waterfall – Knightshoots Landscape Photography

Mennock Pass, Morton Castle, Crichope Burn, and Caerlaverock Castle

South West Scotland 2021: Part Twenty

24 September 2021

I have no idea when the rain stopped, but when I woke up in the morning, it was all very quiet. Waking up gently was an absolute pleasure after last nights hugely stressful trip. I washed and dressed and stepped out, finding myself in the most beautiful surroundings. My mind was a little blown I wont lie! Of everything that could have been around me, I wasn’t expecting THIS!

Waking up to this spot was a real surprise!

I quickly jumped back in Fred, turned him around and went outside again with my phone. I wanted to grab a quick photo to send to the family (well, I didn’t really want a pic of his backside for this lovely portrait did I?!) Whilst standing in awe of the position I was parked in, a couple of fleeting bits of sunshine shone down on Fred, luckily I caught one with my mobile phone. There was no real blue in the sky, it was still very grim looking, so this felt like a little nod from above as an apology for last nights trauma.

After this, the drizzle inevitably started. Despite the miserable weather I thought this area was worth having a good look at. I had ended up in the Mennock Pass, and as I drove down the winding road, I didn’t know where to look first- it was a real struggle to keep my eyes on the road! I spotted bike randomly on one of the hills, so stopped to try and take a photo of it (see header). It was no good though, the drizzle was so heavy that I simply couldn’t keep the lens clean and every photo looked awful.

I decided this was too beautiful here to miss out however, so made plans to come back on a better weather day. Looking at my map I decided to try and find Morton Castle to check that out instead, since it was not too far from here and very near another location I was dying to see.

Morton Castle as you first see it on the approach.

Morton Castle was a little tricky to find, but once there I really enjoyed my visit. The drizzle had eased off, but it was very, very breezy, and I was intermittently lucky to have a few bursts of light sweep across the location when I first arrived.

As I thoroughly looked over the site, I read that there was little known about its build. There are lots of discussions and debates, but the overall assumption seems to be that it was built in the 12th century. According to the infoboard, an agreement in 1357 stated that in return for the release of the Scottish King David III, the English expected a selection of castles on the southern border with England, to be ruined. Morton was one. Whatever date it was built, the castle went on be inherited or bought by quite a few Lairds for several centuries more, so there was still use here.

Had it been rebuilt or repaired to replace the ruined version? I couldn’t tell. Looking online, apparently archetectural evidence supports a build date of around the 1300’s. I wont lie, this leaves me as confused as all the authorities on the matter. It goes on to say that Morton was in disrepair by 1714, which is how we see it today. Oh, to be a time traveller and watch its history. It really is a lovely place, and if not a fortress, cetrtainly a wonderful area to set up home.

I wandered around the back of the castle where there is a small lake. I was hoping for a nice reflection shot here and I really think it has the potential to look nice, but today it was so windy and grey that a shot like this was definitely out of the question!

Tha back of Morton Castle, sadly wind and grim sky didn’t assist on my hoped for photo here.

I finally left Morton when the wind made it clear I wouldn’t get anything better than what I had in the bag, and I excitedly drove to a much anticipated location… marked in big letters and underlined on my map.

Crichope Burn.

This is a little saught after destination, and although a once popular Victorian hotspot, it seems to have fallen out of favour today. Its now visited mostly by photographers and vloggers only. Has that increased its popularity I wondered, but looking at the empty car park today, I guessed not! I found the car park here fairly easily, and then hunted for the path to the burn. That was not as obvious as you would imagine, but I did find the entrance to the walk after walking past it once. The sign post was very faded, but visible when I actually bothered to look closely.

The walk was fascnating. The first bit was a nice little wooded section, the path, although overgrown and not used in a while, was still fairly clear. I followed it and found myself near a rockface with grafitti on. As I looked, I realised the grafitti was all from the 1800’s! I spent ages looking at the names and dates, surprised and oddly reassured that our need to let others know we were here, was not just a modern vandalism. It is said Robbie Burns had visited this area, althouigh I couldn’t see his name among the other young men and women who scrawled their presence here.

