Hello again and welcome back for the second instalment of my epic landscape photography road trip. In part one, I transported you to the summit of Catbells where I bathed in that delicious golden sunrise light, I went on the hunt for a photograph of Windermere to show to my nan, in the hope of bringing back some fond memories of her own adventures with my grandad, and I visited Ashness Bridge where I photographed away during a beautiful sunset that will stay with me forever before capturing the moment that an adrenaline junkie took a giant leap of faith from Falcon Crag.
Part two took me back onto the open road as I headed further north in my Vauxhall Astra-come-makeshift-camper to Scotland; one of the places that I had been dreaming of visiting since I first picked up a camera a few years ago and began scouring the Internet for landscape photography inspiration.
Morning mist hangs low in the Trossachs above Loch Lomond in Scotland.
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY IN SCOTLAND: GLENCOE
No amount of blogs or videos could have prepared me for what I was about to experience. This was one of the greatest welcomes that I have ever received. The arms of the Trossachs wide open and outstretched. I felt like a child being guided towards the fun house at a fairground. I still remember that drive around Loch Lomond like it was yesterday. I was getting tired after a solid three hour drive and that long stretch on the A82 around Loch Lomond felt like an eternity. It was around 6am and I had been driving in the dark for three hours, so I’d barely seen a thing to stimulate my mind. After taking a right turn in Tarbet onto that final stretch of tarmac, things changed. Quickly. Approaching the top end of the loch, past Blairannaich and towards Inveruglas, the dark night began to turn into purple dawn, and the feint silhouettes of mountains were starting to appear. From the mouth of the River Falloch, I could see fog spewing into the loch. That was all I needed. My soul punched me awake and straight into a landscape photographers dream.
Morning mist rolling over Ben More in the southern highlands of Scotland.
I have to admit that I wasn’t acting like a photographer with much experience at this moment in time. I ditched my car at the roadside above Loch Lomond and jumped out with my 70-200mm attached, proceeding to fire off shots in similar fashion to a WWII gunner. There was no time for a tripod. Not even time for me to take a breath for that matter. Everything I’d taught myself about slowing down and taking a moment to gather my thoughts and feelings before opening the shutter went out of the window. I knew exactly how I felt and it was just pure, childish excitement. Nothing could contain me, I was in Scotland and my photography senses were firing on all cylinders.
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The Lagangarbh Hut at the base of Buachille Etive Mor.
Of course, I had to stop and grab a photograph of the legendary white cottage. When in Glencoe hey?! To catch the top of The Buachille protruding through the low mist like this was just too good an opportunity to miss. In all honesty, after taking this photograph, I did not have a clue where to go. I was in unfamiliar territory and that was without the mist hiding everything from me. Not such a bad thing however because I managed to get the following photograph of Buachille Etive Beag, which was just a stones throw away, a little further up the road towards Glencoe. The perfectly pyramidal peak and mist combine to make a mysterious and intimidating photograph.
Buachille Etive Beag partially hidden behind the morning mist.
I moved around the area for a while on foot, taking one of the paths through the mist and deeper into the mountains. Having hiked for a few miles without managing to find too much in the way of photographs, I made my way back towards the main road in the late morning. The daunting posture of Buachille Etive Beag from this angle fascinated me so I waited around for a little while as the mist cleared and the sunlight pierced through the clouds to create some interesting drama. The lonely path adds a subtle and simple extra story to this photograph.
For anyone following me on Instagram, you will probably remember watching me perform a quick workout while waiting for this light.
Clouds roll over Buachille Etive Beag in the late morning light.
I’m not usually one for photography in the bright sunlight but I couldn’t help myself as I walked along this picturesque little lane that leads to Glen Etive in the late morning and into the early hours of the afternoon.
The winding narrow lane to Glen Etive in the Scottish Highlands.
Narrow lane leading to the mountains in Glencoe.
I fired up the portable stove and ate my usual adventure meal; tuna, pasta and sweetcorn, no nonsense on-the-go food, giving me more time to get back out there with my tripod and camera. For my final photograph of the day, I found this beautiful little setting which provided a lovely end to my first day in Scotland. This was a particularly tricky photograph, I found the scene to be rather messy and the light was difficult to manage. I ended up taking three shots and blending them into one to create a HDR photograph. It’s one to look back on in the future to remind me of the time that I sat beneath this mountain getting eaten alive by midges and talking to a fellow photographer about out passion for this art. The photograph isn’t going to win any awards but these are the evenings and conversations that are worth remembering.
After two days hiking and photography in the Lake District, followed by a full day in Scotland, I decided that more nights in the car just wasn’t going to cut it this time around. I booked myself in to a beautiful little cabin in North Ballachulish for a couple of nights in order to recharge. Torn between spending one or two nights in the cabin, I’ll be forever thankful for that I chose the latter as I’d clumsily left my Meindl hiking boots outdoors in the rain throughout the first night. After another full day of hiking around Glencoe, in what can only be described as a mini monsoon, my boots and body were completely soaked. Turns out that skin isn’t waterproof in Scotland! I desperately needed that second night in a warm and dry cabin, a real home away from home. Below, I’ll share some of the photographs from the second day.
White cottage in the Glencoe mountains.
There was only one thing on the cards for photography after a night of heavy rain… Flowing water! There is, of course, plenty of that around Glencoe and so I was spoilt for choice. I’d seen the waterfalls beneath Buachille Etive Mor on many occasions across blogs and YouTube. I’m delighted that I got to see it for myself while standing in the same spot as some of my favourite photographers from over the years. The light wasn’t exactly striking on the day, but running around the mountains like a drowned rat was great fun and something that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Waterfall beneath Buachille Etive Mor.
