My trip to Glencoe

[Ravinder]

It's been a while since I've posted in this section. Mainly, because I lost a bit of love for landscapes. I've been so busy working my other full time job and then alsos trying to make my wedding photography business work. I just got lazy and didn't have the energy to go out and take pictures. I now have 3 weeks off work and I started to think of what I could do. My family kindly gave me a break and got me away for a few days and so I chose to visit Glencoe in the North West Highlands. I've been to Glencoe a couple of times before on day trips and it is a magical place and I always wanted to go back to explore some more and take pictures as there are endless photography opportunities there.


I stayed in a house with a lovely Russian family who were very welcoming and helpful. When I got there, I couldn't believe how much snow had fallen. It was a winter wonderland. It just looked so beautiful and white! My first day, I checked in and decided to see if I could go out and get a sunset image as the light was fantastic and the sky was full of atmospheare with storm clouds. I kind of missed the best light so I settled for a quick image at the well photographed Black Rock Cottage which you'll see below. After taking this image, I had a little walk around and went to a nearby place for some food.


When I got back to the hotel, I was checking the forecast for the next day and night. The forecast predicted clear skies for much of the day and night so I planned on my iPad where I wanted to visit and what pictures to take. I also had in mind about trying some Astro Photography as I haven't done much of this and I know being in an area with little light pollution there might be a good opportunity.


The next day came and I was up for sunrise and took a sunrise image on the Western side of Glencoe which I thought was quite nice. I would preferred a bit more cloud to give it a bit of atmospeare. I went back to the house, got some sleep and some food. I got my camera gear prepared for venturing out at night. At 9pm, I drove back to Glencoe near Buachaille Etive Mor and the road that takes you down to Loch Etive. I wasn't on planning to drive down as the road was very treacherous so I parked up off the main road and walked for about 40 min. It was pitch black and the sky just looked incredible. So many stars, nothing like you would see in the major towns and cities. I got my camera out and started snapping away and changing settings to see what worked best. I decided to shoot a selfie so I set the camera on a timer and did a 20 second exposure so I ran where I wanted to stand and put my torch on and got a nice image. It was very very cold, -13 degrees!


The next day, I did some more exploring and took a trip up to nearby Fort William and had a wonder around. All in all, it was fantastic few days which I needed. During that time, I switched off completely from work and just enjoyed myself and had plenty of time to think as well. I came back home with a clearer head. I also found my love for the outdoors again and landscape photography. I've now made a promise to myself to venture out at least once a month and do a bit of exploring and photography.


Below are some images that I took. Some are snaps on my phone and some are pictures with the DSLR. Hope you enjoy them.

The house I stayed at. Gorgous.





My typhoon





Ship wreck near Fort William with Ben Nevis in background.








Black Rock Cottage



black rock cottage by Ravinder Bindra, on Flickr


Sunrise


sunrise by Ravinder Bindra, on Flickr


Stars


stars by Ravinder Bindra, on Flickr


Milky Way


milky way by Ravinder Bindra, on Flickr


Selfie


selfie by Ravinder Bindra, on Flickr


mountain fort william by Ravinder Bindra, on Flickr


mountain near bridge by Ravinder Bindra, on Flickr


Buachaille Etive Mor


etive mor colour by Ravinder Bindra, on Flickr

[andymc]

So many wonderful pictures - the night sky ones are particularly breathtaking, and I love the image you created with the selfie. It's been several years since I made it up to that part of the world and I'm looking forward to my next visit. I often think back to one of the most memorable road trips we ever took, over 6 years ago now. I no longer have any pics, sadly, as the pen drive on which they were stored went through the washing machine by accident! But it will live long in my memory.