Two of the most noticeable pieces of grafitti. Interestingly, I found a William W. Clarke, a commercial traveller born in Scotland, and his wife Charlotte E Clarke, living in Oswestry in the 1881 census… I wonder if they are the pair from the right piece…

Why this place had fallen out of favour was a surprise to me, and I mused on the thought as I followed the track further, and up a set of stone steps. When I found the spot I’d been excitedly looking for, I was both amazed and just a little disappointed. The path led up, and then thinned around a rocky prominentry. Curving round, the path then revealed a natural arch and a short gorge beyond. As I stood in the space under the arch, I just stared at the view. My amazement came because I was looking at what appeared to be a totally prehistoric landscape, with high moss covered rocks untouched by people, and looking very ancient.

My disappointment came because the much anticipated waterfall that should be here, was nowhere to be seen.

I still took some time taking photos though, because the lush green of the gorge here, just looked amazing. Then I had a bit of an explore a little further up and behind, to try and find the watercourse that should have led to the falls. There was nothing up there so I finally called it and decided to leave. This one was a definate location to come back to, and since it was only a little off route on the way up to my daughter in Glasgow, I was absolutely sure that I would get back here easily.

The ancient looking gorge at Crickhope Burn

Caerlaverock Castle was next, a beautiful red brick triangular castle that I was also keen to visit. The wind had eased and blue skies were appearing, so I had my fingers crossed for a pretty sunset at last, and drove to the location with a few hopes in my pocket. I parked up easily enough, but on getting to the gorgeous ruin, I found the water was covered in algae. The photos I had seen of this castle had a lovely reflection, but with this nasty green covering, no reflection was possible. I walked round the outside anyway, and found to my surprise that where the back had collapsed you could see there was a secondary brick building inside that looked pretty intact. I don’t think I had ever seen something like this taking up such a large area inside a castle before, and it looked very intreguing. I really wanted to go and have a proper look, but of course it was closed due to Covid, and the lateness of the day would have hampered a visit anyway. Such a shame! – but a good reason to come back.

On my return home, I couldn’t help but try and have an online ‘visit’ to find out about this one. To my joy, I found this site, with a link on the page that pretty much takes you in and around the castle! https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/caerlaverock-castle/overview/ Big YAY for modern technology right?!!!

Curious brick building taking up a chunk of space inside the castle.

As I completed my circuit, the sun set with the sky doing nothing exciting, so I could do little else but leave. Down the road, their overflow car park was allowing campers to stay for a donation. Since they had a toilet disposal point, this had been my intended stop for the night anyway, although I didn’t need this service tonight. When I arrived it was fairly full, and I struggled to find a spot where some had parked inconsiderately. Since I was just a small van though, I managed to squeeze into one last spot. There was nothing for a bigger motorhome, so I was thankful for my size! Despite the other vans here (at least 6), it was still a quiet night with everyone sticking to their own private spaces, and noone spreading out. It felt perfect here and I slept very well.

Dec 2021

I returned to Crickhope Burn just before my daughters graduation. It was going to be my first port of call and my impatience meant this was going to be a visit on my way up before I even got to hers! I drove up through a vicious storm the day before, and got to the car park late into the evening, deciding to stop here in the cover of the trees, for protection against the weather.

First thing in the morning, with the storm now gone, I jumped out and went straight over to see if the falls were here this time. Signs were good as I advanced, a boggy path, sizeable puddles to dodge around and the steps up to the last bit running with water almost like a small river. I climbed through the rocky arch to the precipice and was greeted with the roaring of falling water and this incredible view

This was EXACTLY what I had hoped to find, and the view took my breath away! I spent ages here taking photos. Although the space was quite restrictive, the small ledge still had a little movement to the left and right. Its pretty impossible to get any other angle, as the gorge was very slippery, and covered in damp leaves, but I did try what I could without being too silly. Taking a dunk off the edge was definitely not on the plan for today! Ohhh, what a happy bunny I was when I eventually pulled myself away.

My Adventures

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

South West Scotland 2021: Part Five

7 September 2021

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

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

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

A beautiful and calm Jaw Reservoir

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

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

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

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

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

Dappled sunlight over the Lady Linn Falls

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

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

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

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

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

My Adventures

Pingot Quarry, Tandle Hill and Heaton Park Temple

Greater Manchester 2021: Part Three

19 November 2021

Today was a slow starter, due more to physical necessity, rather than just bog standard tiredness. I awoke to limbs that were aching terribly… My thighs, my upper arms, and the pectoral area of my chest in particular, were horrifically painful, and I can only guess it was due to the extreme workout some 36 hours earlier. As I gingerly moved out of bed, I also noticed heavy bruising to my right leg from the knee down – oddly, not the one that felt like it was going to give way as I walked yesterday. Dear me, I was falling apart.

