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Carrbridge, Foyers Falls, and Suidhe Viewpoint

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Twenty

12 August 2020

This morning I left Moray. I didn’t bother revisiting the beach, but neither did I leave at the crack of dawn running away… I took my time, had breakfast, went for a short walk with River around the car park and then readied myself, leaving at 9.30. The relief I felt was surprisingly high, but I was a little more positive about my visit here. Moray will be on my list again, and next time, I would be better prepared. The drive in the bright sunshine was really pleasant and I took my time, enjoying the views, and rolling into my first location of the day, Carrbridge, a very comfortable hour later.

Carrbridge was on my list because it’s a nice bucket shot location with a really lovely and characterful old packhorse bridge. It was built in 1717, and is considered the oldest known stone bridge in the Highlands. It suffered severe damage in floods in 1839 but remained standing (just) when many others were washed away, and it now has barriers stopping people crossing because it’s not safe (not that it stops the determined!!) However, with a well positioned viewing point, and a perfect view from the modern bridge, it remains very photogenic from a number of positions. This is one visit I had really been looking forward to.

Carrbridge Packhorse bridge from the viewpoint.

When I left Fred with River to come and photograph here, I crossed a small park, chatted to a lady with her dog, and noted that even at this time of day, Carrbridge wasn’t heaving with tourists. The village didn’t seem very big, with a few shops, and a couple of coffee shops, only one of which was open. Perhaps it was still early for some, or maybe the lockdowns had still kept many people home… Either way, it meant that I had the bridge all to myself. 😀 The sun was really harsh, and the water very, very calm, so the pictures I took can, very easily, be improved on at some other time. With the river cutting through some trees in the background, I wondered how this might look in Autumn, with a greater water flow… I bet it’ll be gorgeous at that time of year! I took some pictures from the view point…(well OK… I might have hopped the barrier and sat by the waters edge for a few shots) and some from the modern bridge. I felt the best shots came from here, as the view of the tumbling waters were lovely from this angle, but not quite so obvious from lower down. Both were lovely spots to take in this gorgeous structure however.

From the road, you can see the tumbling waters much better.

Looking at the height of the bridge, one wonders on the levels of the flood waters that damaged it back in 1839. They must have been quite horrific to the villagers here at the time! With my musings and photos done, I went to the only coffee shop open, and had a quiet coffee while River lapped at a bowl of water they gave her. I then peacefully returned to Fred, and drove onto my next destination. In all, this very gentle and casual visit took just 2 hours, and River was being a very good girl today, so my stress levels were returning to normal.

My next stop was Foyers falls. It rang a bell with me, and didn’t at the same time. I assumed this was because of the amount of research I had done for this trip. However, when I arrived, I recognised it instantly. I had visited here in 2012 with the children! At the same time, it confused me a little. The picture I was hoping to recreate was that of a bridge over a nice big fall (see header pic) I didn’t remember seeing a bridge here though… I parked up down the road as the car park was full, and walked back up to where the short but steep hike started. As I arrived back to the car park, I saw a stream of cars parked inconsiderately in the road letting their passengers out. They were clearly one big group, but the cars were struggling to park anywhere sensible, so basically just stopped in the road, blocking all the traffic behind them, as oncoming cars tried to navigate around the sudden influx of pedestrians. This is where tourism gets a bad name… behaviour like that. It wouldn’t have taken the drivers much effort to find a safe spot to park up a little further up or down the road like I did, or to have unloaded passengers in the car park before leaving to find somewhere else to park. I silently rolled my eyes and kept my thoughts to myself, as I started the walk down to the viewing point.

Down here the Falls looked very impressive, but there’s really only one good spot to take a photo. I took it of course, but definitely couldn’t see the bridge over the falls at the top. The original old photo I hoped to re create , taken (as I now now know) in the 1880’s by photographer George Washington Wilson, must have been taken somewhere else along here… so I decided to go on a hunt.

I hiked down as far as the lowest view point, just in case it was an optical illusion, and the bridge was lower down… nope… definitely not here. So I hiked back up and decided to try and follow the river along to see if there was an ‘upper falls’. When I think of it now, for a ‘non explorer’, this certainly was exploring wasn’t it?! (Woo – go me doing the thing!) I ended up walking a distance but finding nothing. The best I found was a bridge over a drop, but the water was little more than a dribble, and there didn’t seem any way to get down the sides, which were heavily overgrown, to get to the base of the dribble. Confused, I went back to the camper, dropped River and my camera bag inside, and decided to ask in the tourist shop to see if they knew the spot in the photo. After looking at it while, the older man did. Then he told me a brief history of this location, telling me all about the Hydro electric scheme that had taken water from the falls to supply electricity. It dropped the strength of the water to the falls, he told me… so the waters rarely ran that strong any more – which in turn meant the upper falls were really small, almost non existent sometimes. It turns out that the bridge I stood on WAS in fact, the bridge in the old photo, and the dribble… well that was the result of the electric board’s re routing. This actually made me feel really sad. Progression has a painful price sometimes, but at least they left enough to keep the lower falls looking magnificent. I did wonder though – how awesome must Foyers lower falls have looked at full strength?!

This photo betrays the full size of these falls – this is actually a huge 140ft drop!

After my disappointment at the falls here, it seemed a little pointless to keep pursuing the hunt so I decided to leave here and travel to my next location.

This one was a little vague to me as I drove, but when I arrived at the rough spot on the B862 I spotted clear areas to park in a nice long layby, and a well worn path to the viewpoint. I parked up happily (in a large puddle!) and took River, and all my kit, for the hour and a half trek – it didn’t feel remotely like I walked for that length of time however, as it was a most enjoyable hike! This was the first vista sight I had actually visited, with my fitness level denying me the choice of high mountain hikes, and I was not at all disappointed… well, I was, but not with the view, which was absolutely gorgeous. Sadly the sun was glaring right in my face so all the photos I took had ugly sunspots all over them, and only one that I took with my mobile actually proved save able. This was a morning shot for sure I felt, so I planned to stay the night here, and re hike up for dawn. I imagined that the light coming from the other side would light up the mountains perfectly, which was more the view I hoped for. After I sat for a while taking the whole vista in, I ambled back to the camper, and at the roadside bumped into an older chap on a motorcycle. We stood and chatted for ages where he was so incredibly fascinating. He told me all about his worldwide travels on his motorbike, and how he had lived a free life for many years that way. He met his wife abroad and they continued travelling together for years before she departed this world, and he has now, only recently, settled in Scotland. He still yearned for the road however, and as we discussed my camper-life, I could see he had many fond memories of the freedom it brought.

View of Loch Tarff from Suidhe viewpoint.

After he left, I repositioned Fred for the night, and cooked myself some dinner. As I did, I spotted a number of wild deer wandering around the field near me. This felt so perfect here…

My Adventures

Lossiemouth, Duffus Castle, and Findhorn

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Nineteen

10 and 11 August 2020

I was a real grump bag today.

No idea why. I slept really well, although I woke up several times, finally waking at 4am and looking out to see the sky was full of cloud. Dawn wasn’t worth getting up for this morning, and I went back to sleep for a few more hours. Maybe it was the broken sleep, maybe I had physically done enough, but everything was getting really hard. Bending/crouching was really hard, just getting motivated was hard, my back ached, my foot hurt, and I really couldn’t focus properly. I felt like both my body and brain were ceasing up.

Saying all that, I started off chill and just taking my time cleaning up, doing some laundry and so on, so I wasn’t feeling particularly stressed. Once ready, Lossiemouth and Duffus castle were on my list for today, and I hoped to end at Findhorn for the evening, so I headed off feeling fairly good. I arrived at Lossiemouth and started off by taking River for a long walk near the harbour, and onto a beach there (East Beach) It was quite pretty here and I devoted all my time to her, rather than to some photography, although in hindsight I wish I had gone back with my camera, as the view was nice enough to get some shots I think. (Phone snap in header) Once River had enjoyed a good walk, I popped into a few shops, got a few gifts, treated myself to an ice cream, (Yum!) and then went back to the camper to continue my day. From here things seemed to start deviating from the plan… and a debilitating downward turn soon took hold.

I hoped to find some awesome looking caves that photographer Kim Grant had mentioned in her video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sCLEkupBrI&t=563s&ab_channel=KimGrant (8.40 minutes in) and I think near there were also some stunning rock formations that I had seen in some photos (possibly from above the cave section). This should have been quite lovely, but no matter how I tried, I just couldn’t find the caves I liked, nor the rock formations. All I found was one long sandy beach. This left me very disappointed and confused. I tried to park at the lighthouse to get a shot of that at least, but their car park was closed off today and nearby land was owned by the RAF and a touring park, so I struggled to find anywhere else to park. Instead, I went back to Lossiemouth and decided to walk to the Lighthouse from there, to check out the caves that were apparently underneath it. I had the gut feeling they weren’t the ones I wanted, so I left all my kit behind and just walked the route. I am so glad I did because not only were they NOT the ones I hoped for, with all the beautiful colours and lines in the varying rock shapes, but the walk took over an hour. Just there. And the same back. Don’t get me wrong, this beach was great for holidaymakers, absolutely beautiful. There were no rocks to hurt feet, its a huge expanse of gorgeous gentle sand, and the water was lapping so gently in the sun, it was a perfect holiday day out. There was little to my eye to photograph though, although I did find a curious looking purple jellyfish just at the waters edge. I sent a snap to the family WhatsApp group, because I had only ever seen clear jelly fish before and I thought this one looked really pretty!

