After our trip to the isle of Skye was cancelled last year due our good friend carona, we manged to get there recently after a wait of a couple of years.
We had pre-planned where we would like to go, and what to photograph around the sun rise, sunset, high and low tide times for the duration of the time that we were on the Island.
We had built in an element of flexibility to these arrangements as the weather would have a say in what we could and could not do.
Our journey up to the Isle of Skye was uneventful until we reached Rannoch Moor, as we reached the summit of the Moor and looked down into the top of Glencoe, the light was fantastic, so we made an instant decision to drive up to the Black Rock Cottage to get an image of the conditions.
As we pulled up there were two other Photographers jumping out of their vehicle to do the same as us. The light was black dark above and behind us, but a soft diffused light was hitting the cottage highlighting this against the dark background, it was just a pity the Buachaille Etive Mor was almost totally hidden in the low cloud that surrounded us.
From here we bashed on, eating into the miles-to-go distance, but I had in mind another photo at the Eilean Donan Castle.
We have photographed this Castle several times before, but from ground level, I had done some homework and found an elevated location from where you can look down onto the Castle from above, me thinking that this could produce a different aspect of the Castle.
We soon found the viewpoint and I began to set up, there was overcast cloud around, but this was at a reasonable height and was not blocking out the mountain tops around the castle.
At this point a local man pulled up and entered into a conversation with me, inquiring where we were from and what we thought of the Castle etc a very friendly and charming bloke.
Once I grabbed a couple of images it was onwards and upwards to our destination, soon we were crossing the Bridge from Lochalsh over to the Island, but I wanted to make a slight detour to try and get under the bridge to grab some photos of it, my thinking being that these would be an unusual angle of looking at the bridge and also try to include the lighthouse that is on Eilean Ban Island.
I was pleased with these images, one is attached below, what are your thoughts of it?
We then continued to Portree to get checked in to our hotel, our home for the next 5 days and to get settled in and have some grub.
After our meal we sat down and looked at the weather forecast to try and determine what we could go on what days.
The next days forecast was for heavy, low cloud and rain throughout the day backed up with strong winds.
Day 2.
We arose for an early breakfast to be greeted by guess what? Heavy low cloud and constant rain.
I was hoping to get along to the Quiraing to get up on top of the cliffs and get some photos of the local scenery around this area, but the weather dictated otherwise, so we decided that I would visit a place called Brothers Point, a location that I had researched, and I hoped would bring me some decent photos.
This location in on the coast and is accessible by a short 20-minute walk from the roadside. I was soon on the shoreline to find that on this side of the point the water was surprisingly calm with little wave action, not what I would have expected as the wind was blowing so strongly.
I pottered about on a small knoll of rock trying to get a shot of the water breaking on the jet-black rocks around me.
From here I walked along the path on to the cliff tops, stopping regular to set up photos of the scenes in front of me.
Once I reached the peak of the point, I was met by the full force of the prevailing wind that was blowing from the south, and by gum was it blowing, it nearly blew me backwards off my feet as I poked my body over the ridge line.
It was here that I met the only two people that I encountered all morning, they were scrambling around taking photos like me.
It was here that I noticed the waves were considerably bigger and more powerful that those that I had seen on the other side of the point.
I set the tripod up below the ridge line and captured some images from this location BUT having to dry everything time and time again. The joys of photography in the rain eh!.
From brothers point I drove further north to the Lealt Falls viewpoint car park, my plan was to hike down the cliffs to get some photos of the waterfall that was in the bottom of the gorge just before the river entered the sea.
I got out of the car and went on a short recce mission, the path was very step, slippery with the amount of rainfall, and most worrying open to the full force of the wind howling along the coast.
At this point I made the executive decision to abandon this plan as I was a little dangerous in these conditions.
I was soon back in the car and offloading my wet clothing and footwear, I decide to head further up the coast to Staffin Bay to see if there were any opportunities for photography there.
Needless to say, when I arrived at the car park, the conditions were a tad appalling, 40 mph winds driving rain, and low cloud made this a lost cause.
As I drove back to the hotel, we arranged a quick change then a little retail therapy with the boss in Portree, this brought to an end our first day’s adventures on the Isle of Skye with the evening meal and a few drams to finish off what had been a enjoyable days activities.