My aim for today was to get to Pingot Quarry Waterfall, and after finally getting a bit of signal, I managed to plot the route – a mere 20 minutes or so away. The drive was easy, although the country park that the quarry was in had a height barrier, so I had to carefully reverse back out and park in the road. I walked the rest of the way – following Google maps… which, funnily enough, gave me the wrong route – so a very kind lady guided me to the correct path. The fall was pretty to the eye, but I didn’t feel my photos could do it justice. I really struggled here, and ended up just getting token shots from every angle I could get to, rather than ones that showed this fall off to its best. According to the lady, winter, after a good freeze, was when this one was really at its finest. ‘Its beautiful’ she had said, ‘with icicles and frozen water everywhere’.

Pingot Quarry waterfall. It looked much nicer than any of my photos relayed I feel. But its a record for me at least.

As I finished, it was still only 2pm, so I considered doing two locations that were both very close to each other, and here, and then possibly returning home. I was a little concerned this pain would be just getting worse over the next couple of days, and I may end up a little immobile.

The first, and closest, was Tandle Park, so I headed straight over. With two locations to try, I had no time to waste – the sun was due to set at 4. Again Google maps failed me, this time trying to make me do a half hour walk around the edge of the park. ‘There’s got to be a quicker route’ I wondered, and simply followed a path right through the centre of the park. Sure enough 10 minutes later I was at the war memorial. My last two targets were both man made, but as I arrived at the top of the hill I instantly saw that this one lacked greatly, looking horribly flat against a very grey and cloudy sky. However, across in the far distance my eye was caught by the silhouette of Manchester City against bright cloud, with a much heavier and blacker cloud looming over the top. To the far right were gorgeous sunbeams, but they hadn’t quite reached the city yet. I quickly got the camera out and snapped a series of pictures as the sunbeams slowly eked their way across – and then faded before hitting my target. It was SOOOO disappointing!! (see header pic) I waited a while just in case the beams might reappear, but the cloud behind the city dimmed, and the rays never did return. Having this hill all to myself, I thought I might wait it out a little longer just in case something nice might happen. As I looked to my right I spotted a bright patch of sunlight on the field next to me and suddenly realised that it looked to be heading my way. I quickly repositioned myself to see if the light might capture the war memorial as it raced across the field towards this spot. Just as the set up was done, it did! The sight looked incredible against the moody sky, but really weirdly, within seconds of it lighting up, 8-10 people suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood in my scene. Now where did this lot just come from?! The sun lingered for a bit so I was able to take a number of shots. I planned to layer them all so I could edit all these people out, especially since one young man seemed particularly set on being in the photo. He surreptitiously glanced across at me and stood by the trig point for an extended period of time in a mildly unnatural manner… not a giveaway at all 😂!! As the sun beam passed, the people quickly disappeared again – it was quite funny to watch! Talk about the sun getting us Brits out. 😂 The final photo though, looked wonderful!

Ahh, photoshop for people removal is a real treat sometimes! Tandle Park Memorial catching a beam of light.

I too packed up. I had just over an hour for my last location and at least a half hour drive in that timing. I hiked at speed, got to the van and hit school traffic all across the route, then, just 4 minutes away, I took a wrong turn and ended up on a motorway. Although frustrated, I was really pleased to note how close this last location was to the m62, since it meant getting home wouldn’t involve me crawling through any city traffic. Gotta look at the positives right?! Once back at the spot I was supposed to be, I parked at up at the nearby Sainsburys. I’d realised that I could grab a quick run and gun meal and fill up with fuel just before my long trip home too. Things were working out perfectly. The walk to Heaton Hall Temple was a little longer than I thought, but looking at the sky, I wasn’t sure if the sunset would flare anyway. I hot-footed it over regardless and 13 minutes later arrived at my last location. I noticed straight away, that even if the sunset had of kicked off, unless it was an entire sky, the direction of this structure would never have allowed me to capture the colour. With 5 minutes to sunset however, I still had enough light left to grab some photos of this spot – even if they were just record shots for a future effort here. I quickly scouted the location and realised that in reality there was only one position that truly favoured the building so I set up and took several shots. The sky did pick up to my left, and way up in the odd patches of thin cloud above me, I could see the upper cloud was a lovely pink. Through my viewfinder however, the cloud was a heavy and a very grim grey. I moved closer, tried various shots, and repositioned a couple of times before I realised the sun had finally set, the afterglow timing has passed, and that the light was going rapidly. Interestingly however, the whole of the grey sky had a really beautiful pink tint to it at this point. In fact, it had all gone to such a beautiful and subtle shade that I actually wanted to take a sample to a paint shop and ask for a ‘pot this colour please’… on a wall this would look gorgeous! I took a few more pictures in this light, hoping the shade would pick up on the camera sensor, but looking at the back of the camera, I wasn’t quite so sure. Best I could do was hope that once I got it on my pc, it would show up!

