we were for a moment, not moving another step. I quickly took a handful of photos from there, which weren’t particularly good ones, and we left as soon as we could, retracing our steps back out, so as to avoid any further accidents. We were both a bit shaken but these falls, and the pictures, were not worth loosing my dog over!! I abandoned any other thoughts of further attempts at photographing this one… I think its my least favourite waterfall ever.

This was as close as we got to this without getting into any further danger

We carried on walking down feeling a huge relief to be back on an established and safe route, and River walked with a happy wag to her tail. Feeling a little fed up with this today, I looked at the map again and noticed that there appeared to be another set of falls that I hadn’t spotted before, and that no-one had written about. They even had a name – Lady Linn Falls. I debated about whether to bother, assuming that no-one had written about them because they were a bit pants, but since these looked to be close to the road and in the woods I was currently walking past, I decided to make the detour. I had been so disappointed at the Grey Mare’s Tail falls, that a chance for a second one seemed promising.

I was so very glad I did! These were really pretty, and the walk in the woods very pleasant!! River loved it, and as I worked I spotted her rolling in mud, paddling in the stream and back in the mud again until she was largely just a muddy ball. It was lovely seeing her unfazed about her fall earlier and so happy. I took photos from the top of the falls (see header), the front, and then down a step of boulders that revealed a secondary part to the fall. This spot was really gorgeous with some early autumnal leaf fall on a lush green moss covered rock. I couldn’t understand why this wasn’t mentioned anywhere.. it was WAYYY prettier than the Grey Mare’s Tail ones, and dead easy to get to!! The colours around me were stunning, and it all got helped with the occasional dash of sunlight on the scene as the sun popped out to play intermittently. Now this felt a little more like it, and I had an absolute ball here.

Dappled sunlight over the Lady Linn Falls

Once I was finished, I washed River down in the water until she was clean again, and thought that on our way back to Dumbarton, I might try and find a dog brush so I could de tangle her once she was dry again. I had forgotten to bring one, although I had brought everything else for her.

I got back to camper, drove to Dumbarton, where I found a pet store without any trouble, picked up a nice brush, and some special dog treats. Then I parked up back at my spot from the last two nights, to a nice sunny evening. I took River over to the castle and we sat in the warm sun where she was able to fully dry off. She loved the hands on attention as I gave her a thorough brush through, and complete inch by inch tick check. Going through those ferns earlier, I felt sure she would have picked up at least one of these hitch-hikers, but I found nothing on her at all. Clearly the spray I used intermittently on her, WAS doing its job, and the smell of the geranium oil and vinegar mix was not to their taste!

After an hour just chilling in the park, I took her back to camper, and decided to come back to quickly photograph the castle while there was nice light on it. Of course, as soon as I got back with the camera, the last bit of sunlight actually shining on the castle went, but it still looked nicer than it had so far in my trip, so I took a proper shot of it anyway.

Dumbarton Castle looking a little nicer with blue sky instead of grey!

I felt it was time to leave this place, although I felt very comfortable and safe being here. West Dumbartonshire had been completed for now, with The Dumpling, Jaw Reservoir, Dumbarton castle, and the two waterfalls, but before I thought of heading off, I looked to the left, and realised how I would very much like to photograph the castle from that side. Again, I hoped for high tide, so I looked at the timings. The next one would be in the middle of the night, but the one after was at 2pm tomorrow. Armed with these details I decided to stop another night and take the morning to scout the best position to shoot, before coming back to photograph it proper. Then I could head off to my next county on this trip. I wasn’t altogether sure where to go next either, but I had my list, and the best I could tell myself was that it would be the first of the counties south of the Clyde.

My Adventures

Dumpling and Dumbarton Castle

South West Scotland 2021: Part Four

5 & 6 September 2021

I woke up in my lovely forest parking spot quite refreshed, but I really struggled to get myself motivated. I had no idea why. I think maybe yesterday had been a bit of a blow, even though I had managed some recovery in the end.

