Rannoch Moor – Scotland

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Sunrise at Loch Ba, Rannoch Moor, Scotland

Photo: Loch Ba sunrise, Rannoch Moor, Scotland.  January 2013

On a dark January morning, in one of the most photographed places in Scotland, Rannoch Moor, I was alone.  Even I hadn’t planned to be there, or at least not until the following morning.  But there I was, wet feet and all, walking around the boggy shores of Loch Ba as a hint of pink formed, then brightened, then grew on the southern horizon.  The following 10 minutes were probably the best light I’ve ever seen in all my travels of Scotland.

After a week of grey sunrises and grey sunsets I was beginning to get a little depressed.  It had been another bleak and stormy New Year’s journey to the Scotland’s Outer Hebrides; to be expected, but not what I was hoping for.  The plan for the drive home had been to spend one night on the Isle of Skye and then the final night in Glencoe before making the 8 hour drive south to Wales from there.  But as we departed the ferry in Uig, an unrelenting rain fell from above.  And when you walk into the supermarket and overhear the old women talking about how terrible the weather has been lately, it’s generally not a good sign.  So at that, I said goodbye to the islands and drove into the fading afternoon light that is January in Scotland.

Hours later the rain was still falling as we pulled into my favourite car-bivy spot on the road to Glen Etive, just next to what is perhaps the most iconic, and overshot, photo in Scotland, Buachaille Etive Mor.  Soon however, stars were to be seen, and a glimmer of hope arose.  But as the first hints of dawn began to break, they sky was back to cloud.  Although for the first time in a week, there was no wind.  And so I rose.

Sunrise at Loch Ba, Rannoch Moor, Scotland

Photo: Loch Ba sunrise, Rannoch Moor, Scotland.  January 2013

To The Western Isles

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Luskentyre beach, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: Luskentyre beach, Isle of Harris, Scotland.  January 2011

In a few hours I’ll be headed out into a night of rain and wind to begin the 12 hour drive to the Ferry in Uig, Isle of Skye and then onwards to Berneray for our 3rd New Year on the islands.  I never really thought I would return a second time, much less a third – especially after last years weather, and with long range forecasts not looking much better this year either.  But Berneray is a nice place, and with pretty much the whole of the UK to choose from, it again seemed like the best location to welcome in 2013.  Then it will be a few more days traveling around Harris and Lewis before making the drive back south.  Though the calender puts New Year’s day just about in the middle of the trip, which means that we can’t actually spend as much time on Harris and Lewis as I would like.  But it will probably rain and blow the whole time anyhow and not matter much.  (Normally I try and remain optimistic about things, but when it comes to Hebridean weather in January, I know better.)

Anyhow, to any of you readers out there.  Happy New Year!

Hebridean New Year

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Luskentyre beach isle of harris

Photo: Dawn at Luskentyre beach, Isle of Harris, Scotland.  January 2011

December already…

In what seems to be quickly turning into an annual tradition, I’m making plans to head up to Scotland’s Outer Hebrides to bring in the new year.  More specifically we’ll spend New Year’s eve in the tiny, cosy thatched roof hostel on Berneray, where I’ve brought in the last two years.  After that, the schedule is open, with a week to explore the Uists, Harris and Lewis.  And on the 12 hour drive back to Wales we’ll probably take a night or two in Glen Coe to break up the drive a bit.

I’m a bit worried about a repetition of last year’s festival of wind and gales, which if you asked me to describe in one word, I would say: shit!  Two words: Total shit!. Three words: well you get the picture…  So far the weather has been a fair amount calmer and colder (which is good), so hopefully conditions are closer to two years ago where there were at least a couple calm days to be had, and some snow on the islands, which makes for nice photos.  But being the north of Scotland at the darkest time of the year, just about any type of bad weather is possible.  On the bright side, at least I wont have to worry about midges…

Large winter waves crash against cliffs at Butt of Lewis, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: Winter storm crashes into coast at Butt of Lewis, Isle of Lewis, Scotland.  January 2012

Callanish standing stones lit by light at night, Isle of Lewis, Western Isles, Scotland

Photo: Callanish standing stones, Isle of Lewis, Scotland.  January 2011

 

Photo: 12 hour drive to the north, then a ferry

Isle of Harris – Winter River

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Abhainn Sgaladail, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: Abhainn Sgaladail, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.  Jan 2012

 

 

Isle of Harris – Luskentyre Beach

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Luskentyre beach, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: Luskentyre beach, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.  Jan 2012

Out of ten days, this was the only one that arrived with any potential for good light.  A gale was screaming across the beach making conditions slightly less that Ideal, but I managed to wait around for two hours until the sun finally showed up.  Every once in a while a big wave would come in and flow across the flat beach.  I got my feet wet a few times while not paying attention.  Almost got eaten by some horses on the way back to the car as well.