At Heaton Hall Temple with the lovely, strange, pink grey sky.

Once done, and with the light now dimming fast, I made my way back to Sainsburys, quickly sorted myself out with the food and fuel I needed, and then started the drive home, satisfied that I had another county explored – albeit only a few of the possible sights I could have visited.

I have since heard that Greater Manchester is going to charge for diesel vans, lorries and a selection of cars from July this year (2022)… the whole county. This has put a real dampener on further plans, and made me feel quite sad, because that will pretty much exclude me from all the possible locations here in the future. Inner cities I can understand… but a WHOLE county?! I really hope this isn’t going to be a new trend across the country… how many small businesses will be crippled by costs and forced to shut down, and how may others will divert costs to the already strained consumer so they can afford to do this? Sad times.

My Adventures

Greenfield Brook

Greater Manchester 2021: Part Two

18 November 2021

It took a lot to get me out today. I had no real reason for it, but maybe yesterday had hit me harder than I thought. I just wanted to hide away. Eventually though, I told myself I was only going to do one thing – a waterfall – and then I’d be back to Fred. Yes, it would be a pretty long walk, but it was going to be mostly flat around the reservoirs. Maybe, I would try a hike right up the river that I’d come a cropper at yesterday, but I would see how I felt. I wasn’t going to be silly, if the falls I wanted proved to be above my spot yesterday, I would leave it for a different time… I wasn’t ready to hike up that far after seeing the lack of a footpath last night!

And then, there I was, after much heavy persuasion, I was finally out. The walk there was a very slow plod. I felt tired, and heavy. My knee kept feeling like it was going to give out, so I took it all at a gentler pace that I could manage. Looking up at the hills, I was glad I had done that hike yesterday though, as the tops were all gone, sitting under heavy cloud and mist, which persisted down at ground level as a light but constant drizzle.

Eventually I got to the point where I could see up the stream I was aiming to follow, and to my joy, right at the top I could actually see the waterfall I was hoping for. As a double bonus, beside the river here, I could see a footpath! The river tumbled down several smaller waterfalls, but my eye was on the big one… I did feel slightly reserved as I looked at it, today it was gushing, and well.. maybe not quite as pretty as I had hoped (fussy moo right?!)

Undeterred, I started the hike up, and as the trip continued, I found myself climbing and slipping over large boulders, until eventually, the route was totally impassable. I could see my foot path actually headed to the stream instead here, so I followed it and saw that it might be possible to cross here – sometimes. Today the water was gushing past at some force, and although I did get halfway across, there was no chance I was going to make it all the way. I would either have to find a method to scale a huge smooth boulder, or I was going to have to wade across. I wasn’t about to do either with this torrent. As I pondered the situation, I came to realise that this shoot, sadly, was going to have to be abandoned for today. Late spring might be better, with a good flow of water, but not so much that the river was flowing at a possibly dangerous rate. Oh, and maybe after a dry spell, so the boulders to the sides, wouldn’t be so slippery – these were proving a little lethal at the moment! Well, I consoled myself, at least I had tried, and I HAD worked out a better time that might be far more suitable for this particular location. Satisfied that my efforts weren’t totally wasted, I started back down. After a short clamber, I spotted a second possible crossing point. Again, the flow of the water was just that bit too aggressive for my liking, but I felt this might be a better crossing point for my return visit in the future.

