road trip – Page 3 – Knightshoots Landscape Photography

Mermaid of the North, Rogie Falls, and Fairy Glen…

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Sixteen

7 August 2020

I was very tired today, waking up at 3am after a real struggle to even get to sleep. I think I must have had about an hour and a half maximum and have no idea why this happened! I laid there for a while, then gave up and decided to just try for a dawn shot of the Mermaid of the North instead. The Mermaid was already on my list for today, with a drive that was just half hour from here, so I decided to simply get dressed and make my way over now. There was no point in just laying here I guess… and you never know, the cloud over my head might move away.

There were plenty of spots on the beach front to park up nearby, so in the silent pre dawn light, I quietly got myself ready and left with River to find out where exactly the mermaid might sit. This one had fascinated me from the beginning. It doesn’t seem to be a greatly photographed sculpture from what I can tell, and the few images I found before I went, were mostly simple tourists shots, or a fake one with a giant sun behind. There were so few photographers pictures from here in fact, that I was a little thrown by the apparent lack of interest. How did I find it then you may wonder…? Erm… well… I just looked on google maps in the rough area and spotted their camera logo with ‘tourist spot’ labelled next to it… so its not exactly a big secret!!! This sculpture was created in 2007 by Steve Hayward, and is 10′ high. She is apparently positioned in such a way that at high tide part of her sits beneath the water. (sounded perfect!!!) Sadly for me, the pre dawn light revealed that the water was nowhere near her, so a hoped for shot of waves crashing around her or a gorgeous fine art, minimalist shot were not going to happen today. Still, I was here, and happy to work with whatever was thrown at me… and boy, did I get some incredible luck with what was!! After I spotted a few nice positions, I waited in my favourite and watched in complete awe as the big dark cloud above me gradually began to catch the morning light and continued to get redder and redder until the whole sky was on fire. It was still just 4.40 in the morning, there wasn’t a soul here on the beach, and this was way more than I had dreamed of… This was just stunning!!! I was blown away by my luck being here this morning and was SO glad I had bothered!!! I was also lucky to have the sun rise just over the water, and not behind the trees, which it so easily could have done. Today was starting off in the best possible way for sure.

Glorious 4.45 am sunrise… well worth getting up for!

Once the red skies had subsided and I had exhausted the sunrise, I turned to see what The Mermaid looked like with the early morning sunlight shining on it. I was amazed and even more delighted to see an entirely different shot, where the she appeared to be looking at a perfectly positioned moon. This wasn’t a photo I had seen from here at all, so I happily snapped this angle too. I really loved how it looked, almost as much as the sunrise shots. I waited for while longer, because I wanted to see what she might look like completely silhouetted with the sun fully behind her, and as I did, the tide continued on its way out. I definitely wasn’t going to see any water around her tail, that much was for sure! It was now nearly 6 and I spotted the first visitors to the beach walking their dog. The two ladies were from Moray, and we chatted for a while as I waited for the sun to get into position. (header pic) They were lovely, and quite entertaining as we chatted about my plans to visit Moray in the next few days (chiefly to see a particular location I had hungered to see for well over over a year!) “It’s not More-ayy” the older lady gently informed me “..its Murry. Like the mint. Murry” (you have to hear that with a Scottish accent – its delightful!!) I stood corrected… in the nicest way possible! Lol. This morning was most definitely a complete joy. I now look forward to a return to get my high tide shots!!

Perfect example of why you should look behind you when out in the field!

I finished here around 6.30am, went back to the camper, and found myself finally able to sleep for a good couple of hours. I woke again at 9 as the seafront gradually came to life with the hustle and bustle of the day, had breakfast, and moved on. For the rest of the day I aimed to keep things fairly gentle, due to the lack of sleep.