My grand daughter replied with one she found on google, a Pelagia noctiluca, also known as mauve stinger purple stinger, purple people eater or nightlight jellyfish. (On reading ‘Purple People eater’, I confess I did step back a little…LOL!!!) I looked it up myself later and this is more likely to be a Cyanea Lamarckii or ‘Blue jellyfish’ which likes the colder waters off the Scottish coasts apparently. Although I confess, the idea of a jellyfish that glows in the dark sounded absolutely beautiful so maybe its a shame it wasn’t the purple people eater! With little else to see or do for the two hour walk, all I could do was think – which in part was nice, but it also gave me far too much time to mull over the frustrations I had struggled with today. By the time I got back to Fred, I had lost all my focus, and had no clue where to look or go to next. I tried to think of a different location to get me excited but none took my fancy. So, I went back to my original plan, settled back on Duffus Castle and full of disappointment, completely gave up on Lossiemouth.

The drive was quick, the location easy to get to, free to enter and open for anyone to go in, any time of day. This all picked me up a little bit. It was so nice to visit a complication free location today! From the car park, it looked really nice with the sun now out, and beaming on one side. I took a walk around with River, and found several boards telling me all about it, and some of its history that was so interesting I sent a video back to the kids to watch. It was the first motte and bailey castle I had seen, having learned about them from when my children were young and having to make multiple models for their homeworks.

River, however, was being very badly behaved and was extremely distracting. I got highly irritated by her constant barking at other people, and especially, other dogs, and where there were quite a few visitors here today, it got to be a little too much! Eventually I snapped and left her in the camper where she would offend no one. This time out, I took the camera. There was one spot in particular that I really hoped to get a photo from. One of the first images I saw of this location, was actually a painting, with the Castle in the back, and a small bridge in the foreground. I found the spot, but the moat was so overgrown with huge reeds and algae, that it was totally impossible to capture a photograph from the same position. That was disappointing enough, but when trying to take an image from the cobbled hump of the bridge instead, a whole bunch of people turned up and just kept getting into my shots. Eventually I gave up there, frustrated with my efforts. The sky wasn’t very pleasing anyway, with the sun directly in my eyes, just to add more agitation to the situation. I continued wandering around the edge of the moat where I captured a token image that, at the time, didn’t particularly excite me. (no idea why to be fair, I quite like the image now!) Seconds later, even that view was crawling with the bus load of visitors. In a completely disheartened mood by now, I just gave up and went back to the camper, trying to work out what was going wrong with me today. As I sat there I suddenly felt exhausted, and I decided that it might be best if I didn’t push it. I would see if I could go out for a nice sunset shot here, and perhaps just stay the night. After I settled on that plan, I completely flaked out.

Duffus Castle. My mood at the time left me dissatisfied with this shot, but I am not unhappy with it now.

When I awoke an hour or so later it felt quiet enough for River to come out, and I thought I might retry the cobbled bridge with a possible sunset. Unfortunately as each negative thing happened today, I’d felt more and more beaten, and even as I was setting up, I couldn’t get things to go right. The castle was still in a warm evening sunlight, but the sky was just really bland, with just a flat blue cloudless view. The sunset was clearly just going to be a pink strip on the horizon, as there were no clouds for it to bounce off. In my head all I could hear was ‘Why am I even bothering with this?!!’ A family appeared, walking with their two dogs, and River kept barking every time she caught sight of them. It was really hard to work with her constantly trying to run at them. Then, just as I was nearing the end of my tether, she decided that a dip in the stinky moat would be a good idea, and just wouldn’t listen when I called her to stop. Frustrated with everything, I was feeling like I was about to snap, so I packed everything away, hauled her out and made my way back to the camper totally dejected with today. When we got back, I was just packing the camera bag inside, when she barked nastily and went to lunge at a little kiddie on a scooter. She had NEVER behaved like that before, and in a mix of complete horror and despair, I grabbed her and threw her into the camper, shut the door behind us, and burst into tears. This had been the final straw today, and I was totally confused as to what was wrong with me, and everything.

I didn’t set foot outside again until long into the next day.

11 August 2020

I woke up this morning totally without aim. Thinking proved to be the most difficult thing, so I did what I needed to do. Absolutely nothing. The sky was a flat cloud, so there was no chance of a sunrise or dramatic shot here. When I looked at the map, nothing excited or drew me. So I left it all, and just chilled in Fred. I looked up why dogs bark in the way that River was, and read how to help control it. I then decided that today I would simply try to practice the techniques they suggested, and maybe try a simple shot at Findhorn later. Nothing more than that. I knew I needed a high tide for the shot I wanted of the tidal breaker – water moving around it, a long exposure, and a minimalist shot. Nothing too hard, a photo that had been done numerous times before, by other photographers, but a good practice for me for the minimal technique that I so loved. At 3, I left Duffus without having touched my camera, and by 4.30 I was parked up at Findhorn beach, having had a quick stop off at a small local store for a couple of supplies. High tide was in an hour, so I explored the beach a little and practiced the dog training ideas I had read, with River. If I saw a dog, I simply stood between her and the other dog, made her sit, and made her look at me until the other dog had passed. When she did as she was told, she got a treat. We did this continually with every dog, for the hour and she gradually got the hang of it, and stopped barking. By 6, she happily walked by the other dogs, with barely a sniff in their direction! (YAY!! Progress!) At high tide, I got myself back on the beach, and my heart sank yet again. The water was so low it didn’t even reach the wave breaker that I had come to photograph. (So much for ‘high‘ tide!) I snapped the pitiful scene with my phone, feeling complete and utter resignation. ‘Yep, that’s about right!’ I thought.

The final finger up from Fate on this day. High tide barely even touched the breaker, never mind cover it!

I turned around and walked right back to the camper. This was my only photo at Findhorn.

My Adventures

Bow Fiddle Rock, Craigmin Bridge, Craigellachie Bridge and Linn…

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Eighteen

9 August 2020

I awoke to the sound of a slamming door.

It was 4am, and time to take some pictures! I bounced out of bed (yes, I bounced! – and yes I know it was 4am… but that’s how dawn photography gets me sometimes…don’t judge!) I left River to sleep, and made my way down to the little cove to find the tide was 3/4 of the way in – or rather, as it transpired, a quarter of the way out. There were 5 other men on the beach with their cameras and tripods, including Older Gent, Camper Guy, and one that seemed to be a Pro. I wont lie, I felt I was a little late to the party! The sky was totally clear without a single cloud, so I found a spot in the middle of everyone, and took a few pre dawn photos. None of the guys were talking, and me being me, I tried to spark up light conversation by casually remarking that I felt a few clouds in the sky would have really made this shot, especially if the early sun could have caught them. The Pro immediately snapped back ” You don’t want much do you?!!”. I was a bit taken aback by this response, and several of the other guys threw him a sharp look to demonstrate their shock at the harsh retort. I remained silent after that – maybe this was why everyone was so quiet!!! As one fella moved his tripod behind me, he spoke kindly, and told me that the sun was due to rise in the arch of the Rock this morning, and we discussed how hard it was going to be to predict exactly where we needed to be standing to capture it in the right position. A little to the left… a little to the right…?! I was totally surprised, and excited, not least because of all the mornings I rock up – this is the one I pick! No wonder there were several of us here… but I was even more amazed to realise that this was the second time I had, by pure chance, turned up at a location where both the sun and the sky were perfect for a rarer dawn shot. (the first time was at Durdle Door in 2019). When the sun did appear, I was the lucky photographer in the perfect spot… however, despite the growing anticipation as the minutes to sunrise approached, I found myself quite decidedly underwhelmed. As it emerged over the horizon it looked a bit, well… pants if I was honest! On top of this, all my shots suffered from ugly lens flare spots, and the tide was well on its way out. This morning didn’t seem to be panning out as I hoped and I was terribly confused as to why it wasn’t working for me. I looked at Pro – but didn’t dare ask for his advice (!!) He snapped a few pictures, then spotted a girl coming down the beach, who, from what I could gather from their loud conversation, had previously been on a workshop run by him. He quickly finished up, and after chatting for a while, left with her. The rest of us tried several shots in a few positions around the small beach, but one by one, as the sun rose above the Rock, everyone drifted off, happy, I assume, with their shots. I kept trying, but no matter what I did, I ended up chronically frustrated and disappointed. The pre dawn shot was definitely my favourite.