As I looked upstream, one of the smaller falls caught my eye, and I suddenly realised that it was stupid to abandon this hike altogether, just because I couldn’t get to the bit I’d hoped for. This one, on its own, was also lovely! I took the camera out and very joyously took the photos. (see header) This felt so much better, and the images looked wonderful on the back of camera. Normally I am not fond of a ‘yellow’ waterfall. The mud washing down in the water always looks dirty, but here? Here I thought the colour worked perfectly, reflecting all the autumnal yellows and oranges around me, balancing the shades out. I found myself loving it here!

A short walk later and I stopped a second time. Another gorgeous cascade… I took this shot wide enough to capture the moody atmosphere. The mists had dropped all around me, giving a very closed in feeling to this part of the fall. I loved how it helped intensify my feelings of a private seclusion. It was just me, and this little bit of landscape at one point. (see image above)

A bit further, and I stopped for lunch before considering a third angle at yet another cascade. As I sat there some workmen pulled up in an open backed truck, and started work a short way ahead. Initially, I thought they might be rescue workers coming to help someone stuck up where I had been last night. The thought gave me the chills, even after I realised they were just fixing the fencing, so once lunch was finished, I just focused on my next shot.

After this I ventured down towards the path entrance, when I looked up, and spotted the area all around the Trinnacle rock formation covered in mist. It looked amazing, like an impressive castle perched on a premium look out spot – only there was no man made structure there at all… this was all Natures work! I quickly set up the camera, loving the layers on view above me, and just missed the best of the sight as the mists finally started lifting for the last time. The shot still give a fairly good idea of what I had witnessed however.

From here I grabbed a shot of yet another cascade, from a finger of land that stretched out right into the middle of the stream. As I stood here, two intrepid hikers passed by on the main path… And then a few minutes later came back. Well, I am glad it wasn’t just me being a wuss – I had clearly made the right choice!

View of the Greenfield Brook from the bottom of the cascades

I made my way back to the main path and chatted to the workmen for a bit as they finished up, and then just stood enjoying the beautiful view from this spot, looking down the stunning rust covered valley towards the reservoirs. I stared at this view for quite a while, and waited until the workmen had completed their drive down the winding route out, before taking first, the bottom of the cascades shot (above), and then the one of this valley (below). The gold colours seemed to be made from the dying ferns, and grasses, but the receding heather also had tinges of rust in them as the flower heads had died off. It seemed strange to have such an abundance of autumn colour in November, but with the dull greys of the grim fog/cloud raising and lowering above me, it was a welcome dash of colour to my eyes.

The incredible rust colours looking down this valley left me totally gobsmacked.

The hike back was a little easier, with the mobility in my knee feeling slightly better, although it was still nearly dark when I got back to the van. These early nights are a bit of a pain when there’s no sunrise or sunsets to get excited about, but at least it restricted the amount of energy I expelled and encouraged me to rest more. I was definitely in need of that after two intense days out!

My Adventures

Hareshaw Linn and Sycamore Gap

Northumberland 2021: Part Eleven

14 June 2021

After the long hike of Simonside, I had a really good sleep and decided I would take an easy start to the day. The chill beginning was very welcome, and at around 12 I made my way over to the popular waterfall, Hareshaw Linn. Everyone I had spoken to were excited by these falls, so I was very much looking forward to seeing them for myself. Unfortunately, the car park here wasn’t very big at all though. The entire space was full by the time I arrived and a man monitoring the parking (not totally sure why) guided me into a spot near the small the industrial estate here. I chatted to him for a while, (just to get assurance that it was OK to park here mostly), and then headed off to follow the simple walk to the falls themselves. This was a lovely, gentle and flat walk and one of the easier ones for sure! There were several spots I looked at before I got to the main fall but I decided to stop at them proper on the way back. Continuing on, I passed through a wooded area and over 6 bridges to get to the final position that opened up revealing the beautiful plummeting waters here. It was as lovely as everyone had described, but for some really strange reason, I found myself struggling with any shots I tried to take. I couldn’t quite work out what wasn’t working for me with this one – My angles? The light? It certainly wasn’t the waterfall itself. That looked perfect. Yet all my images left me feeling just that little bit ‘meh’. Despite trying from a number of different positions, I found it extremely hard to get excited with what I was producing, so I ended up just sitting on the far side.