I eventually got myself together, and made my way to the first location in my next county, West Dumbartonshire. Here I found myself at the northernmost location on my list, The Dumpling, a perfectly positioned hill that overlooked the southern end of Loch Lamond. Parking was easy, and the walk, although steep in parts, wasn’t long, and before I realised it, I was standing on top of the hill looking out at the view that was… well, very disappointing. I have seen some cracking shots from here, but today, even though the sun was shining, most of the loch was lost to a very heavy haze. I had a small lunch with me, so I waited some time, just chilling to see if it would lift, and though it did a little, after nearly two hours I gave up. I hoped I might be able to recover whatever shots I had managed to get, in the editing stage, but I don’t think they are too great. I pretty much only saved one of them – sort of – its definitely not of a quality I am happy with. Strangely, my eyes could see more than my camera at the time, which actually quite curious.

View of Loch Lamond from from The Dumpling

On way down my footing slipped on the very dry and dusty ground, and I instinctively reached out to grab something to break my fall. Without looking, my hand found a thick, very thorny bramble, and as I went down it tore through my flesh. I startled (and worried) River as I landed, yelping in pain. My hand instantly poured with blood and I had to stop to pull out a bunch of thorns and try to suppress the bleeding, before I could continue any further. This really dragged me down on top of a whole bunch of things I was already feeling. I gingerly continued down until I got back to the van, managed to clean and dress my hand properly, and made myself a calming cup of tea. I sat for some time, contemplating what to do next. I was now out of milk, and still needed anti histamine for my very itchy face, so went to find a local shop. Unfortunately, they only sold the expensive branded stuff (I won’t pay for a name if I can help it) and no skimmed milk, so I changed my plans a little and went to find a supermarket at Dumbarton instead, aiming to get some fuel at the same time.

Now I was here, I hoped to try Dumbarton Castle – only to find it closed due to Covid restrictions. This just felt so sad on top of everything else. Feeling a little sorry for myself, I settled for a wander instead, with River, my mobile phone, and no weight on my back. I took a snap of the castle from the front and then explored all around the castle rock to as far as I could walk. The last of the blue sky quickly left, turning more and more cloudy until it gradually started raining. I returned without exploring much further, loosing motivation completely for tonight, had some dinner, and just stayed put.

Mobile photo of the front and lower levels of Dumbarton Castle

I did find this castle to be an interesting location to be sitting next to however! It struck me as being a very unusual looking hill, and you could see it from quite a distance as you drove in. It was very steeply sided while there was no other hill close by, and the town of Dumbarton was laying all around the base of it. Curiosity grabbed me as I settled for the evening and I found myself looking up its history, both geological and human. Turns out it was formed by a volcano some 350 million years ago. A lava flow basically hardened in the middle of the volcano, plugging the vent, and after years of weathering, ice erosion and ground movement, the outer, softer layers of rock gradually wore themselves away, leaving just this ‘plug’ of hardened basalt rock. From Iron age times, it has been used by people as a spot for a fortification, being particularly suited to seeing enemies well before they are near, and being fairly impenetrable once they had arrived. It also housed prisoners (like William Wallace) and served to hide monarchy as they waited to flee. (Mary Queen of Scots hid here before fleeing to France) Quite a spot I think!

6 September

It rained all night and quite late into the morning. Eventually it stopped at 11ish, so I took River for a walk just to get her moving and to go to the loo if she needed it. She didn’t want to come out initially, but I made her anyway and she eventually loved it when we got going. I left the camera in the van not thinking I would see much in this miserable weather, hoping simply for an exploratory walk upstream. I had my mobile for any reference shots if I needed it. As it goes, I did end up spotting an interesting view that I hoped would work at high tide – if the water stilled long enough. (see header) I went back to the van, had lunch, and decided to leave again at around 1-ish ready for high tide at 2. River chose to stay, so I headed out alone for the picture I aimed to get. The tide was now fully in, but the water didn’t really still completely as I had hoped. I did manage to get a shot that showed the volcanic dome well though. Now I knew the history, it seemed all the more interesting to me and I really found it fascinating to try and visualise a much bigger volcano in this area.

I tried a couple of other shots of some rotted pier legs (I assumed that was what they were) but the shots didn’t really work here. It gradually started raining again and I didn’t really want to leave River alone for too long so I made my way back to Fred and chilled out for a while.

When the rain stopped, it was much later, but I decided to go out again, this time back to the front of the castle. The light wasn’t great but I hoped that when the tide was fully out I could possibly try a bit of bird spotting as there seem to be quite a few wading birds here. Unfortunately I struggled to photograph or identify any birds, because the tide had already gone so far out, they were impossible to see clearly, even with my 400mm lens! The castle was grey and dull with a heavy black cloud over it, so any pictures there were a bust too.

