PHOTOGRAPHY BLISS IN GLENCOE

Photographically, living on the south coast of England has always been (in my opinion) a big positive. Any Dorsetonian will attest to the attributes of the county’s countryside and it won’t be long before ‘the Jurassic coast’ gets a mention. The weather is unique in this part of the world too: it never rains, of course, and the grass is always greener - it’s no mistake that we have no motorways; clearly an attempt to avoid encouraging too many visitors!

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

I won’t go into the whys & wheres, but last year my wife Miranda and I had a serendipitous moment of good fortune when we met two lovely people (one a photographer and the other an artist) at a photography event in London and the family have since become very good friends. It just so happened that they lived near Glencoe in Scotland. We soon learned that they lived in a superb large historical house which included a small number of self-catering apartments. Naturally, we were easily persuaded to take a road trip north of the border and enjoy their wonderful hospitality. Not to mention the photographic lures of their surroundings.

THE 2000-MILE ROAD TRIP

Our VW camper van - overlooking **Loch Leven** - affectionally known as **‘Wiggy’,** has been part of my photography and our family life for 11 years.

We chose an early spring date to pack our ever-reliable but maturing VW camper van and set off to The Highlands. The van purred its way north of the borders: so far north that we endured 7 different motorways and crossed 12 county borders before finally arriving in the bonnie western isles of Scotland. It was a long haul for a couple used to the rich tapestry of fields and the Tarrant Valleys of deepest Dorset!

SIMPLY SPECTACULAR

Overnight travel resulted in a much-needed sleep stop on the shores of Loch Lomond. This was our introduction to the famous Lochs. A hearty breakfast before venturing onwards past the Grampian Mountains and threading our way between Rannoch Moor and the historical Province of Lorne (Lorn), now in the district of Argyll & Bute. The scenery here is simply spectacular and will whet the appetite of any photographer.

For the first week we had the luxury of staying in a super self-catering apartment at Port Appin, almost on the doorstep of Castle Stalker. We were very grateful to our friends and hosts as they made us so welcome and showed us many places to visit locally.

SAVOUR THE ETHEREAL

The weather, as it is in Scotland, was changeable to say the least, but this also meant there were ethereal photographic opportunities to embrace and savour. In theory this was a holiday, but like any self-respecting professional photographer, with a penchant for landscapes, I simply could not leave the camera gear at home when visiting the Highlands. Fortunately for me, Miranda is an exceptional tripod carrier, who honestly likes nothing better than being dragged from location to location. In truth, she is keener than I am to get out with her walking boots - always accepting the caveat that my desire to photograph is ever present - it’s embossed in our marriage contract!

No landscape photography trip would be complete without a lone tree.

The Glencoe region is a photographer’s paradise. With this in mind I will stop writing and let some of the imagery speak. I have included just a few images from Glencoe and The Isle of Sky. At the bottom of the page is a link to my full gallery of images from Western Scotland.

There is also a short paragraph explaining why the Photography on the Isle of Sky drove me potty.

The meandering fall of The River Etive - **Glen Etive.**

An atmospheric **Pap of Glencoe** overlooking **Loch Leven**.

Thanks for reading and do take a look at many more images from our trip in the gallery link >>

HIGHLAND ROAD TRIP - WEEK TWO

The photography road trip moved on into the second week with an obligatory trip to the Isle of Skye.

See What drove me potty on the Isle of Skye >>

A personal statement of belief As I see it >>

In the mood for photography More than a photo >>

More muses >>

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