From here, I watched other tourists come and go for a bit then found myself bird spotting… ending up SO engrossed with them, that I didn’t move for nearly 2 hours! I’d spotted a Robin drop down to some rocks and fly away again first. When he did it again, I looked closer and saw a baby sitting in a crevice. I’d never seen a baby robin before! I photographed him as he looked back at me warily, then I noticed some other birds also flitting around the gorge. I spent the next few hours just trying to shoot them, finding the challenge quite enjoyable. What thrilled me the most was catching sight of a grey wagtail. I have adored these birds since Scotland, and I had, ever since then, hoped to capture an image of one. Boy did the ones here make it hard though!! I ended up with a ton of blurry bum shots where they made it so difficult, and in the end they disappeared altogether, proving to me that it wasn’t to happen here. They were clearly an aloof bird, and didn’t want to come near me, but I tried. I’ll give myself that. In the end, I was chill about the experience and I wont lie, just watching them had been a really beautiful way to spend those hours.

Eventually I left, and wandered down river. I had a couple of people assuming I was a qualified bird watcher (Hahahahaha, if only they knew!) asking ‘what’s this bird? what’s that one? Rather remarkably, I actually managed to identify the ones they asked about… a dipper, baby Robin and of course, the grey wagtail.

I stopped back at a small waterfall at the start of the walk here, and almost immediately I spotted another wagtail. I had another chance to get a picture! I tried so hard here, focussing totally on the bird, that in the end, I completely forgot to get a shot of the smaller falls! It was still hard to capture this bird, but at least it was out in the open more, so my opportunities were made just that little bit easier. Knowing now, how skittish these ones are, I tucked myself to the side, partly behind a tree, and just waited for it to get a little closer. Initially it was as timid as the ones upstream, and he was just that little bit too far away for a good photo – but my patience finally paid off when he eventually got close enough for my camera to lock focus. I know I could get a better one than this in the future, but for a first time, I am dead chuffed that this little fella is clear enough to identify, and isn’t just an odd yellow smudge!

Finally! I have my grey Wagtail photo… persistence paid off!

As I finished these pictures my phone tinged, and I read the annoying message telling me that my time here would be curtailed, yet again, by a job needing a Covid test – ASAP (a Covid test this week, ahead of a second Covid test, for the job at the end of next week?!! Don’t get me started…!) As messages were sent to and fro, with me trying my hardest to save my plans for the end of this week, I was hit by the first beam of sunlight for the day. I suddenly wondered what the sky was doing? I looked up and saw the grey sky was evidently starting to clear, and indeed, the sun had started shining.

Oh my.

It was just an hour away to sunset, and by the looks of it, there may actually be a little colour… Wondering what to do, I realised I was not far from Hadrian’s wall. Perhaps it would be worth trying Sycamore Gap again?… Was I close enough??… 30 mins away… that would leave me…

I didn’t wait, I just drove. There was no time to think about this! I got to the car park in the 30 minutes, dived out, hastily shut the door, locked the van and started the long walk. I got 5 mins down the trail before I realised I had forgotten to change the camera battery. They were all on the bed where I was sorting them…!! I hurried back… grabbed the battery… checked my watch… 15 mins to sunset. I immediately started walking at pace, and to my left tried to ignore the orange sky as I hotfooted it as fast as I could. The colour in the sky seemed to be dimming… I didn’t dare look… but my heart was sinking with every step. I maintained the speed regardless, (knowing the route helped massively) and in a neck breaking 12 minutes, I was there… Huffing and puffing, but there.

I finally allowed myself the time to properly look at what was happening… and disappointment filled me. All the colour had gone with exception to one little bit of pink.

‘Oh well’ I consoled myself, ‘I’m here, I may as well take the shot’. No-one else was around, so I had the space to play with as I liked. I proceeded to pull the tripod out and put it into a prime position taking my first test photo. In it was the smallest bit of colour, and I felt gutted. By the time I looked back at the sky however, it looked a little different. Was it my imagination or was it getting redder? I took another shot…wait, there’s a bit more… I questioned myself…WAS that there a second ago?