We'd taken a long weekend to ride up to Skye via an initial overnight stop at Lochgilphead. Part of the reason for choosing that route was that it involved the single-track road that goes past Faslane, which even at 40mph is an exhilarating roller coaster ride what with all the crests, twists and turns, flanked by the sheer rock face on one side and Loch Long (deep enough to hide a nuclear sub!) on the other. Having ridden up from the Stranraer ferry around the coast through Inverkip as far as Helensburgh with just a 15 minute break I was still in fine form, but after the final stretch from there to our pit-stop at Arrochar my arms were exhausted following what was only a further 45 minute run. Once we'd pulled in and I'd had a moment to come down from the buzz of what we'd just done, I turned around to ask "How was that?" The response - "Aye, lovely. I left my saddle a couple of times but I was able to hang on alright."

That's my girl!! Having left the house that morning to get the ferry from Belfast, it was around 10.30pm by the time we reached our lodgings, after a ride of some 250 miles that day. So when we left Lochgilphead the following morning, it was at a much more leisurely pace that we headed north, across the Crinan canal over the swing bridge at Bellanoch and up the glorious coast road as far as Oban, pulling in several times as we crested one hill after the next for yet another paradise-like vista to be revealed to us. At one point I told my other half that I wasn't sure my brain could cope with much more jaw-droppingly beautiful surroundings - it nearly felt like it would explode! The roads were very quiet all the way, with only the occasional moments where we might encounter more than two or three cars in succession. After a lunch break at Oban we continued on up to Skye via the Mallaig-Armadale ferry, called up to see a friend in Portree and then back down to our B&B near Broadford.

The following morning, we first spent an hour or two exploring the south-eastern part of the island that we hadn't previously seen, then took the tiny ferry crossing at Kylerhea to head up towards Applecross. On such a gloriously sunny Sunday in late July, I still remember grinning at the sight of the sign at the mouth of the road we took, which read "Road Normally Impassable In Wintry Conditions". It was an incredible climb, followed by a route around the peninsula of approximately 45 miles, along which we again rode so slowly and stopped so frequently to drink in our surroundings that it took well over four hours to complete - it would nearly have been as quick on a pushbike!! But of course, speed wasn't the point at all, and we took every opportunity to enjoy the landscape around us on a bright, hot day. All along the northernmost stretch, I kept looking longingly over the sea to the temptation of yet another stretch of mountains across Loch Shieldaig, knowing that when I reached the next junction we would have to head south again, and it was with no small regret that I turned towards Ardarroch and a lunchbreak at a picnic table in the sunshine, before setting off on our way to Glencoe.

After some 9 hours in the saddle, we were very glad of the log cabin we'd booked at the hostel there and the short stroll to dinner at the Clachaig Inn. On our final day we again avoided the motorway on our way south, stopping only for lunch at Kilwinning. Then a swift scoot back to Stranraer, and three hours later we were home, wishing we'd allowed ourselves at least one extra day!

A combination of changed working circumstances and health issues in recent years became something of a barrier to many more trips of this nature and it's been a few years since I've been able to do anything of the sort. I hope to return to it some time in the next year or so, but there are other things I have to prioritise before I can get back on the road like this. That's why I'm glad I've built up such a store of treasured memories, as they'll have to keep me going until then.

[stevestrat]

Excellent photos Rav. Been to Glencoe many times, the atmosphere always gets to me.

[Ravinder]

Originally Posted by andymc

So many wonderful pictures - the night sky ones are particularly breathtaking, and I love the image you created with the selfie. It's been several years since I made it up to that part of the world and I'm looking forward to my next visit. I often think back to one of the most memorable road trips we ever took, over 6 years ago now. I no longer have any pics, sadly, as the pen drive on which they were stored went through the washing machine by accident! But it will live long in my memory.

We'd taken a long weekend to ride up to Skye via an initial overnight stop at Lochgilphead. Part of the reason for choosing that route was that it involved the single-track road that goes past Faslane, which even at 40mph is an exhilarating roller coaster ride what with all the crests, twists and turns, flanked by the sheer rock face on one side and Loch Long (deep enough to hide a nuclear sub!) on the other. Having ridden up from the Stranraer ferry around the coast through Inverkip as far as Helensburgh with just a 15 minute break I was still in fine form, but after the final stretch from there to our pit-stop at Arrochar my arms were exhausted following what was only a further 45 minute run. Once we'd pulled in and I'd had a moment to come down from the buzz of what we'd just done, I turned around to ask "How was that?" The response - "Aye, lovely. I left my saddle a couple of times but I was able to hang on alright."