I loved this early morning shot… SO much nicer than the actual moment of sunrise one for me.I finally left here and tried to find an interesting looking derelict cottage overlooking the ocean that I had seen in another snap by someone else. I drove up and down roads in the area but couldn’t pinpoint it, and ended up instead at Findlater castle a little further along the coast. I parked up in a small car park, and decided to simply take River for a nice walk in the sunshine to help rid me of the mornings stress so far. This location was really nice, the walk being both beautiful and peaceful. When I got to it, the castle looked like it had disappeared into the rocky outcrop where it had become so derelict. it lacked any drama or real photographic interest from up here on the cliff, however, I suspect that a shot looking up from the beach (if it’s possible to get down to the little bay there) would really help make it look a little more imposing. The sun right now was very harsh though, and I just felt like a gentle explore from up here before I left to get to my next location, so I didn’t venture down there to check. Another mental note for a future visit was plotted in instead…

Next stop was Craigmin Bridge. Now here was a bridge I was excited to see in person. It looked to me like two bridges built one on top of the other, but there’s no recorded history so it’s unknown whether this was the case or whether it was built all at once with this unusual design. Parking proved a little difficult here since my sat nav kept trying to get me onto private land, but I found a spot and walked back to the beginning of an adorable woodland walk. The first bit had lots of really cute fairy houses dotted along the edges of the path, some obvious, many secret and hidden. It was great fun trying to spot them! The bridge was a bit further along from here, and you can cross it without even realising what you are standing on. I suspect many do! Just over the bridge there were small worn footpaths, one off to the left, and one to the right, so I explored the left one first. It took me down alongside the top tier of the bridge, and you can actually climb onto, and walk under, the twin arches of the upper level. I found a small room (no idea what that might have been used for!) and a small ‘corridor’ through the central column to the area under the second arch. I really wished I knew why it had been built in this fashion – it had me most curious! I couldn’t get down to the river from here so I headed back up and followed the right footpath down instead. This was a much nicer position, but disappointment hit again when I realised that much of the bridge was hidden by the trees, and the bit that was visible, was being whited out by the bright sun shining on it from this side. I tried anyway…

Craigmin Bridge. Not a great shot and it took a fair bit of editing to even out the light, but a fascinating shape to this bridge nonetheless.

I also wondered if this might be a better Autumn/Winter shot… do the leaves drop revealing more of the bridge?? – so this was also marked in my diary for a return visit alongside those marked so far on this trip (this list is growing quite extensively!!) I tried what I could anyway, finished the first side, re crossed the bridge, and dropped down a much steeper slope to try the other side. Once finished I returned to Fred and decided that I would now try a second attempt at the Cullen Skink. So far this morning hadn’t been particularly fulfilling, so I hoped a bit of food would help.

One of the things I really hoped to try in my travels, were some local dishes and treats. Cullen Skink had come recommended, and it peaked my curiosity, so it had been added to my list of things to try! I drove back to Cullen, and was really pleased to find a parking spot right outside Lily’s Kitchen Cafe… the spot in Cullen which came highly recommended by folks on the NC500 Facebook group as being the best, (award winning, no less) Cullen Skink. Well I was about to find out for myself – and wow – just WOW! In case you didn’t know Cullen Skink is a delicious creamy fish and potato soup, traditionally served with Scottish Oat Cakes (or you can have a bread roll if you prefer) and it was developed right here in Cullen in the North East Scottish coast. I had it as traditional as possible of course, with the oak cakes complimenting the soup perfectly – and I wont lie – it was gone in minutes and I was incredibly tempted to walk right back in and get a second helping! Fish worries me because of the bones, but there were none, and the smoky haddock complimented all the other flavours so perfectly, that I wished these guys were more local to me in Kent! I must work out how to make this for myself I think!

Lunch happily consumed, I decided to travel onto Craigellachie Bridge. The weather was glorious, beaming sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, and hot – boy was it HOT – so much so, the camper was turning into an oven!!! On arrival I found myself a parking spot, and tucked Fred under some trees in the vain attempt that the shade would cool the camper down, and I just took River out for a walk for a quick explore. This bridge was a single span cast iron one, built between 1812 and 1814, and was (at the time) a revolutionary design by the famous engineer Thomas Telford. It crossed the River Spey at a rather odd point where on the northern side, a rocky cliff forces a very tight turn. Lorries occasionally hit the striking mock medieval stonework it was so tight, but now, its just a pedestrian bridge and icon. (I read a rumour that the funding ran out, and so this was as far up the river as they could afford to take it!!) When I got down to the beach area, I found it packed with people, and even a few tents, which sadly turned it into a bit of an eyesore. A shot here right now would clearly be very complicated, so I just left it for now. River loved her paddle in the Spey however. The flowing water was gentle and she had no issues going for a long dip in the cooling stream. When she got bored of it, we went back to the camper and had a nap. The early start, the food and the hot sun had all taken their toll. I was asleep in seconds and out for nearly 2 hours. By the time I awoke, it was 5pm, the crowd had thinned and I decided I might try some shots anyway.

View from Cragellachie Bridge back towards the road.

Sadly, the sun was still harsh and the shadows cast, really unpleasant. After a few feeble efforts at pictures, I really wasn’t feeling it any more, so I gave up and decided to try a waterfall nearby instead. These bridges were proving far too frustrating today.Not too far away was Linn Waterfall, and as there were still a few hours of daylight left, I thought I would give this a try instead – after all, as a woodland location, this may be easier to photograph today with less sun over the scene, and more shade to keep us cooler. The walk to the falls was really lovely, and no-one was around. By the time I got to them there was just a touch of sunshine on the top bit, delicately lighting the view really beautifully, and magnifying the charm of the whole scene. It took me mere minutes to set up and start capturing this beautiful sight in front of me. As I concentrated on what I was doing, I suddenly realised that River was being terribly quiet, so I turned to see what she was up to – to see her intently watching what I was doing. I hadn’t seen her look at me like that before, and as I giggled at her expression, I quickly snapped a photo of her (header pic) before going over to pet her, and tell her what a good girl she was being. Maybe that was a bit premature – as I focussed on a new position a few minutes later, she suddenly dashed off into the woods barking madly as she ‘chased off’ another couple and their dogs (to my loud apologies!!)

Linn falls late into the evening as the last bit of sunlight filtered through the trees. A pure and blissful time spent here.

I finished there with just under an hour before the sun was due to go down – should I try another sunset at Bow Fiddle I wondered?? I hiked back to Fred at pace, drove back to the same spot as I stayed last night, and hotfooted it down to the beach. I didn’t notice any sunset as I drove, but I think I may have missed it by the time I got to the waters edge, as the sky had started to go a shade of blue I recognised as ‘Earth Shadow Blue’. I know this as a darker blue strip of sky on the eastern horizon – just under the pinkish section of a sunset (if the pink is present). If you have ever noticed that lovely rich, dark blue sky on a clear summers day, this is much flatter shade of colour than that, and this was the colour I saw on the horizon tonight. There were two other photographers here tonight, and though pretty sure I had missed the light, I still got my camera out just in case. The male photographer there wondered aloud whether we had missed the sunset, and I suggested that perhaps we had. The girl there however loudly declared that we hadn’t because the sky on the horizon was still blue, I didn’t contradict her since she seemed so sure, and I wasn’t 100% myself at that point. I did explain to the fella that I felt it was the ‘wrong’ blue (I forgot the correct term) and ten minutes later he left… I guess he agreed with me. I too packed my kit away, but sat for a while just soaking up the peaceful atmosphere, and watching the girl take her camera all over the scene. She was still there when I eventually left to go back to the camper. By then it had become clear to me that I had actually managed to read the conditions correctly, and that the sun had indeed, set. An absolute bonus I felt, because it meant I was actually learning and something had settled into this old noggin of mine!

My Adventures

Dulsie Bridge, and Bow Fiddle Rock

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Seventeen

8 August 2020

Today was changeover day number 3!

With 3/5ths of the trip complete, I was now leaving Ross and Cromarty, and heading out of the Highlands over to Moray for a few days. I started off as usual by sorting Fred, and to do so I visited Highland Campervans (https://www.highlandcampervans.com/motorhome-service-point) in Inverness-shire to empty the loo, grey water and to fill up with fresh water… if you have been following this, you know the drill by now. I was there bright and early, and the guys were really helpful and happily just left me to it. For just £5 it was well and truly worth visiting here.. so much so, I came back here after Moray for changeover number 4 as well!