As I stood aimlessly looking downstream, I noticed some sun rays were trying to break through the dark cloud. They looked really pretty as they danced across the scene at the end of the river. Initially they were quite a distance away, but then I realised the cloud was actually very slowly making its way up towards my position. I watched and hoped they would come up this far for a while, before I realised I should be photographing them!! I hurriedly got the camera out, focused, and snapped a few shots, fearful the beams would fade one last time. They never did come right up to me, but just as a nice one was streaking through, I heard geese behind me. I didn’t dare turn round but kept my eye on the beam as the light strengthened. As soon as they started to dim, I thought, I would press the shutter regardless – but at the same time I prayed that the birds would get into the shot. Please hang on, please hang on, please hang on!!! I held my breath as I prayed, and then, there they were – 4 birds were flying through my frame! I pressed the shutter. Hoping and praying I had a decent shot as the screen went black, I gasped when I saw what I had captured. Those geese couldn’t have been in a more perfect position!!

The beam was just on the turn, so the timing couldn’t possibly be any better either. The shot looked great and I was over the moon! The hole in the cloud closed shortly after this, and in no time it got to a point that there was no light at all and so close to sunset that the cloud effectively presented a prematurely dark and grim night. Nonetheless…it was a happy end to the day!

My Adventures

Blairskaith Waterfall, Torrance-Kinkell countryside, and Craigmaddie Reservoir

South West Scotland 2021: Part Three

4 September 2021

I took my time getting ready this morning. Now this wasn’t due so much to laziness, as it was to tiredness… since River had decided that she wanted to sleep with me during the night. She then kept waking me up as she wriggled, tossed and turned, decided my face needed kisses and ended up giving me 2 inches of the bed… If you have animals, I guess you fully understand this story! Actually the face kisses were probably for a good reason – I awoke to mozzie/gnat bites all over my face and neck from last night. When I tried to help myself, I realised I had no anti histamine in the van either, so had to settle for anti itch cream. Not the best start.

Today’s plan was to find Blairskaith waterfall, so as soon as I was sorted, I drove on over, and found a nice spot to park up. I took the short walk back down the hill a little, and wandered into the woods full of anticipation. Then, when I stood on the path looking down at the falls, my jaw hit the floor. I was shocked to see that there was barely anything here and the falls were little more than a dribble!! I stared for quite a while before it actually sank in. I was in Scotland, and a waterfall was… DRY?!! I pulled myself together, trying really hard to dismiss my extreme disappointment. ‘Well, I was here’ I thought, so I took a couple of shots with very long exposure to try and enhance the water flow, but it was a totally unsuccessful endeavour, and the few photos I took ended up just being record shots for a future visit.

It was a heartbreaking moment when I saw no water in this waterfall!

I did a quick explore of the cave behind, but it was equally uninspiring without light or water, so I returned very sadly to Fred and wondered what else I could do. I needed 3 locations to scratch East Dumbartonshire off my map, but without this one – I would barely scrape two!

I went back to a spot I had seen from the road and considered photographing that instead. As I had driven the Campsie Road between Torrence and Kinkell, I had spotted a field with hay bales, and a rather nicely positioned tree. At the time it was bathed in a brief wash of sunshine and it looked quite striking. Now however, an hour or so later, the sun had mostly gone and the cloud flattened the scene. I texted the shot idea to a friend, and we discussed the pros and cons of it. I’d not taken a ‘harvest’ scene before, but that was probably because I’m not especially good at reactive photography, and this type of shot would generally be spotted as you drive past. This one had some promise though. So I took a number of shots from a variety of positions, and sent the sad text of ‘all this needs is light’ to my friend, so we could commiserate together. As if listening in, the sun suddenly started a 10 minute spell of brief and intermittent light spells, as clouds parted briefly to my left. I wasted no time jumping back to the nicer compositions I’d found, and just as I reached my favourite spot the last beam of light raced up the hill! I snapped several shots, hoping to blend them together to produce a happy sunny image. As it goes, I didn’t need to do any blending work, because this one was lovely all on its own! The sun never returned, but as a first attempt at an image of this nature, it wasn’t a disappointing effort, and marked location 2 of East Dumbartonshire off my map. Well technically location 3 I suppose, as I had actually visited Blairskaith Linn, and I had actually photographed it. What were my rules regarding this scratch off map anyway…?!! Visit 3 locations in a county? Take photos of three locations? Take 3 ‘quality’ photos at 3 locations…??? Hmmnn… I wonder if I need to be a little clearer on my rules.. I don’t want to cheat now, do I??!!??