The change was so subtle and gentle that I could barely see the difference, but wait… No… there’s definitely more… With a sharp intake of breath, and trying to contain my building excitement, I realised it WAS getting redder! I had forgotten that after the sun dipped for the night, the colour can sometimes bloom in an afterglow… and tonight it looked like I might get lucky! I snapped more photos, and in front of my eyes, as each minute passed, the colour brightened and eventually flared until it looked like the tree was on fire. I was beside myself and fired 47 images on the camera, changing my position slightly a couple of times just to vary the composition slightly. I couldn’t believe I was seeing this!!

In the space of 15 minutes, it brightened, glowed and then started fading again. As the colour started to leave the sky, I stopped to breathe and cheered, punched the air and stamped my feet in a happy dance… I simply could not believe how lucky I was seeing that tonight! I stood for a while calming my breathing, taking in the shots, and reeling from the excitement, before I was able to pack everything away. I stared at the tree, now surrounded by the blue of the night, and quietly thanked the universe for what it had given me this evening, before finally turning away and taking a gentle walk back to the van.

That was SO worth the rush to get there!!!

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

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

Wailing Widow Falls, Ardvrek Castle, and Inchnadamph

Scotlands Highlands 2020: Part Nine

30 July 2020

Today was the day I had most been looking forward to. I regularly watch several photographers on You Tube, and one of them, Gary Gough, had shown a set of videos of his photography experiences in the Assynt. Usually he tells us where he is, and then goes on to discuss the photographic aspect of the locations or his shots. In video one of the 3 however (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Zi76OOGko&ab_channel=GaryGough), less than 2 minutes in Gary shows us the waterfall, and simply say ‘as waterfalls go, this isn’t a bad one… time for a selfie!’ and that was it! I was beside myself. I LOVE a waterfall, and that one looked especially awesome! Did he tell us where he was though??!! Not in the slightest…! So I began the hunt to find out what it was called, and where, exactly, it was… and that became the basis of this photographic trip. I wanted to visit THAT waterfall, so I needed to visit Scotland, and I ended up growing my list of locations from this one place. The falls, I eventually found out were called Wailing Widow falls, and they have a couple of stories to explain the name. The one I think most likely, is the story of a widowed mother whose son, a goat herder, fell from the top during a very stormy evening as he was trying to gather his goats together. When I got to look at this place, I could see such an accident easily happening!

Anyway… today I was finally going to visit these stunning falls, and I couldn’t wait!! I got up, quickly snapped the view from where I had stopped the night (more for record, as the shot didn’t end up particularly great), and plotted the route to the falls into my sat nav. As I got close, I found myself driving right past the gorge that led to it, up to the top of the hill, and to the loch that supplies the water. By the time I got to that point and realised where I was, I suddenly realised that I had missed the spot totally! These falls are not signposted in any way, so I carefully drove back down the hill and spotted a single car parked up in a small spot big enough for just 2 vehicles. Pulling in next to the car, I prepared myself for a sturdy hike, and a couple of minutes in, passed a family heading back towards me. ‘Its not far’ they told me, ‘only 10-15 minutes, though be careful, some of the rocks in the middle are loose and the mud can be very slippery’ This was no exaggeration, but even given my poor fitness levels, it didn’t take long for the falls to come into view… and I was not at all disappointed.

Wailing Widow Falls from slightly down stream

They took my breath away, as they were so high, and fell in such a beautiful way, hitting several rocks at different levels. I stood for ages before I finally started to look for nice compositions of it. I started off nearby, in a couple of obvious spots, then decided that maybe the best shot would be across the river. I gingerly made my way across, and started to explore all angles from the other side, practising shots at a variety of different exposures to see what I liked best. I thought that maybe a shot further down the river on this side might be nice, so I very carefully made my way down the other bank. There was no path this side, and in fact, very little space to walk at points, but River and I eventually made our way slightly down stream to a fairly nice spot. It was a bit high though, and I really wanted to get to the rocks in the middle…so I sat down and slipped over a metre down off the ledge to a nice rocky base, that enabled me to get into a good spot to cross to the middle of the water. In the back of my head I wondered how on earth I was going to get back up that ledge, but I decided to worry about that later. For now, River had managed to find her own way down, and we set up in a great spot to shoot. As I finished the set up, another tourist came into view, and stood dead centre to my shot. Flipping typical, I thought, but I was loving it here, so actually, I really didn’t mind waiting. She took her time looking, she took some photos, then she took some more, and then just stood looking again, and then took even more photos. It felt like an eternity, and eventually I decided the wait was long enough, so I simply snapped a shot with her in it, mostly as a tester for seeing how my shot would look once she had moved. Unexpectedly, I really liked the shot. I am not a fan of people in my shots, but part of me felt she actually made this one!