I hadn’t really thought of the order in which I might visit any of the locations I had plotted in here, so I basically thought I would just head on down to the furthest and work my way back up towards the coast. I was aiming for Glenlivet initially, but spotted another location I wanted, literally on the way, and diverted myself towards Dulsie bridge instead. This looked much closer, and it didn’t take me long to get there. I squeezed Fred into a small layby before climbing over a wall, (daft move, I should have driven to the other side of the bridge -there’s loads of parking there!) and following a small worn footpath down to the water. As I clambered down, I heard several voices, and once under the bridge found myself sharing the space with about 6 young men, all jumping from various heights into the river below. Freejumpers! I have never seen these before! Fascinated, I spent ages just watching them, and even cheering one on at one point.. well… until they all started encouraging me to have a try..(!!) .. whereby I politely declined, citing that I sadly (!!) didn’t have my swimming costume with me… (I know – shame right??!!!)

I felt quite self conscious about getting my camera out to take any photos for a while, and when I did, the photos were rushed, and not really what I wanted. Very little thought went into them, and at the time I resigned myself to naff ones that wouldn’t amount to anything. They would still serve as a reminder of this location for future ventures here… so I wasn’t worried about it.

Dulsie Bridge. This edit came out way better than I thought it would!

Ideally, I would have gotten my filters out so that the bubbles in the water would have made delicate streaks, and I wanted to have a good clamber closer to the waters edge… but too shy to do much, I contented myself with my token snaps (which in hindsight were way better than I expected) and just watching the lads. This bit turned out to be the highlight of this location!

After about 20 minutes of watching them jumping off near a waterfall, they ventured to another spot nearer the bridge, when another group of about 5 arrived. Unfortunately these guys left their bags and stood, right in the middle of my scene, so any further photo opportunities would be pretty impossible. However, several of them were far more adventurous and had no qualms about jumping off the bridge itself! This was clearly a winner with everyone around me! Two other lads briefly dropped past, but I suspect they were just hikers as they left shortly afterwards, then a third group of about 7 arrived, with some girls, and also picked a spot in the middle of my scene to settle into. I packed everything away, but fascinated, I videoed their shenanigans instead and sent it back to the kids to see. Then I felt it was time to move on. I could try here another date no doubt, and maybe, (if I pick a cold season), I might get this to myself too…maybe!

(I re-edited it for this blog… my first attempt at editing… hope you like it! Music is Punky by Bensound.com)

No idea why, but I abandoned the Glenvilet idea, and decided to look for Cullen. There were basically two reasons I came to Moray, one was to see Bow Fiddle Rock, and the other was to try home made Cullen Skink from its actual birthplace! Well Bow Fiddle was my aim for sunset and sunrise, and since there was still a fair bit of time, I thought maybe I could try Cullen Skink for tea! I went, but the cafe I hoped to get my skink from was closed (I missed it by 5 minutes – gagh!) and the pub which was my second choice wasn’t serving for another two hours. Disappointed, I took a quick walk across the sea front instead and decided to just go to Bow Fiddle to make my own tea while I waited for the sunset. Cullen Skink would wait for another day..

When I arrived at the sat nav coordinates for Bow Fiddle, I was absolutely amazed to find this well known photographers hotspot literally at the end of a residential street. I parked up, walked across the green, and saw it standing there in the ocean, looking just as lovely as all the photos I had seen. I was not at all disappointed! I hoped to stay here for the night to get an evening, and sunrise shot so, looking around the area, I found a nice spot tucked away from the houses – the last thing I wanted to do was disturb residents at 4am with slamming camper doors. I saw another van down here and stopped for a brief chat to discover another man hoping for a sunrise shot. Fingers crossed we both get the pictures we hoped for.

As the evening progressed into golden hour, I gathered my kit and River, and took the short walk down to the small cove and had an explore. There was another older gent here already taking photos, and when it looked like it was just going to be the two of us (I was a little surprised not to see Camper fella), a large group of foreign tourists turned up. I held off taking any more pictures for a while as they filled the scene, then one younger fella decided that he would climb the rock itself. I was really sad to see all the gulls that had been settling down for the evening startled into flight and they continually circled the rock as he made his ascent. I suddenly realised however, that this might be a good opportunity to try taking a shot while attempting to keep speeding birds in focus. This wasn’t easy. I hadn’t read how to do this, and ended up faffing with the controls. I knew I needed to get my shooting speed up, but kept fighting to get the light correct. I finally settled on shots with 1/1600 sec which seemed to have sharp birds and the better lighting. (header pic)

A beautiful, gentle sunset at Bow Fiddle Rock

Thankfully the group all left shortly after that, and the older chap and I were left to our photos in peace. The sun didn’t really kick off, but it did give a delightful pink hue to the wispy cloud, which reflected perfectly in a pool around a line of rocks. I was sad the tide had gone out, as I think it might have made a nicer shot, but I had a good explore of the angles here ready for the morning instead. As the evening drew on I tried to spark up a conversation with the man, but he seemed very quiet. I did eventually manage brief discussions on filters and the oncoming dawn with him, and as the conversation grew, I showed him the dawn photo I had taken at the Mermaid of the North yesterday. “Where is THAT?!!” he asked. Now, he looked experienced, and he was a Scot from this neck of the woods, so this question really surprised me. Even a local photographer didn’t know this spot?!! What was wrong with it, that the Mermaid wasn’t well known to people?! I told him where she was, so I hope he visited and caught some cracking shots of his own…

He left shortly afterwards as the evening darkened and a few minutes later, I decided that bed was calling for me too. It was going to be an early one tomorrow…

My Adventures

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

Glen Docherty Viewpoint, 3 Lochs, Blackwater Falls and Fyrish…

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Fifteen

6 August 2020

I didn’t know it in the morning as I awoke, but today was going to be a bumper day of energy, beautiful sights and renewed enthusiasm.

It started off cloudy, but was dry, and held a bit of promise in the air. I took my time getting sorted and as I did, I saw the skies clearing, and then spotted patches of sunlight begin to dance across the landscape. It looked stunning… and these patches of light gradually increased in duration until eventually, I found myself jumping out of the camper, camera in hand, to capture the view properly. I was so glad I did, because the shots were incredibly pretty and totally varied depending on where the light was dancing.

Glen Docherty Viewpoint, looking perfect this morning

I managed to get several photographs of the viewpoint before a tour guide stopped by with a mini bus full of excited Japanese girls. I heard him tell them that Queen Victoria had visited here, that it was used in an advert and had been in several films, so was a very popular spot for tourists. I can’t say I would disagree, and today was a particularly pretty demonstration on how it can look here. They snapped loads of photos, petted River and photographed themselves with her too, before they all moved on. I eventually left too, revisited Loch Maree quickly to try and capture some shots that I had wanted, although I didn’t feel they were especially good, and then headed off to find more of my Ross and Cromarty locations.

First stop was Loch Clair. There was a nice easy hike along the side of the Loch, and after I found a good parking spot River and I headed out for the first long walk I’d had in days. By now the temperature had increased, and the day was proving to be a glorious sunny one. It was one that my spirits desperately needed, but not one that was quite so good for photography, as the strong sun simply washed a lot of the shots out or left me with harsh shadows. Regardless of the photo opportunities, the hike was really peaceful and enjoyable, and I was just so happy to be able to soak up the calm gentle beauty here. I walked by the side of Loch Clair, and then the path continued on to go alongside Loch Coulin. A two in one hike, bonus!! This loch had a different character to it, and was filled with plants. It wasn’t quite as clean a sight as I had hoped for, but it was really pretty nonetheless. I found myself a small rocky outcrop and sat with River for a while, and took a shot from there. I wondered if the greenery would be in the water over the winter/early spring. This one would definitely be worth coming back to to check, as it would be really nice if it was possible to get a reflection in the water of the white house with the stunning Beinn Eighe behind it. There’s no bridge here for a better angle, so it might not be possible, but a return trip would answer that question I guess…

Loch Coulin. I would have loved a much cleaner reflection, but it wasn’t to happen today.

The walk (or the boots I was using today) had began to hurt my feet giving me a blister, so I had to turn back from here rather than investigate the route further. I love it when you go back on yourself on a route though, you see everything differently, and by the time I got back to Loch Clair, I spotted a small boat house with some perfectly still water in front of it. I have been dreaming of a shot with a glass like reflection, and though this wasn’t the ‘mountain in the water’ shot I dreamed of, it looked really nice. (header pic) Loch Clair itself would also have had the shot I hoped for, but the light breeze kept sending random patches of ripples across different sections of the water, so I couldn’t get it all in one on this visit. Another time right?!

I hobbled back to the camper when I was done, and stripped everything off my feet. Luckily I have a good supply of blister plasters, so I put one on, some nice soft socks, and popped my super comfy sketchers trainers on to ease the foot a little. Next it was cup of tea time, and then I looked at my list for a nearby location that wouldn’t involve me walking for miles. On the map, I spotted Blackwater falls, so decided that this would be my next stop. I had forgotten what these looked like, so I drove in the direction without knowing exactly what I was looking for and was really surprised to find it right on the side of the road. This meant that it would be very easy on my foot, as the walk was minimal.