That's my girl!! Having left the house that morning to get the ferry from Belfast, it was around 10.30pm by the time we reached our lodgings, after a ride of some 250 miles that day. So when we left Lochgilphead the following morning, it was at a much more leisurely pace that we headed north, across the Crinan canal over the swing bridge at Bellanoch and up the glorious coast road as far as Oban, pulling in several times as we crested one hill after the next for yet another paradise-like vista to be revealed to us. At one point I told my other half that I wasn't sure my brain could cope with much more jaw-droppingly beautiful surroundings - it nearly felt like it would explode! The roads were very quiet all the way, with only the occasional moments where we might encounter more than two or three cars in succession. After a lunch break at Oban we continued on up to Skye via the Mallaig-Armadale ferry, called up to see a friend in Portree and then back down to our B&B near Broadford.

The following morning, we first spent an hour or two exploring the south-eastern part of the island that we hadn't previously seen, then took the tiny ferry crossing at Kylerhea to head up towards Applecross. On such a gloriously sunny Sunday in late July, I still remember grinning at the sight of the sign at the mouth of the road we took, which read "Road Normally Impassable In Wintry Conditions". It was an incredible climb, followed by a route around the peninsula of approximately 45 miles, along which we again rode so slowly and stopped so frequently to drink in our surroundings that it took well over four hours to complete - it would nearly have been as quick on a pushbike!! But of course, speed wasn't the point at all, and we took every opportunity to enjoy the landscape around us on a bright, hot day. All along the northernmost stretch, I kept looking longingly over the sea to the temptation of yet another stretch of mountains across Loch Shieldaig, knowing that when I reached the next junction we would have to head south again, and it was with no small regret that I turned towards Ardarroch and a lunchbreak at a picnic table in the sunshine, before setting off on our way to Glencoe.

After some 9 hours in the saddle, we were very glad of the log cabin we'd booked at the hostel there and the short stroll to dinner at the Clachaig Inn. On our final day we again avoided the motorway on our way south, stopping only for lunch at Kilwinning. Then a swift scoot back to Stranraer, and three hours later we were home, wishing we'd allowed ourselves at least one extra day!

A combination of changed working circumstances and health issues in recent years became something of a barrier to many more trips of this nature and it's been a few years since I've been able to do anything of the sort. I hope to return to it some time in the next year or so, but there are other things I have to prioritise before I can get back on the road like this. That's why I'm glad I've built up such a store of treasured memories, as they'll have to keep me going until then.

That was a lovely read. Glad you got to experience it. It’s a magical place. I love it there and will be back there later in the year.

[Jim Jamieson]

Glencoe, one of the nicest places on God’s Earth. Beautiful when the weathers right whether it be snow or sun.
The last time I came down through, it was 6.00pm and the temperature was 26 degrees C. I bet that was a record, it was 32 when we left Fort William.

Lovely shots there Rav especially that “Beam me up Spock” one

[Ravinder]

It is a magical place, Jim.

[coolcat]

Some truly stunning scenery there Rav, superbly captured by yourself

You have made me want to book my ticket thats for sure

[Ravinder]

Get yourself there, Jeff. I guarantee one thing - you will not regret it. I’ll be back there in autumn and again next winter.

[keithst24]

I'll be there next year....You can take the photos I'll drive the 4x4 ...and you can buy the drinks

[Dallas]

Originally Posted by Ravinder

Selfie


selfie by Ravinder Bindra, on Flickr

Superb photo's Rav, the selfie one looks amazing, and the Milky Way looks like you are on Mars.