My next spot was to be Rogie falls, and many of the shots I had seen of these falls were clearly from higher up, probably a purpose built bridge or viewing area. Although these shots were nice, I really hoped it was possible to find a spot lower down, closer to the water – so my aim was to try and see. I parked up in the car park, and went on the really lovely hike around some woodland. When I got to the falls, I found the other pictures had been taken from a suspension bridge. Now my last experience of one of these was at the very terrifying Corrieshalloch Gorge, and although not as high or as long… this bridge still wobbled a lot when I walked over it! I got about halfway, realised that there wouldn’t be much of a shot from the other side anyway, and came back to the safety of the mainland. I took one tester photo from the bridge, but found that the other tourists walking across wobbled it too much. Getting one using a tripod and long exposure (to get milky water) was clearly going to be pretty much impossible right now. I didn’t worry much, because when I looked downstream I could see there was a nice bit of flat rock by the water… now… if only I could get to THAT spot. I went back to the main trail, following it in the vague direction of the rocky outcrop, and part way round spotted a bit of the fence that had some tracks and a very lightly worn footpath beyond it. Hmmnn… I wonder…?? No one was around, so I quickly climbed over, and followed it into the undergrowth, and then found myself clambering down until I was at the exact spot I hoped for. (Yay!! Go explorer me!) The view from here was WAY better to take photos from, in my opinion (apart from the grim sky flattening all the colours) So, here all on my own, I quietly set up and took my time taking photos, watching River paddle in the gently lapping water.

Rogie Falls. I bet this looks really pretty when the sun shines!

Photos done, I just chilled here and as I did, I heard a splash. I looked at the spot of the sound, but there was nothing obvious… then I heard another – and a short while later, a third! What on earth was making these splashes??!! I couldn’t see anything that might have fallen in… Confused, I let my eyes adjust to a broad vision, not focussing on anything in particular, but seeing a wide view, when there was another… and I spotted it!! It was a fish!! Over the next hour, I spotted this several times (but heard many more). I was beside myself when I realised I was watching Salmon swimming back upstream!! At the car park, I had read they swim back upstream here to spawn, and that a special salmon ladder has even been built to help make this section a little easier for them. I didn’t get to see that bit as I forgot to look, but will definitely have a better explore when I venture back this way. I was overjoyed at seeing these today though, since I always thought the Salmon season was more September time. If I were to be here in a few weeks, I imagine I may even have been able to photograph them jumping up the waterfall… now there’s a dream shot right?!! Judging by these guys today, you gotta be really, REALLY fast to capture a shot like that… I barely even saw them they were that quick! I sat here engrossed in my fish spotting, when I was joined by an older lady, and as we chatted her husband arrived with a picnic. Now this was a delightful place to sit and just ponder the world I felt. As I had taken all the shots I wanted, I decided to leave them to their peace, their lunch and the fish attempting to complete the hardest part of their life cycles. Now I know about this place, I will try again next time I am passed.

There was pretty much only one other location on my list for Ross and Cromarty for this trip, the Fairy Glen, Rosemarkie. I had debated trying Chanonry Point to go dolphin spotting – a location right here that is hugely popular, and reaps high chances of spotting these beautiful creatures in the wild – but reports of large crowds warned me off a bit and I didn’t particularly fancy jostling for views, and most certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable trying to take photos in front of lots of people. I also found it very difficult to find nearby free parking, and had been told that the only parking closer were a few spots that filled very quickly at the point itself. So, with all these factors, I had to leave this in the end. Instead, as I parked up in the tiny car park at the start of the Fairy Glen hike, I just took things easy. This car park would clearly get full quickly I imagined, but it was edging towards tea time by now, so the largest bulk of the tourists had gone home, and I was able to get Fred in without too much issue. The timing for this was very fortuitous I think!