It was so beautiful here! The car park was quite spacious, and free so I was able to just park up and come out for a walk first without the weight of a camera bag. What a treat met my eyes when I got to the falls!!

Blackwater falls. An absolutely gorgeous location. I could have stayed for hours here!

Here was a fall that was quite open and accessible. There was a purpose built platform, a bridge, and all down the side were rocky flat outcrops so you can get right down to the water. Spots to take photos here were plentiful, and with the sunlight now easing a little behind blobs of cloud, I found myself like a child in a candy shop stopping every few feet to take photos from a slightly different perspective. My favourite spot by far was along a huge slab of rock where the water formed two amazing whorls in the water. They changed constantly, spinning and undulating, growing and shrinking in both size and character, non stop. With the sun popping in and out over the scene I found my self chilling here for an age just watching the pattern, and happily snapping to get a bunch of constantly changing views.

When I eventually finished here, my foot felt considerably better, it was still only 4.30, and I wondered if I might be able to catch a nice sunset somewhere. Once again I consulted my map and decided to head for Fyrish monument. This had intrigued me massively, because it looked different, and had a lovely history/myth about it. In 1783, The highland clearances were underway, and the local land owner Sir Hector Munro felt some pity for the poor and starving villagers who had been moved off the land for sheep farming. When they refused his charity, he commissioned them to build this Folly instead. It was a representation of the Gates of Negapatam, in Madras, India which Munro had, as a General for the British army, successfully seized from the Dutch in 1781. As the villagers toiled in their work, the myth has it that Munro would roll the boulders back down the hill, so that they would have to do double the work to bring them back up again… therefore earning double the pay.

What I hadn’t read about, was the walk to get there.

When I arrived I found that the car park was a good 2 miles earlier than the sat nav was telling me, so I parked in this spot. Then I read on the board that the walk to the monument was 2 miles. 2 hours to go, I am sure I can make this, I thought. Chatting to a man coming down, this was the only car park, so no idea what Google maps had marked up..! 2 Miles was OK I thought, I had a blister plaster on by now, and different footwear, so I headed off into the woods with River… to hike 2 miles completely uphill – with all my kit on my back(!) Maybe the gradient was really hard, maybe it was because this was a second big hike in one day, maybe it was the weight I was carrying or maybe there WAS a second car park closer, but no matter what, I found this walk extremely hard work. Halfway up, I paused by a small pond, and River, herself very hot by this climb, immediately ran for it for her now obligatory swim. I couldn’t stop her getting in, but I had to call her out quickly, as it was thick with a green black algae. When I got her back, I had a hilarious looking half black, half white dog. Chuckling at the sight, I snapped a quick photo and sent it to the children, but to avoid the temptation of River getting back in, I no choice but to push on. When I finally got to the top, my angst at the walk melted away because the view was gorgeous and the monument bathed in a lovely evening light. I got my camera out and immediately started taking pictures. Within 6 and a half minutes the sun disappeared, but I had just about managed to take 5 good shots from 2 positions… this was the last, and my favourite.

Fyrish Monument. Much harder to get to than I realised!!

When I looked skywards, a huge black cloud had blotted the sun out to my total disappointment. I waited a while, then had a wander around the top of the hill, which was pretty flat and had little else to look at other than the view behind the monument. River on the other hand, found herself another puddle, and full of bold enthusiasm, didn’t just step in, she full on jumped – and disappeared completely (!!!!) A pair of girls who had just arrived, had been watching and burst into laughter at the dog, but it took several (frantic and endless for me!!) seconds for her to resurface, bobbing up and looking completely shocked. She frantically paddled to the edge, and couldn’t get a footing out, so I quickly grabbed her collar and gave a quick hoick so she could get her paws on the ground again. My heart was pounding, but she just shook herself down, gave the pool a disdainful look and happily wandered off to explore a different area. I waited 45 minutes until the sun set, but the cloud didn’t move. There wasn’t a single breeze to get it moving. The sun set behind me which didn’t alight any of the cloud either, to my disappointment, but I felt that perhaps a sunrise silhouette shot might look much nicer, especially if the sky was on fire. The way I felt right now however, there was no way I was gonna attempt this hike again anytime soon!

Full of sadness, River and I took another full hour to get all the way back down again and at 10.15, it was far too late to cook, so we both had something to drink, and settled into bed instead, totally exhausted.

…only… I couldn’t sleep…

My Adventures

Highland Wildlife, Applecross and the Bealach Na Ba Viewpoint

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Fourteen

5 August 2020

Another grim day, but I didn’t fancy another one in the car park – that might prove a bit TOO depressing..! After a slow start still feeling a little uninspired, I decided instead that I would take another day off being a photographer, and that I would simply be a tourist instead. I was fairly close to a part of the NC500 route that I was thinking of avoiding. Apparently it was, reportedly, a very steep and tricky route with a series of tight hairpin turns – all on a single lane road. The thought of driving this had me feeling quite nervous, but today, I changed my mind, and decided I was going to try and brave it after all and have a bit of excitement instead! I left loch Maree full of enthusiasm for my days holiday, headed for Kinlochewe, turned right and drove towards Shieldaig. I had no internet for my sat nav, but the route was easy, being just one road, and I simply followed it with some good music playing. Despite the grim weather, I was still able to enjoy some of the stunning views along this stretch, and my mood remained fairly chilled.

I passed a spot that had a beautiful mist driven layered view that I really liked, (see the post header pic) so I jumped out at a car parking spot to take some photos of it, leaving River free to pad around me and explore while I worked. Perhaps a little photography was going to be on the cards after all today… After a short while, River suddenly started barking, and I thought that another dog owner had taken their pooch for a walk. River seems to have taken a total dislike to other dogs of late, and this was beginning to cause me some irritation and embarrassment. I waited for her to calm down, or for the dog owner to appear, or for her to come back when I called, but none of them happened. Eventually I decided to check out what was going on, since she clearly wasn’t happy! As I rounded the camper I was greeted by the sight of my dog challenging a young deer with very big antlers (!!!) He was totally unafraid of my yapping mutt and simply stood his ground as the dog (from a safe distance, I noticed) simply went mad. I immediately called her over again, and dragged her into the camper, where she instantly quietened, and I moved my camera round here instead to shoot this beautiful boy. There was a camper parked next to me, and as I photographed the buck, a lady from it came over, commented on him, and said that she had seen him put his antlers down towards River at one point… so it was just as well that I had hoiked her into the camper I think!

This beautiful Red Deer buck came head to head with River.

Shortly afterwards a delivery van pulled over and a chap climbed out with several goodies in his hand. The buck headed straight for him and I got the distinct feeling this was a pretty regular thing between the two of them. The driver told us that this buck often came down to the car park if he saw cars or campers parked up, and that he was pretty friendly and confident for a wild deer. Shortly after, he left us, and the deer looked towards us in hope… but I had no carrots or anything to offer a deer, so instead packed everything away, and when he realised we had nothing to offer, he started to wander away too.

I continued my drive round to Shieldaig and after I drove through the village I took the next turning right, towards Applecross, enjoying some stunning views across lochs Shieldaig and Torridon. I expected this area to be really pretty, but the grey, rainy weather really didn’t do it justice to my eyes today, and the lack of pull over spots between showers meant that, in reality, there were no photos that I was able to take for most of the drive. Even though I had restrictions on my favourite scenes, I did managed to find one spot with a dedicated car park. I took a breather here instead, and snapped the view with my camera before the next downpour, to try and get a feel of the place at least. I suspect my mood with the weather might have stopped me actively looking for some parking spots elsewhere, but I think its certainly an area worth re visiting at some point. I know in the right conditions, this can be an outstanding area for photography.

One of the many stunning views I drove past, this was one of the few with a parking spot

After I had taken the turn towards Applecross the views towards Skye were lovely. It was all a single lane road, but there were plenty of passing places. As I drove this bit of road, I was beside myself to find Highland Coos just grazing on the sides of the road. I have wanted to get a photo of these for the last couple of years, but have never managed to find one… today there was not just one – but 6!! All were mooching around, and I tried to grab a quick photo of these gorgeous beasties from the drivers seat as I very carefully drove past. Then, on realising that there was no-one in front or behind me, I decided to pull over and take a few pictures properly. These cows were awesome, and SO obliging. Clearly they are used to people because even the mum and baby were happy to just stand and let me snap a few quick photos. Of them all though, this one just sitting on the verge was my favourite. She kept her eyes on me the whole time, and even though I was trying this hand held, (and I am not particularly good at handheld) I was able to get some really good clear pictures of her. I couldn’t wait here for long though, so I grabbed what I could over the minute or so, and quickly jogged back to the camper.