When the sun listens to your pleas and obliges!

As I debated this oh so serious issue, I had some lunch, played on my phone while doing my water filtering, then went to my third (fourth) location for East Dumbartonshire. Whether I had any formal decisions or not, I clearly felt I needed another one for this county, just as a back up… So the Craigmaddie reservoir was my next port of call. Hang on… just who is monitoring me on this anyway..?!! LOL

Now here was a really nice location. Plenty of parking nearby, and a wonderfully easy and flat walk. I almost forgot to look for spots to photograph as River and I enjoyed our pleasant stroll here, despite the now grim sky, and strengthening breeze. It was getting on for late in the afternoon so we simply followed the path around the edge. I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for here, but the possibility of reflections from the large trees on one side was missing due to the wind that was completely spoiling the surface of the water. I didn’t feel stressed by this however, and I simply followed the path further round as I explored the area. This led to, and guided me over, a path that split the reservoirs into two (creating Craigmaddie and Mugdock reservoirs), and carried on round to a section where the area was out of the worst of the breeze.

I found a lovely spot here, where the water inflow to the reservoir allowed for a nice long exposure. I struggled a little though, with the wind blowing the bushes across the front of my lens, masking much of the water trails and making my view restricted and messy. A faster shutter rid me of the bushes, but killed the drama and movement. Frustrated with the shots, I finished and wandered over to a central point in the walkway here, and met two girls from Brighton who had left at 1am to get here today. I was quite amazed at how much energy they had, given the length of their drive! Holly and Gemma chatted to me for a bit, telling me they had a week to try and get in a super tour of Scotland. With points across the Highlands and Skye all together, they seemed to have quite a packed schedule! (all in a week?!) ‘They’ll need a holiday after that lot!’ I thought, as they continued on their way. I hope they managed all the bits they’d planned on seeing – and even if they did – I bet they will be back!! I continued across the walkway to the opposite side, where the view seemed a little clearer. I confess, it wasn’t quite as easy to get this shot either, especially with my tripod balanced precariously across the barrier, but I managed to capture the water flowing far better from this side.

Some nice shots were to be had here, and it felt a little different for me.

After this I went back to the central point where I turned my attention to the very symmetrical water inflow tunnel. This has an inscription showing it was built in 1885/6, and this is the point where all this water finally ends its journey of 25 miles, coming through an aqueduct that starts at Loch Katrine. Rather oddly, the water in this small section was very still, allowing for a glass like reflection. Although not a regular subject matter of mine, I found it very pleasing to my eye, and loved taking the photos of it (see header)

It was getting chilly, and much dimmer by the time I finished, so I wandered back to Fred, with River happily plodding next to me. She seemed happier being out, and I think all her aches and pains had finally become manageable for her. I re positioned the van to a nice spot for the evening and settled in for the night. I was pleased to realise that tomorrow, I could start West Dumbartonshire – the three locations for East Dumbartonshire had definitely been covered this time!

Blairskaith Linn take two. 10th December 2021.

OK, so in December, my daughter had her graduation ceremony in Glasgow – Well, I couldn’t go all that way and NOT re-try a couple of the disappointing locations, could I?! (So expect to see a few additions on these posts as the revisited spots come up) First was Blairskaith. Such was my disappointment in my visit here, that I HAD to come back and have a second try – and what a difference some rainfall makes! The falls here were MUCH nicer! I had parked up in the parking spot overnight, since I hoped to cram several spots into today, and this was going to be the first. I awoke to frozen windows, and a cold van, but as soon as I got myself moving I warmed up enough to enjoy the quick walk down to the falls. Today, the sun was beaming, which for the beginning of the session here, created some nasty shadows across the falling water, however, as the time here went on, the sun dipped intermittently behind cloud, and I was able to capture this shot which shows just how pretty it can get here. I have no idea what it might look like in full spate after a prolonged period of rainfall… but for me today, this was a huge improvement, so I will take that one!