 

Isle of Harris – Horgabost Beach

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Horgabost beach, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: Horgabost beach, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.  Jan 2012

I would have preferred to have been over on Luskentyre beach (towards the center of the image) but weather conditions weren’t especially cooperative.  On the far right side of Horgabost there is a bit of shelter from a strong western gale so it was pretty much the only place where my tripod wouldn’t blow over…

 

Traigh Lar Beach – Isle of Harris

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Traigh Lar beach, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: Traigh Lar beach, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Butt of Lewis Winter Storm

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Outer Hebrides Butt of Lewis lighthouse storm

Photo: Large winter waves crash into cliffs below lighthouse at Butt of Lewis, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.  Jan 2, 2012

After bringing in the new year on Berneray, we took the ferry to the isle of Harris and then drove north to the Butt of Lewis, the northern most point on the Outer Hebrides.  The cliffs here are the first point of land reached by hundreds of miles of wind and waves coming from the north Atlantic.  And in the gale force winds on early January 2012, the waves were pounding the cliffs with a fury and power that I normally only see in nature documentaries.  While the waves can and do get bigger here, it was still quite an impressive sight and even there seemed to be a few locals turning up to checkout the show.

I tried my best to capture some images, but the combination of low light levels, high winds and my all too light tripod didn’t do much to help the situation.  I couldn’t even let go of my camera or everything would blow over.  I managed to find a few locations that wont overly affected by sea spay, but these weren’t always the most ideal views.  If I were some cameraman a BBC documentary, it would have been one of those behind the scenes moments where they talk about extreme working conditions.  I also found it difficult to show scale in the scene.  I’d estimate the cliffs at about 40-45 ft in height.  The lighthouse tower is 121 ft high, so that helps a bit in that image.

Outer Hebrides Butt of Lewis winter storm

Photo: Watching waves crash into rocks at Butt of Lewis, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.  Jan 2, 2012

 

Outer Hebrides Butt of Lewis winter storm

 

Outer Hebrides Butt of Lewis winter storm

 

Outer Hebrides Butt of Lewis winter storm

 

Outer Hebrides Butt of Lewis winter storm

Scotland

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Isle of Lewis storm waves

Photo: Waves crash into coastal headlands at the Butt of Lewis, Isle of Lewis, Scotland.  Jan 2, 2012

I woke up at 3:00 AM Monday morning to the sound of rain pattering against the car.  It was my second night camping in Glencoe, a brief stopover on the way back south from a week on the Western Isles over the New Year.  More rain I thought to myself.  Endless Damned rain!   Uggghhh.  Sunrise would arrive in 5 hours, but I knew I would see nothing but a wet grey sky.  So at that, I got in the drivers seat and headed into the darkness across Rannoch Moor to start the 8 hour drive back to Wales.

Now Scotland is not exactly a sunny country, but it turns out I decided to head north to catch the last days of the wettest December in a hundred years.  And I have no doubt the trend was continuing right along into 2012 without stop.  From December 31st on Berneray to the early days of January on the Isles of Lewis, Harris and across to Skye, a gale blew, non-stop, day and night, forever.  I’m no stranger to bad weather, but usually there is some calm at some point.  Not here, not for me.  I never knew the wind could blow so much for so long.  And it’s not as if I even caught the start of it, it has been blowing up there for weeks.  It’s as if there is some hole in the atmosphere above Scotland and all the the earth’s air is escaping, though not prior to releasing an ocean’s worth of rain.

At times I could hardly walk.  Sometimes hail fell so hard I though the car’s windshield would crack.  Huge Atlantic swells battered the headlands at the Butt of Lewis,  sending spray high into the air and seeming to make the ground shake with their power.  There were even cancelations of the ferries to the islands, a rare thing.  Though I’m sure a captain or two would have tried to take a boat across if he could. I think some of them must be born of the sea itself after hearing about some of their crossings.

So despite the conditions and feelings of frustration and failure, I did manage to find some fleeting moments to make some images.  Maybe not the images I had in my mind, but a few decent ones none the less.  And more reason to return again in the future.  I’ll add more details and photos over the next days.

 

Return to the Western Isles

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overlooking Sound of Harris, Berneray, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: View over Sound of Harris, Berneray, Scotland.

For the New Year I’m heading up to Scotland and out to the Western Isles.  I’ll spend New Year’s eve at the cool little hostel on the island of Berneray, where I had good time last year.  The rest of the week I’ll be out and about on North/South Uist, taking in the epic beaches of south Harris and exploring the historic sites of Lewis.

–CLICK HERE– For images from last year.

 

Sunset over Sound of Berneray and North Uist, Western Isles, Scotland

Photo: Sunset over North Uist, Berneray, Scotland.

Morning light on Luskentyre beach, Isle of Harris, Western Isles, Scotland

Photo: Luskentyre beach, Isle of Harris, Scotland.

Isle of Harris Beach

Photo: Incoming tide, Isle of Harris, Scotland.