YAY!!! I finally got a Highland Coo photograph of my own.. and she even tried to smile for the camera…

As I went to pull away, I noticed a large motorhome heading towards me, so, as I was already in the passing place, I decided to just wait with my engine running until they had passed, before pulling out again. Only they didn’t pass me. Instead the driver pulled up at a really daft angle with its nose right in front of me in the passing place, and its back end blocking the whole of the road – and then 6 squealing young women all jumped out with their phones out ready to take selfies with the cows. I couldn’t believe it. They were totally oblivious to any other road users, and it only took another minute before a second car had to just stop and wait in the road behind them. The girls didn’t seem to care, and they very inconsiderately stayed for ages taking lots of photos with different arrangements of people, with each of the cows, while the traffic built up in front and behind them. Eventually there were some traffic horns that drew their attention to the road blockage they had caused, and they finished up and climbed back into the motorhome. I tucked Fred over as much as I could while the driver wriggled the huge vehicle straight again, and then squeezed passed all the traffic queued behind me. From the looks on the faces of the drivers that trailed behind them, there were a lot of angry people… and quite rightly so, since the girls had demonstrated no thoughts for anyone but their own little bubble.

The road continued round to Applecross, and I planned to stop here to enjoy some of the food available from the pub here. I had read some good things, and it seemed like the perfect place – until I realised that it was SO packed with holidaymakers, that there was literally nowhere to park. This was the first time I had seen so many people in one spot since I had begun this trip, and it left me with no choice but to keep moving. I was quite disappointed.

It wasn’t long after Applecross that the road began to climb, and I started to recognise the route from a video I had seen online. This was it… this was the bit that was going to take me to the hairpin turns, and my excitement began to build… so did my nerves, and I really hoped that I wouldn’t stall the van on one of the tight bends! It seemed that fate had other plans for me today though, and as I climbed the road got foggier and foggier until in the end I wasn’t thinking of stalling at all, I was really frightened of anyone coming head on at me, and very fearful of having to reverse without clear visibility behind me! In the end that visibility got so bad, that when I spotted a parking spot to my right, I pulled in and finally breathed. This was getting really terrifying!

Bealach Na Ba Viewpoint… minus the view..(!!)

As I paused for a cuppa to calm my nerves, a man knocked at my window, apologised for disturbing me and asked advice on the condition of the fog from the area I had just come from. It seemed that he was in a motorhome being followed by his sister-in-law in a camper behind him. Her nerves were so shot, she was having a minor breakdown and was a complete wreck. I got out and walked over to reassure her that the drive was only going to get easier from here, since for me, it had only been getting worse. They then told me the full story of their experience so far – apparently as the motorhome had been carefully driving, with the camper behind, and a car behind them, another (single) car had approached them head on, and had point blank refused to reverse to a passing place, despite it being explained that it was easier for him to reverse than 3 vehicles. In the end the oncoming driver just turned off his car and refused to move. and by then there were more vehicles queuing up behind in both directions, and a major argument erupted with this one driver being stubborn and obstinate about it all. Other oncoming cars eventually reversed up, and the man was basically forced to move back by the words of a lorry driver in the motorhome queue and he finally let the morothome, campervan, and all the backed up vehicles through. No wonder she was stressed!! Driving up a single lane road, with little to no visibility was hard enough without an blazing row with an awkward driver, and then be forced to have to edge past other vehicles…

I reassured her even more that the route from here was way better than that sounded, and they headed off again feeling a little more confident. I, however, was feeling quite unnerved so decided to wait for a few hours to see if this mist might lift. I wandered out with River to stretch her legs a bit and found a plaque to the side of the car park. Turns out this spot was the much adored viewpoint that I had been quietly looking forward to as a reward for getting round the hairpins. For me however, the view was lacking a little bit (!!) and I still had to face the hardest bit of the route. On the plus side, this did meant that the hairpins were close. By 5pm nothing had changed weather-wise sadly, although the traffic was greatly reduced – so I decided to brave it!

The view coming away from the Bealach na ba viewpoint

Here is where my luck changed… firstly, instead of going UP the hairpins, which I was dreading, I went DOWN them… and with no other traffic I managed to do so without stopping at all (YAY!!!) Secondly, as the hairpins finished, the fog started lifting really quickly, and a minute or two later, I managed to see this view. There was another small parking spot to my left luckily, so I was able to get this shot into my camera at least. Not quite the view I was hoping for, but a pleasant reward for my heightened stress levels of the last few hours.

Feeling a massive relief driving from here, I simply continued along the A890, past a couple of small lochs, and headed for the Glen Docherty Viewpoint. I considered that, if the weather was going to continue being so grim, I would at least have a relatively pretty view in the morning…

My Adventures

Ardessie Falls, Gruinard Bay, Gairloch Beach and Loch Maree

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Thirteen

3 and 4 August 2020

Today was an interesting one. It started off really well, then bottomed out. Not entirely sure why, but all the landscapes seemed ‘flat’ and nothing caught my eye. Either I had ‘landscaped out’, or the grey skies really have left everything looking dull and lifeless.

The first stop, Ardessie falls, were gorgeous however. I initially thought they were just twin falls at the top of a big hill, then last night, I realised there was a big one down near the road too. Once I started the hike I discovered there were even more! All were beautiful, (though not all were photogenic) and some were inaccessible from the side I walked up. The hike was a bit tricker than any I had done so far. The ground was very boggy underfoot, and there were points that I had to either make small climbs, or re-route myself so that River could get up. At one point the ledge gave way under my feet too, so I had to be careful for both our safety on this one. I continued to make my way up though, and was in awe of the sight of the falls as I passed each segment. I think I was also fortunate with my timing at this location, as the water level was just about right to wade across a fast moving bit at the top. I found myself on a large open, flat, and rocky section that allowed for a really great angle to view and shoot the top section of the falls. Every photo I took looked a bit flat though, due to the poor light and although the sun did try to flicker out on occasion, it was extremely fleeting. I didn’t think I had captured it at all until I rechecked my photos months later at home – where on closer re examination, I discovered a beam of light HAD fallen on the waterfall very briefly while my shutter was open, in one single shot only. I cant say I remember it, and its not in the photos before or after, so I feel it was a very lucky capture! At the time I must have scooted through the photos on the camera, and missed this one, or I stopped looking assuming they were all the same.

As I was photographing this awesome sight, the cloud started building and building and part of me waited to be totally drenched – I was too exposed to be able to avoid it, so I just carried on while I could. If nothing else I hoped, to capture a moody shot as the clouds were really full and dark. Rather miraculously however, the cloud then decided to blissfully sail over me without so much as a drop being dumped on me. This was very, VERY lucky considering how dark it got…!!!

If I ever do this one again (I think it would be even more beautiful to the other side with blue skies and the small peak behind them) I will go up one side, cross the falls at the top if I am able to again, and see if its possible to come down the other side…well at least to the halfway point where there are a set of falls that I couldn’t quite see, and a big stone ledge giving better access to another one I tried to unsuccessfully photograph from this side. Another mistake I made in hindsight, was not sticking to the river on my way down. I followed the trail back to the road instead and I seem to have missed a really pretty set of falls somewhere (that I have subsequently seen online)… very excited for next time!!!

Once finished here, I didn’t fancy another waterfall, so I left a planned stop at the pretty falls of Eas Dubh a’Ghlinne Ghairbh, for another time, and instead headed over to Gruinard bay. To my disappointment, there was pretty much only one viewpoint – having said that it looked stunning, so I took the shot anyway! This is certainly one for the bucket shot collection. I suspect being down on the actual beach might have given me a variety of nice pictures, but up here the view across to the mountains gave the shot a lovely Mediterranean feel, with the water being a beautiful shade of turquoise today. I climbed a little further up the steep hill right by the car parking spot, but the view didn’t benefit too much more, so I didn’t push myself to climb all the way. Something in me today really wasn’t feeling it, despite the sun trying to pop out from time to time. This did help the view here massively too and when the sun hit the beach it really came alive in an even more beautiful way, so I stopped long enough to shoot this and to give myself a nice cuppa before I headed off further. Despite this pause however, I could feel my mood mysteriously dropping.

Gruinard Bay, looking like somewhere Mediterranean rather than Scotland!