Panoramic view of Blackrock cottage and Buachille Etive Beag.
One of the many small streams that flows from the mountains and into the Glencoe valley.
I tried my best to make the most of the conditions on day two in Glencoe and in hindsight, I’m actually very happy with what the photographs that I managed to create. Of course, in a perfect world, the light could have been more dramatic, it could have kissed the tips of mountains and fallen on the ground creating some lateral light and dark contrast. it doesn’t always happen like that thought and landscape photography is about making the most of what we are given. Similar to life in that sense, you can only play the cards that you are dealt. This is what gives me the drive to keep getting up and getting out there. Because when those conditions are ‘perfect’, I am all the more grateful for it. I remember the disappointments and respect them all the more, because they make the opposite all the more special. It’s all a balancing act.
Looking down the Glencoe valley towards Loch Achtriochtan.
The Meeting of the Three Waters in full flow after heavy rain.
That was just about enough photography for day two. I went back to the cabin to refuel, dry out and charge the batteries ready for the final two days of my trip. Save the best until last they say. The legendary Isle of Skye was my next destination, with a quick stop en route to catch the Hogwarts Express crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct.
Glennfinnan viaduct with the Jacobite train passing from Fort William to Mallaig.
The following photograph caught my eye en route to the Isle of Skye. The colours combined with the recurring patterns stood out. Photography doesn’t always have to be super complicated in my opinion.
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY IN SCOTLAND: ISLE OF SKYE
There are just no words to describe how epic this unusual rock formation in the Trotternish region of the Isle of Skye really is. You could see the old man, the leaning piece of land farthest left in this photograph, himself from the south side of the island, around 5-10 miles away at a guess. From here it appears to be just a tiny pinnacle in the distance and it’s not until you make your way along the final mile of the path leading up to the Storr that you really gauge the scale of this magnificent landscape. Luckily for me, there was a tiny human standing dwarfed beneath the old man which adds a much needed human element to my photograph. This place is enough to humble any person.
With the light quickly fading after a long drive up to Skye, I found a home for the night in the car park at Mealt Falls on the north side of the island. There aren’t many better places to wake up then next to a 55m waterfall that drops straight into the sea. From here in the morning, I would proceed to travel around the island, stopping off at the famous Neist Point Lighthouse and legendary Fairy Pools.
Mealt Falls on the Isle of Skye.
While travelling round to my next location, I couldn’t help but stop to check out some of the Isle of Skye’s impressive coastline.
Fishing boat providing the scale to some of Isle of Skye’s magnificent coastline.
Rugged Isle of Skye coastline.
It’s no wonder photographers travel from all over the world to photograph this lighthouse that lies at the most westerly tip of the Isle of Skye. The Neist Point Lighthouse is spectacular with rugged coastline adding drama to photographs here. I would love to have caught a sunset at the lighthouse but the weather conditions weren’t looking too promising and I had plenty of other things to see on the island. I’ll leave that one for the next visit.
Neist Point Lighthouse on the Isle of Skye.
Taking a walk towards Neist Point Lighthouse on the Isle of Skye.
Next up, it was my final planned stop of the trip; the legendary Fairy Pools with its’ turquoise water. The Black Cuillin mountains provide a menacing backdrop to the pools.
Flowing water in the Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye.
Turquoise-blue water in the Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye.
The Fairy Pools were everything that I had imagined when reading about the Isle of Skye. Dark, intimidating, beautiful and calming.
Waterfall in the Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye with the black Cuillin mountains behind.
The long road home escorting me through the deep, dark Cuillin Hills. Sadly for me, this photograph marked the end of my visit to the Isle of Skye with the best landmarks now firmly behind me.
Rain sweeping across the Black Cuillin hills, Isle of Skye.
I stopped off for a quick pit stop to photograph the Sligachan Old Bridge, another of the beautiful locations that I’d watched some of my favourite photographers visit on YouTube. The usual shot of this beautiful location is usually in the opposite direction towards the mountains behind but I wanted to try something a little different.
Sligachan Old Bridge, behind stands Sgurr Mhairi.
Pastel sunset captured with this artistic intentional camera movement photograph.
My final stop of an epic landscape photography road trip to Scotland; Eilean Donan Castle provided perhaps one of my favourite photographs from my time up north. I attached my Gobe ND1000 circular neutral density filter and used a one minute long exposure of the castle illuminated during blue hour.
Eilean Donan Castle illuminated in the blue hour light.
This definitely won’t be the last time that I visit Scotland. There is still so much more to see. Scotland is a country that is just steeped in history, culture and natural beauty and I feel like I only scratched the surface of what this magnificent country has to offer. My photography skills were definitely put to the test up here. With so many famous locations that have been photographed many times, I certainly found it a test to find some unique landscape photographs but in hindsight, I’m more than happy with my results. There is of course, plenty more to be had when I decide to visit again.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. Maybe it has inspired you to pack your bags and head off on your own adventures. It would be great to know if it did, that’s the whole reason I do all of this. I just love inspiring people to live better lives. Please consider following me on social media, tell me all about your adventure and keep up with all of my own photography adventures… There are some even epic-er ones incoming.
I’m looking forward to taking you along for the ride on the next one.
Gear used for this trip:
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If you liked the photography in this blog post, you should consider checking out my Top Tips for Improving you Landscape Photography post next.