By the time she left, I had already checked the picture, and on liking it so much, I called across to her to ask for a contact number so I could send it to her. When she got it, she was over the moon and shared it with a number of people, so I am quite pleased I bothered!

With the shot from this angle in the bag, I made my way back to the side, scrabbled back up the drop, and carefully plotted my way back. As I got nearer the falls, I decided to carry on and get as close as I could on this side. I found myself balanced in quite a precarious position, but I had the tripod set up securely enough to focus on what appeared to be a really nice shot. As I put the camera on and rummaged for the ND filter I wanted to use, my polariser and ring slipped from the bag, and before I could grab it, it feel right down into a deep pool where I had no hope of fishing it back out. ‘NOOoo!!!’ I cried giving River quite the cause for concern. I calmed her saying everything was OK, but inside I was gutted! With no other option, I just focussed on the shot I wanted and carried on – there wasn’t anything else I could do now really. Once the shots were taken, I just sat for a while and enjoyed the bird song from a grey wagtail, heard well before I spotted him. He didn’t seem too nervous of me or the dog, as he eventually happily sprang into view, hopped over the rocks, and then around to have a happy splashy bath in the waters between them. This ended up being a really happy place, and one I have taken home with me, in multiple senses of the word.

No Polariser, but I still managed a shot I was pleased with.

Having milked these falls for every angle I could think of, I carefully made my way back across the river, and hiked back to the camper. These falls were every bit as gorgeous as I hoped, and my day felt totally complete!

With some hours to go until dark I thought I might make my way to Ardvrek Castle for the evening, maybe have a walk around there, or try and find a simpler, smaller fall near Inchnadamph that was on my list. I found my spot for the night, then continued the drive on for a little bit, finding a car park in Inchnadamph, where I left the camper. River clearly didn’t want to walk any further, so rather than drag her with me, I decided to let her stay, and I set off alone. I started the walk following the river, but found that it didn’t lead anywhere, so walked back, crossed a bridge, and tried again the other side, following a path that seemed to follow the water. I assumed that the waterfall I was looking for would be somewhere along this river, but as the time progressed the river faded first from my sight, and eventually from my ears as well, until I realised that I was nowhere near any running water at all. It had been over an hour, and the daylight would be gone in another hour, so I had to stop and rethink this plan. I checked Google maps to see where I was. To my dismay, I was somewhere between 2 rivers, but not near either, and I had no idea which one might have the waterfall on. I was clearly nowhere near where I hoped to be, so reluctantly had to turn around and give up this one. I was very disappointed, not to mention, exhausted, but since I had no idea where I even was, it seemed to be the only sensible call I could make. When I turned round and began the long walk back I was faced with this sight:

For a moment I just stood and stared. How on earth did I not see this on the way up?! It was a perfect photo just staring at me right back, and it took a little while before I took my bag off my shoulders and set the camera up for a shot. A couple of hikers strolled by, with a cheery ‘Hello’, commented on the pretty sight in front of us, and then wandered on their happy way, leaving this for my eyes to enjoy. I have no idea what the house is, but I loved how it reflected the shape of the monro behind it, and how it sat right at the end of where the winding path turned to make its downhill trek to Inchnadamph. I couldn’t NOT take this could I?! Once done, I felt happier and less like this hike had been a total waste of time, and I found the walk back to be far quicker. Whether it was because I was happy at having seen that sight, or whether my sense of time had been elongated by my tiredness and the uphill hike (on top of the starting misroute I had turned back with) I don’t know, but I was back at Ardvrek castle quicker than I had expected, and made it with a little daylight left.

I took River out for a short tour around the castle, snapping a few ideas on my phone ready for tomorrow morning, and she found something that really got her nose excited. Sniffing and following a trail of something, she was happily bounding around the hill for ages before we finally went back to settle in for the night. Today had ended up a perfect one.

My Adventures

Dunvegan Castle, Rha River Falls and Mealt Falls

Skye 2019: Part Two

20 June 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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