After this I simply followed the route around the A832/NC500. Everything lacked character to me now… the ocean, the Lochs… All had grey coloured water, covered by wind driven ripples, so nice reflection shots were out of the question. No good dramatic angles leaped out at me either, so I just continued round until I spotted the beach at Gairloch and parked up at the viewpoint here. I got out with River, took in the view across to Skye, and snapped a shot on my phone. It all felt so uninspiring… but I needed a break from the driving so decided that I would just take River out for a stroll instead, without me having to carry a heavy backpack. This turned out to be a very enjoyable few hours. I suspect that was because I had taken the pressure off myself at last, and was just focussing on giving a bit of me time to my dog. We hiked down the hill, found the entrance to the beach (just through another car park that I could have moved to) and had an hour or so just walking by the waters edge which was gently lapping into the bay. River rather strangely didn’t seem too keen on the water, and I found throughout this trip that although she was very willing to jump into a river or lake, the sea was a bit more of a concern for her. Either she didn’t like the salt water, or she was worried about the moving water lapping in and out around her feet. I didn’t understand it, and to this day, I am confused! Afterwards, I hoped to find somewhere to eat, a take away suited me perfectly right now… but found nothing open in the area I walked, so I simply decided that I would continue on until we reached Loch Maree, ignoring the Victoria Falls on route. I still wasn’t feeling another waterfall yet, despite my love for them…

Once at Loch Maree, I was greeted by the same lifeless sight as I had seen all day, and although I did try and capture the well known Lone tree here, I wasn’t particularly happy with the shot. It still felt flat, although in comparison to another shot I managed a few days later, I much prefer this composition. Parking to get this shot isn’t without its problems, as there’s no lay by or even verge near here. I did find a small area I could pull into just on the bend however, so used this spot while I went to investigate the tree. Parking here was tricky to spot initially, and I drove up and down the road a few times before I spotted it nestled in a little copse of trees. It then immediately crosses a little bridge to a single car parking spot, which is a hard right after the bridge. It’s all very tight (as I found when I tried to get Fred out afterwards!!) and if there’s another vehicle here – you probably have to forget it!

Lone Pine tree at Loch Maree… gotta love a loan tree shot right?!

After this shot was taken, I decided that as the hours had become an aimless wander, I should perhaps just stop here, and give myself a breather. I backtracked up the A832 for a few minutes, looked for and found a nice spot to stay for the night and decided I should just have a recharge. If Ross is largely Lochs and mountains, this might be a short one unless there is a change in the weather… or my mood…

4th August

Today it was drizzling, raining, midgeful and I was tired, so I stopped completely for the whole day. I did nothing but play on my phone, eat Caithness Cookies (OMG those were SOOO tasty!!!), clean up, wash clothes, jump out for a bit with River to run around the car park, and just chill. It was the most amazing day! The midges especially were quite interesting to watch. When it rained heavily, they all disappeared for a bit, then a little while after the down pour had finished they slowly started building up again, despite rain still falling. I did try stepping out for a bit to take a photo of another tree that had been separated from the background by the mist and drizzle, but it was a terrible shot. I had obviously been fried by all the visits I had been doing, because I couldn’t think my way through the shot. I was good to myself though and didn’t beat myself up over it. I was sad that it hadn’t worked out, because for a few minutes it was totally beautiful. I may have missed the moment, but hey, it was worth noting in the back of my head should another similar opportunity crop up another time.

My Adventures

Reset day, Roadside snaps and Corrieshalloch Gorge

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Twelve

2 August 2020

Today was a very lazy start to what was going to be another moving/crossover day. My next stop would be the Ross and Cromarty part of the Highlands, but for today it was all about having a reset. I started by washing my hair, a few bits of clothing, had breakfast, a cuppa, swept through the floor area and spent a bit of time playing games on my phone, basically a super chill start just plodding through the routine parts of it all. Finally I headed off to sort Freds water and loo out. On the way I passed a cottage with angry notes in its window telling tourists to ‘Go Home’ and to ‘Stop the NC500’. They claimed that tourism was killing the community – which while I don’t live in the area, and therefore don’t experience the disruption they may have to suffer, it did leave me feeling very sad to read such an unfriendly sentiment. Whilst they may not want the tourism, it IS happening, and its likely here to stay. Rather than just putting angry notes in their window demonstrating a grumpy demeanour, I feel they would have been better served trying to find effective ways to utilise it, or help control the upsetting parts of it. There is without a doubt an element of scummy, inconsiderate, selfish and dirty people who simply don’t care about the actual location that they are holidaying in. These people exist in the world and there’s nothing we can do about them. They can see only their wants and cannot stretch themselves beyond their own ignorant little bubbles to see the effect their selfishness might have on people, or the environment, around them. But from my observations, if the things they need are easily accessible to them, people are more likely to use them than to just ignore them. So for instance, are they dumping rubbish?>maybe put a bin there; are they are openly toileting?> perhaps putting a public loo nearby would help them be more hygienic; parking inconsiderately?> how about putting a fence up blocking them, etc. A local shop will encourage people to pay back to the community to help fund some services too. Tourism encourages money, and money can help support the infrastructure. There are many ways to help manage, or benefit from, the situation. Simply putting angry notes up and being negative will stop nothing, and just keep you simmering when its ignored..

Anyway opinionated rant over…

Is it worth pasting these notes up when the only people who will see them are the tourists who are already here…?

Eventually I drove to Clacktoll campsite to emptied the loo, grey water, rubbish and filled with fresh water. For a lockdown, I was a bit surprised at how packed this campsite was, and found some of the services a bit wanting. I couldn’t get the fill up hose to work, even fully unravelled, and although the guy running the site saw me waiting to ask him about it, he just walked off and ignored me after he finished chatting to the gardener. I ended up just disconnecting their one instead, and putting my own hose in. No idea what was up with theirs, but felt a bit miffed to have been totally ignored like that. All their other services were standard, so nothing complicated or special, and to my mind a little pricey at £10 – next time I will go to Kinlochbervie and just leave this one unless I am desperately in need.

I then drove back to Lochinver to refuel, and from there I just drove towards the Ross and Cromarty part of the Highlands. I took my time, stopping at a few nice viewpoints, one being a gorgeous view that I spotted as I drove over the brow of a hill on the A835, just before Drumrunie. Unusually for me, I reacted quickly, parked up as soon as I could, grabbed my kit, the dog, and quickly hiked up a small hill to capture the downpour just off to the distance. The lighting looked spectacular to my eyes, with a bright glow being diffused by the haze of the weak rain just ahead of the following downpour. The ground underfoot on the hill was a little unsteady with erratic bushes of heather mixed with thin muddy gulleys, but I managed to get to a good viewpoint in time. Catching several images with the light quickly changing, I couldn’t leave in time before the rain finally reached me and dumped everything it had. The drenching was well worth it, because the image I ended with made me very happy for one that was SO unplanned – I am not so sure River agreed with me however.

Another brief unplanned stop happened because as I drove past, I recognised the name of the place and thought it was on my list. It wasn’t – and I only realised why once I started on the short hike. I recognised the name Corrieshalloch Gorge because it had featured in the last Gary Gough video of the set that brought me to Scotland in the first place (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–igZY4ifNs&t=3s&ab_channel=GaryGough) The reason I had left it off was because I have a fear of heights and this one being a suspension bridge over a deep deep gorge was not one I thought I would like!! I confess I am glad I did stop by – No, I didn’t like the suspension bridge, it wobbled as anyone took a step, so badly at one point I wanted to crawl over (!!) and the drop truly was immense… However the view really was worth the quick glance, and I was able to laugh at myself and the stupidity of my fear at least. I walked round to the viewpoint, and again had to stomach terror, as I stood on a metal rung extension platform, sticking out over the gorge below. (WHY do they make these so that you can see the sheer drop directly down under your feet?!!!) The view back to the suspension bridge was fabulous however, and I managed to ignore the drop long enough to snap this shot quickly. Although it was pretty when I went, I have since seen that there are sometimes waterfalls pouring over the side edges too. There weren’t any at this time of year, so my fear now is that since they really seem to add to the view here, do I have to return to capture those ???!!

The hike doesn’t go any further this side, so I gingerly made my way back over the bridge, and did a short circular walk back around to the car park. I passed a really pretty viewpoint (see the header on this post) and with the gorgeous deep pink flowers as a foreground decided to take this image as well. The midges were beginning to gather here though, so I didn’t stop for long, aiming now to just drive to my overnight stop for tomorrow mornings’ location.

My aim for tomorrow was going to be Ardessie falls. However, I found finding a parking spot really hard to find as the lay-by for the waterfall here was blocked off for some reason (couldn’t see anything, just orange cones). After driving along further for several minutes looking for another spot, I turned round, drove back trying to find somewhere and did this a couple of times up and down the road. It seemed that the lay-by was the ONLY spot nearby. Eventually I found a small spot for one vehicle, and thankfully Fred just just fit. I walked along the road to try and find the start to the hike, and was pleased to see it was just 5 minutes away, not far from a little bridge with the bottom segment of these falls. This was quite pretty in itself, though I felt it would have been really nice to have been able to get the other side of a barrier for a shot lower down. The snap I took on my phone didn’t do it any justice sadly. As it was already half past 6 I reaffirmed to myself that I would do the hike in the morning, despite my excitement at the look of this one and eagerness to get up there to see more! I knew it was going to be a boggy walk, and I didn’t want to get stuck in the dark. Sense told me that evening +boggy ground+early August= Midges.. Nope! No thank you!!! I wanted to enjoy this one!!

