Assynt: NW Scotland

By Claire and Melanie

Assynt, Sutherland, NW Highlands, Scotland.

(A death of a 20D, a near death of a 5D and a bit of blood)

About this location :

MAP

Located in the far NW of Scotland this wild and remote area is dominated by the remarkable mountains of Quinag, Canisp, Suilven, Cul Mòr, Stac Pollaidh and Ben More Assynt. These reddish brown sandstone mountains rise up from an undulating landscape formed of Lewisian Gneiss, one of the oldest rock types found in the world.

The coastline is a mixture of cliffs, rocky inlets and sandy beaches. Add to this a scattering of inland lochs and you have the recipe for a great photo adventure.

Getting there:

The main town in the region is Lochinver. It is situated about a two-hour drive from Inverness, from where good road, rail (including an overnight sleeper from London), and air links are available to the rest of the UK.

Edinburgh and Glasgow are about a five hours' drive away.

Claire and Mel talk about their trip

Claire: "This trip took place in October and the drive up from Cumbria found us detouring as the golden colours of autumn were peaking. One suggested stopping place is The Hermitage, 2 miles west of Dunkeld off the A9. This is an attractive woodland walk that leads to a folly overlooking the Black Linn waterfall."

Melanie: "I had been to this area previously and thought it would be an ideal place for Claire to visit when she had a week off work in the Autumn. The colours in Scotland can be truly awesome at this time of year. Whilst on this trip we stopped at the Hermitage, during one of my previous trips up I stopped at Rogie Falls. You can see salmon leap here if you catch the right time of year. There's also an abundance of fungi in the forest anytime from mid-September onwards.   "Our journey in October was a long one, having left home in the dead of night and having stopped several times I was anxious to arrive in Lochinver before dark but - - - "

Claire: "- - - as we neared Ardmair the sun was setting and a it was time to get the cameras out again."

Claire: “The following morning was a frosty start and the stars were out. Being my first trip here I was keen to see Loch Assynt and we arrived before the sun.”

Melanie: "Claire bagged herself a lovely sunrise shot here. I always have problems shooting into the sun, can't seem to eliminate flare. So I'd walked to a spot where I'd catch the first light hitting the shore. It put me in mind of the time I'd driven up from Skye a few months earlier when it had been dull all day, with the fine rain that always seems to splatter the lens. On that occasion a break in the light from the west lit up the scene turning the place to gold for just a few minutes and for a change I was in the right spot!"

Claire: "Great timing Mel, your ability to predict where the sun will hit and to visualize the effect always amazes me. We set off in search of breakfast as the sky had lost its drama. Suddenly, we came across a lochan that was perfectly still - time to jump out of the car again."

 Claire: "You may be doubting this is late October in Scotland but before the sun hit those reeds they were covered in a thick frost. Mel is a slave driver so one more location before we can eat. Suilven is perhaps Assynt's most famous landmark and one of the most instantly recognisable mountains in the Highlands. Here she is, standing alone, looking down on Lochinver. In fact  it  constantly seems to pop up in unexpected places."

Melanie: "I'm not sure that I'm the 'slave-driver', Claire has boundless energy, If I'd been with anyone else that day we'd have given up long before now."

Claire: "After sunning ourselves on the deck outside the chalet  it was time to head out again. We had a look at the Clachtoll Salmon Bothy and Ice House and then waited for the golden hour. The late light was warm but the main area of interest was in the direction of the setting sun and without cloud made it hard to get decent shots. This view however shows what a late sun does to that Torridon sandstone."

Melanie: "A day of endless blue skies had my mind wandering again, this time back just over a year when I'd been up this way with another friend. We had a lot of rain that week and the waterfalls were thundering down the hills. We had one day where we seemed to do nothing but chase rainbows. More rain on the lens!"

Claire: "Melanie is the master of rainbows. She has a shot of multiple rainbows that is amazing - see this link to find out about this phenomena, they say the Highlands is famous for producing unusual rainbow effects.  Or see this link for advice on shooting them."