The hike seemed to start right on the roadside, so I had to keep River on a tight leash, until (after a false start – I had to go back to pick up the phone I left in the van) I found an alternative route that just bypassed the road altogether. This walk, like may woodland waterfall walks, was incredibly peaceful. I took my time soaking the atmosphere in, and met a few people still here. This was an easy hike, and not very long, so it suited my needs for today in being so gentle. As I approached the falls, they looked exactly like the photos I had seen and there was no issue grabbing easy, straightforward shots. I eventually waded across the river that was flowing away to my right, and stood on a small bank there. As was my habit now, I was wearing knee high hiking wellies, and these proved worth their weight as the water flowed nearly 3/4 of the way up them… but it wasn’t dangerous water and the crossing was still pretty easy. No one else was over here however (I guess it was too deep for the average visitor in trainers) so I was able to take my photos in peace. The only people here now, were the occasional tourists who seemed to pop by, take a quick snap and leave again just as fast. As I sat here, enjoying the view and the relaxing atmosphere, I watched some of them – and it felt a little sad to note how some people just seem to come to a location, snap the view and leave just as fast. I get confused why they don’t take the time to just soak the feel of the place they have taken so much effort to visit. It felt to me like they were missing out on the biggest pleasure of their journey. It seems that these days too many have forgotten that life isn’t a just picture…

Pictures and relax finally ended with me leaving and heading over to my next destination. Before I was to start Moray however, I aimed to reset Fred, and realised that as it was after 5, the company I hoped to use were likely closed. Instead a found a quiet spot tucked away nearby, and I stopped for the night. I chilled, cooked a tasty meal, and turned in early. Sleep came easily, and was a marked contrast to the one last night – although I would never crib about it now I had benefited from the outcome.

My Adventures

Dunnet Head, Varrich Castle and Loch Eriboll

Scottish Highlands 2020: Part Seven

28 July 2020

So the night did end up very rocky, with winds up to 40-45 mph, although I managed to sleep through some of it. By morning there was a low cloud giving a persistent drizzle, and the winds were still very high. I took the briefest of walks out and couldn’t even walk a few steps in a straight line, so I didn’t even bother to try and take a photo. The weather was just too poor to venture out in safely with a camera. When I walked through the car park I noticed the other campers from last night had already gone, even for this early in the morning, and one other had joined me. I don’t blame them for having left, we were pretty exposed up here, and if you hadn’t slept in a camper during high winds before, I can categorically say from experience… its very frightening!! While I ate breakfast, I decided that as I had achieved several of my favourites spots here and my days were moving quite quickly, waiting here for any clear days would be a waste of valuable time. Instead I would sort Fred out (fresh water, empty loo and waste water), top up with fresh foods and move on from Caithness to Sutherland. By the time I left, the cloud was lifting a little giving a slightly better visibility, but the wind remained. As I drove round the top of the A836, I did a very quick swing past John O’Groats, to pick up an NC500 sticker for Fred and a fridge magnet for home. (there wasn’t much else to do here – everything was closed, and other than the signpost pointing to Lands End/New York etc. its not very photogenic) Shortly after driving round a bit further, I noticed a sign pointing to Dunnet head. Now I knew this was the most northerly point of mainland Britain, and have never been here before, so thought that maybe, before I go any further, I would just be a tourist and go have a look… and I followed the road round.

What a laugh this ended up!! The site is quite nice. You have great views across to the Orkney Isles now the cloud had lifted, and there are gorgeous cliffs that are clearly home to puffins (among other sea birds) as one flew right past me! The laugh itself however, was in the winds here. Still very high, with gusts that were a real challenge to stand up in, this proved to be the biggest amount of fun to walk in that all of us tourists here were having! I say this, because, we were all wearing huge grins as we walked around challenging it to blow us over, and we all commented to each other about how hilarious this was! Thankfully the rain had stopped completely now, or this might not have been quite so entertaining. I tried a quick video for the kids, but you couldn’t hear a word I said, so plumped for a quick one of River looking totally unimpressed as she tucked behind some rocks, with her ears whipping her face and blowing almost horizontal.