I walked back to Fred and cooked myself a bit of dinner. As I finished a lady very angrily knocked on my window and told me to move as apparently I had parked on her property. I hadn’t realised as it looked like waste land next to a derelict cottage, but I was happy to do so. As we talked, she calmed down, realising I was not going to be a problem. I asked if there was any parking close by so that I could do the walk in the morning, mentioning the bay a bit further up having cones there. She explained that they had been having severe trouble with tourists since the relaxation of the Covid rules and how that they had been parking inconsiderately, blocking the road both sides of the bridge. She said this had been causing severe trouble for lorry drivers so the locals had put the cones there to stop people parking in the area. I told her of my plans and she offered me the use of this spot in the morning for just a few hours, so that I could do my photography, and suggested parking at the hotel for the night. I happily thanked her and drove off to try and find the hotel, but must have missed it somehow, coming instead by a lovely lay-by a little further down from the village. It was a gorgeous spot, so I thought I would simply stay here. As I prepared to settle in for the evening, the heavens opened, and shortly afterwards the sun beamed through and I was blessed with a stunning evening rainbow that arched across the road next to me. I hurriedly jumped out and grabbed a photo on my phone, trying again with my main camera, although half of it had gone by the time I set up.

Looking at the photos back at home, I wasn’t too excited with them as a shot, because they seemed to lack a subject under the rainbow itself. I think Fred parked under it would have been fabulous, so maybe next time I park up in a lay-by, I might consider how positioning the camper might aid a photograph in the event the weather produces something this beautiful again.

When I finally settled down it was a very comfortable and quiet night.

My Adventures

Ardvrek Castle, Drumbeg, and Clashnessie

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Eleven

1 August 2020

Back at Ardvrek Castle and I had another good nights sleep. In the morning I quickly visited the castle again. The history here was pretty graphic. The clan MacLeod built the castle in their Assynt lands around the 1490’s, and spent many years arguing and battling everyone around them, both neighbours and clansmen alike. By the time their most famous prisoner, James Graham, Marquis of Montrose was imprisoned in its dungeons in 1650, the stories of murder, executions and sieges were well known, and the Macleods were a proven quarrelsome bunch. According to the board telling its history, The Mackenzies of Wester Ross besieged the castle in 1672, and after 14 days Ardvrek finally fell, forcing the Macleods to finally loose their lands here. The story doesn’t end there however, In 1726, the then lady of the Assynt, Frances, wife of Kenneth Mackenzie II, didn’t care much for the castle, and asked for a grand house to be built instead. Partly using stones from Ardvrek, Calder house was built within sight of the old castle. It had every modern convenience, and for its time was a lavish property, boasting a fireplace in EVERY room… an unheard of luxury back then. So much money was spent on the property, supporting the royalist cause, and on the countless parties that were held there afterwards, that within just 10 short years of Frances’ extravagances and Kenneth’s weaknesses, the debts rose excessively, and the family ended up financially ruined. The lands of the Assynt were transferred to the Sutherlands and on the 12th May 1737 the house was looted and burned. The area remained unoccupied from that point on.

When I first read this history, the castle begged to be photographed in really moody weather, and this morning I finally got it!

The Moody Ardvrek castle shot I had hoped for!

As I walked around the castle this morning, I noticed that River was limping so I stopped to see what was up, and was horrified to see blisters on both front paws. She seemed happy walking on the grass so I assumed it was the gravel paths that had caused it but I made the visit to the castle a brief one. I left her in the camper to rest her feet, while I visited Calda house and the small waterfall (Ardvrek waterfall?? – it doesn’t appear to actually have a name, but it was really pretty!!) over the road to the castle. I tried whenever I could to just leave River in the camper if I knew gravel was involved, not that she was remotely happy with that idea! I wasn’t going to let her feet get any worse however, and I made sure that she took only easy trips with me for a few days. Thankfully her paws healed very quickly and she never complained after that. For now, I walked up and down both sides of the waterfall, managed a sweet shot of it and then walked back towards the Castle to see it from this angle. As I did, I stopped and chatted to a couple having breakfast by their car who had been there the night before, camping. They had plenty to say about the midges of the last night, which made me feel rather grateful that I hadn’t braved them for a photo after all! They sounded particularly horrific!!!

Unnamed waterfall near Ardvrek castle. Well worth a visit while at the castle!

Thankfully (for River especially) today ended up a largely driving day as I drove gingerly through single lane roads and tight turns all the way up to Drumbeg. The views and sights were stunning, the weather picked up to a lovely sunny day, and I really wanted to jump out everywhere to take photos. Unfortunately there was nowhere to pull over when I saw one though, so had no choice but to keep going. This road was a particularly tricky drive, and at times I really had to fight myself to stop looking at the views. It was important here to watch the road as there were very tight bends on this one lane route, and a continual stream of traffic heading right at me. I think this was the trickiest part of my whole NC500 drive and there was more than one occasion where I had to reverse backwards right by a steep drop. My heart was very much in my mouth at some points.

I also hadn’t been paying attention to my fuel gauge, and suddenly saw that it was running VERY low. I hoped (well prayed) there might be fuel in Drumbeg when I got there.

There wasn’t.

It was just a very small village, with nothing else there but a stunning view. I pulled up at the viewpoint to get a breather, have a cup of tea to calm my now shattered nerves, and to have a think of my options. Although the view was pretty, I have to be honest and say that I felt it wasn’t all it was hyped up to be, and much preferred the views on the way up. There was really only one spot that you could take a photo of so I took the obligatory shot just for the sake of it. I have obviously been very spoiled in my travels to think this view was just ‘OK’!!! As I stood drinking my tea, and taking in the view, I started chatting to a chap and his son who were looking at their NC500 map, which rather cleverly showed all the fuel stops for the route. Together we found the nearest one to here, and I realised that I would have to drive to Lochinver, some 20 minutes away. This made me very nervous, but I just about made it… limping in with Fred surviving on fumes I think!! I would advise people to ensure they have a good amount of fuel in their tank before doing this stretch of the route especially, and to pay close attention to their fuel levels as it was really hairy for that last bit!

I had wanted to go to Clashnessie, and passed it as I drove, but thought that I would be more comfortable if I knew I had fuel, so headed to Lochinver first. Once filled with fuel (and cookies and other goodies from the Spar shop opposite!) I headed back to Clashnessie, parked down by the beach and walked up to the falls themselves. River did come with me this time, and seemed quite happy to walk without complaint. We took our time and walked on grass wherever I could, to help her feet. As the path left the road, I met a couple who advised crossing at the stepping stones by the cottage, which whilst confusing me initially, were very clear as I approached. The path was easy, and the stones no issue to cross, allowing me to approach the falls on the left side. It looks like you can also stay on the right side, and get almost as close to the falls, so there are multiple options that I might try next time.

These falls are glorious. I thought Wailing Widow was stunning, but these almost put them to shame with their multiple levels of cascades, and its clear, open approach. You see these a long time before you get close, and you can get up very close on the side I was on. It was a good job I did cross via the stones earlier I feel, as I saw a man struggle to cross up here and a few others tried, but failed completely. The stepping stones were easy, and even though the path afterwards was very muddy and slippery underfoot, I would certainly prefer that route to the one these guys were trying… and I have crossed several rivers in my pursuit of these photos. I took loads of pictures while I was here, I mean LOADS, before I very reluctantly wandered back. Its impossible to not want to keep snapping! I felt so at peace here. However, I wanted to take photo of the derelict cottage as well, with the falls in view behind it, so wandered back down and asked the land owner if it was OK to work from his property. He very kindly said yes, telling me a little more about it. – that the property had belonged to his parents and now was shared by him and his sister. He mentioned that the water conditions can get really high when the falls very get full, and that apparently you loose the stepping stones completely. With this news I think picking your timing, and taking care is paramount at some points of the year.

I felt these falls were awesomely impressive, and I had never heard of them before!

Whilst I had been chatting to the man with the map at Drumbeg, he mentioned that the views at the Stoer lighthouse and the rock formations along the coast there were particularly lovely, and thoroughly recommended stopping by there. Once I had finished at Clashnessie, I thought that maybe this might make another interesting stop, possibly for the night. However, I drove round, and around, and around the area, but I couldn’t seem to find the way to the lighthouse as the road had been blocked off to vehicles. I have since examined my route, and it looks like I was heading up towards the Old Man of Stoer rocks via Culkein, instead of the lighthouse (duh!!) , so next time, I need to head more west. At the time however, I was left feeling a little disappointed and the evening was wearing on, so I had to look for a stop for the night and reluctantly started the drive off the peninsular… only to get stuck behind a herd of cows that really didn’t want to move off the road. It ended up quite a chuckle point for me as I edged very, VERY slowly through them as they one by one wandered out of my way to let me through. I eventually found myself at a parking spot near Lochan Sgeireach on the B869, and stopping near there for the night. Its the strangest thing, because although I didn’t note the position in my diary, it is on my google maps and have a photo of Fred parked up with the mountains behind – but its the one night that I have absolutely no memory of from the whole trip! Why this has happened at this one place is beyond me…