Melanie: "I should perhaps not been wishing for changeable weather as - - -"

Claire: "- - - the next day was a total wash out - that's Scotland for you. Tuesday morning saw us out at dawn but the light disappointed. We took a  walk along the cliffs near Culkein and briefly saw some weather worth focusing on."

Claire: "The evening saw us at an unmissable location, Stoer Lighthouse and the Old Man of Stoer. We actually never  made it to the Old Man as the light kept us transfixed on the lighthouse."

Claire: "All was well in my world, the sun was setting and the sunset assured. That was until I found a bog. Bill knows about bogs. They are horrid sucky things. I went up to my bum and my tripod bit me hard. I was shaken and bleeding and the light was amazing. PTR tip - if you must dash across moors with tripod up keep fingers well away from the teeth. Anyway - I managed a few shots and Doc M gave me a plaster."

PTR tip - always have  Travel insurance and camera insurance.

Melanie: "Hmmm, I'd forgotten about that incident. At least you had the presence of mind to photograph the pool of blood as evidence."

Claire: "Another morning at Loch Assynt. Trees in this area are a novelty and these are famous." 

Claire: "A little later found us at Loch Awe. A guy called Colin had joined us for a few days. I have to credit the shot below to him as he spent some time positioning it, while the light was poor. I just happened to come across it again when the light was better. I have to admit that I was casting a rather obvious shadow across it that needed cleaning up."

Melanie: "While Claire and Colin were at work with the boat I explored a little further and found a little island I've not seen a photograph of before, no doubt someone will send me one now. You can see we found some light again, just takes a little faith."

Claire: "The following morning saw the most amazing sunrise I have ever experienced. But I can't show you. We were in the wrong location to make it work. The next picture was taken after the fireworks. I've included this as shows Suilven from a different angle."

Claire: "We travelled far and wide during the day. We found a view of Stac Pollaidh that demanded tripods were in water and my brand new Canon 5D took a bath, fortunately not in sea water and it survived. PTR tip - after days with only 3 hours sleep a night you get careless.  The evening saw us looking over towards the Summer Isles."

Claire: "Another day. A real Scottish one when light had to be chased. Today was to see a sad demise. Mel's 20D commited suicide. It just couldn't cope with the number of times it had been in and out of the bag and with the number of early starts.  As I said above you get tired and mistakes happen, thankfully we only kill equipment and in this case Mel had a back up camera. PTR tip - if you shoot  dawn and dusk insure your kit. We do. I wouldn't leave home without it."

Claire: "The weather had yet another surprise, this time wind. We are talking bone chilling wind."

Melanie: "My version with a longer lens and the backup 10D, not so sharp - it was windy!"

Claire: "Notice Suilven makes another appearance above. The following day it was time to head home. An early start saw us at Ardvreck Castle on the shores of Loch Assynt."

Claire: "As always the light was great on the return journey. I have no pictures to prove it but at Elphin we watched deer swimming across a loch - what a perfect ending."

Melanie: "The light of the last day was Scotland bidding us farewell and asking us to return soon, like the memory of the deer showing us just how much there was to do and see. Though we had a busy week, there was still much to show Claire that we had left unseen."

Claire: "So when do we go again.........? Maybe in winter next time with a sprinkling of snow on the tops. Thanks for a great trip Melanie."

Melanie: "It looks like we have a new place to stay: The Kylesku Hotel, thanks for the recommendation Dougie."

"I had a night at the Kylesku Hotel on Tuesday night, great food clean room and nice friendly staff, the waitress was from Poland and couldn't have been a better front person for the Hotel which is set in some of Sutherlands best mountains, Assynt. Quinag a wonderful ridge is around the corner and the pier where the fishing boats land the catch, is outside the door to the bar. Your dinner could jump out the water onto your plate." Douglas Salteri

UK travellers. PTR recommendations for insurance:

Travel insurance and camera insurance.