I went from here to Ferry View Service stop, and sorted the camper out. (https://www.ferryview.scot/) The lady here was absolutely lovely, and very helpful, and for £5 I was able to sort everything out in Fred. This felt very worth the money, and together we discussed the lack of service stops to the west, with her very confused why camp sites don’t allow people, other than those staying, any services for a similar fee. I guess she should know what’s involved, and she was genuinely confused when I told her that one site had said they could only cater to the amount of people staying. ‘But they just get it emptied a day or two earlier if they need to’ she said ‘ they are getting the money to have it all emptied, so it doesn’t cost them any more… it doesn’t make sense’. I didn’t have an answer for that point. I could only quote what I was told, but I cant deny that she made sense and the question had already crossed my mind. There are other sites that are part of an umbrella company, such as camping and caravanning club, and the rules of membership for the campsites are that they cannot let non residents use their facilities. This seems very unfriendly, unhelpful and exclusive. Topped with the fact that staying AS a member costs no different to other sites that are not franchised (those being the helpful and considerate sites strangely enough), I didn’t understand what I, as a consumer, was getting for the extra money I would have had to have spent out. I told her I refused to even entertain staying at these sites with a money grabbing attitude like that, She nodded in understanding and told me she didn’t blame me for that opinion! It should be worth pointing out here, that an an added problem for me, is that as I don’t know where I need to stay more than a day in advance (I gauge on weather and how much I achieved on any given day), and by the time I do, nearly every site I have tried are normally fully booked up anyway, so these sites especially are often useless for my needs.

Once that was all done, I said goodbye to Caithness for this trip, headed to Thurso for some provisions and then onto Sutherland. I had no intention of actually doing any photography today since I knew I had things to do that would encroach on the larger part of the day, but I plumped for Varrich castle anyway, as it was pretty much the first place in Sutherland on my map, and one that looked really nice in the photos I had seen. As I drove, I saw the landscape change a little, and instead of being flat and open, meandering hills started appearing. To my delight, I noticed this with each change of area – Ross and Cromarty was marked by a more mountainous vista, and Inverness-shire by more populated and tourist driven areas. I loved that each county had its own character. As I the drive took a couple of hours, I found my self munching through a bunch of junk food that I had picked up… First big munching session I had had since the drive up and I particularly fell in love with Aberdeenshire Buttery’s. Yum! A simple little flat bread thing described perfectly online somewhere as ‘roadkill croissants’, these were absolutely wonderful, and I made my greedy way through nearly a whole pack! I am quite gutted that we cant buy these down my way…

Varrich was fairly easy to find, and I arrived by 2.30. The walk to the castle itself was also really easy, and despite the drizzle here, I have to say a really pleasant one. Nothing seems to be known about this castle but its definitely a treat for a beautiful day, or even a not so beautiful one, (like today unfortunately!) As I crested the hill, I realised a) how exposed the castle was and b) that the wind had definitely not dropped by much here – it nearly took me out! I gripped onto the walls of the castle itself, and slowly made my way around the edges until I reached the metal rung steps that led to the entrance. In here things were much better. There was little left of this castle other than a square tower, and most of that was taken up by a spiral staircase leading to a viewing tower. River really didn’t like it, as it was made of the same metal rungs as the steps in, and she could see down. It had taken major coaxing just to get her in here. So I left her at the bottom, for a quick look up top. I decided very fast, that the wind wasn’t worth the view anyway! I came back down and through the derelict window saw patches of light dancing across the landscape beyond. It looked beautiful, so I got the camera out and took some photos of that, having felt quite disappointed that I hadn’t seen anything exciting so far.

I still hadn’t seen the view other photographers had used until I realised they had probably walked up the hill next to this one. I was very tired, having had a poor night, but after realising I would be unlikely to come back here this visit, I persuaded myself to go and have a look to see what the view was like from there. Finding a footpath or any kind of trail was very hard due to the lack of footfall this year so far, so for the bulk of the hike I realised I followed sheep tracks. The heather here was beautiful though where it was just starting to bloom, and after quite a hard hike up, I finally found myself on the top of the second hill. This was the view alright, but the few gaps in the cloud from an hour ago, were now definitely not there any more, and I could see darker patches heading my way – rather quickly. The wind was still really strong, so I set my tripod as low as I could, focussed, and covered up the camera until the rain and wind stopped. I spend an hour in this unsheltered position, cussing myself for being here. In reality there wasn’t much of a photo at all as the light was really lacking here today, but it had been a challenge to find this spot that I had quite enjoyed mastering. Maybe any other time, regular walkers might have trodden a clear path, but for me, it had been like wandering off into the wilderness. The rain came in short waves, the wind stopped for very short moments, and when the two came together I quickly unwrapped the camera, snapped what I could, and hunkered down again for the next battering. When it became clear there was definitely no blue coming despite my highest hopes, and a sighting of solid black unbroken clouds appearing on the horizon heading my way, I packed up and worked my way back down again.

There was still daylight left, and time to drive somewhere else by the time I got back to Fred, so I had a look at my map and plotted my next stop. Tomorrow, I was likely to drive past Sango bay, and I knew that here was a spot where there was a definite composition no matter the weather, as I had seen many photographs from there. Because of these, I thought that this would be a good day to practice my seascapes. After the disastrous time I had had at Durdle Door earlier this year, I had actually been a bit scared to try proper seascapes, but this beach looked to be much safer. So I headed on over to there!

As I drove, I passed a loch, immediately stopped at the sight and reversed straight back into a lay-by. I jumped out for a quick look at the view and a read of the board. This was Loch Eriboll, and according to the board, this area had been under water as part of a huge lake just below the equator, some thousands of years ago. This left white sand settling at the bottom, and as the land mass moved up, it made the white sedimental lines in the sandstone we can see up here. After this, the land mass moved to North America, and then broke away, crushing into the bottom part of the United Kingdom. This crushing forced the land masses up at the join, making the mountain ranges of which Ben Nevis is the greatest part of. I imagine, it was also the cause of the dramatic striations that veer upwards rather than horizontally that I had seen around the coastal areas in Caithness. I found all this fascinating to read.

Loch Eriboll… I had to be quick to avoid the rain cloud coming over!

This was also spot I had wanted to photograph, but for some reason I hadn’t plotted it on my map! I ran back for my camera. It was less than an hour for sunset, not that the light would have given me a glorious one, but there was a little colour in the clouds that looked really photogenic and I felt I should at least try to get a photo or two, as it was unlikely I would be coming back past this way now. I could also see a really grim cloud at the end of the loch, raining and heading my way, and there was still a little sunlight on the little island I was desperate to photograph. Very quickly I snapped a couple of shots, and as the light went with the cloud approaching at some speed, I dived back for the camper!! It rained hard for a few minutes, and thinking that the evening light was going to fail now fairly quickly, I decided to continue the drive and try and get to Sango bay as soon as I could. I began the long drive around Loch Eribol, but when I was at the bottom had to stop, pull over again, and take a couple more shots, because the sight was just so gorgeous to the eye! I wasn’t sure if the shots did the sight any justice, but they have marked the spot in my mind now for a return!

I loved this view, and had to pull over again, just to jump out and grab it!

I was a little annoyed with myself as now the location for tomorrow had been set in my head, I found it really hard to deviate from the plan and consider stopping here for the night to shoot this location properly. The island, especially, had several photo opportunities on it that I now regret not utilising. In hindsight, starting here at 7 or 8 am and moving on after that, wouldn’t have made any big dent in the day, but I couldn’t divert from my decision, mostly because I was unsure of when the high tide at Sango was (no internet connection to check) and I definitely didn’t want to miss that.. I continued the drive instead, vowing to make this a proper, focussed stop next time I am here.

With the time ticking, it would be nearly 9 by the time I arrived in Sango, but if I could find somewhere to stay the night, at least I would be ready to start early if the tide was high.