Skye, May 2017…

It was only last July that I vowed to never ever visit Skye again…see here why…

I knew my lovers tiff wouldn’t last long…and on the 5th May 2017 I made my way back!

My alarm was set for 0500 hrs. however, on account of the excitement I awoke at 0448 hrs. I showered, packed the car, picked up some provisions from my local Asda, picked up my companion for the trip and set off.

The first stop, as is usual for me on these trips, was Inveruglas…a Red Bull, pie and packet of crisps later I was ready for the next stage to The Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge.

After a brief walk around it was back in the car to the next stop…the car park at Dornie…

Next stop, the campsite at Glenbrittle! We pitched our tents, had a brew (or a cider 😉 ) then had a walk on the beach…

After a couple (ahem) of ciders it was bed time.

On the Saturday we walked up to the Loch an Fhir-bhallaich near The Coire Lagan…details of the walk are here…

It was a wonderful sunny day and the views were glorious.

After we descended we just chilled around the campsite, reading or simply taking in the atmosphere…

On the Sunday we broke camp, drove to The Sligachan Campsite and set up camp there.

We rested a while, then I met a good friend of mine in Seumus’ Bar

We have a pint (ahem) of Guinness then it was time to say our goodbyes…for now.

Sunday evening was quite windy…however, when the wind died down I popped out to take a couple of hand held shots of the sunset…

The next morning, we got up early and left for home by 0710 hrs.

I’ll be back Skye!
Skye images here…
 

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What I carry when outdoors

When going for a ramble or a more serious walk I tend to carry the same things in my rucksack.

I’ve always used ‘mental systems’ so that I remember things. For the great outdoors it’s:

• Food
• Water
• Shelter
• Communication
• Navigation
• Emergency
• Photographic

Let me break that down for you.

Food 

Pasties, sandwiches, fruit, nuts, chocolate.

Water

Plain water to make a brew with the Jetboil and some diluted squash. Occasionally a bottle of beer for summit celebrations!

Shelter

Thermal smock, waterproof, hat (baseball and woollen cap), gloves.

Communication

iPhone. Very occasionally Motorola Radios if there’s more than just me.

Navigation

Map, compass, GPS (Satmap Active 10 and mapping app on iPhone). Route card. Occasionally guide book.

Emergency

Petzl head torch, Leatherman, whistle, lighter (Zippo).

Photographic 

CCS camera bag or Lowe Pro depending if more than one lens is taken. Camera, spare batteries and CF Cards. Cleaning cloth and blower brush. Remote release. Tripod (Benbo Trekker or Manfrotto).

 

I’ve just ordered a new rucksack…a black version of the Berghaus Ridgeway…I’ll keep you  informed…

http://www.berghaus.com/ridgeway-65%2B10-rucksack/421583.html

Back to Skye!

I fell a little out of love with Skye in the summer of 2016 on account of the amount of visitors / tourists who simply didn’t know how to drive / park – especially around the beauty spots (honey pots) of:

The Fairy Pools

 

Neist Point

Talisker Bay

And Elgol

Anyway, I’ve gotten over my little hissy fit and have decided to go back to Skye in May…so I’m currently planning my camping trip….

In the doldrums

I’ve been in the photography / walking / camping doldrums for a few years now. Must be an age thing.

I used to be a very keen fell walker and have done it since about 1983.

  

Anyway, I’ve snapped out of that now. I’ve just prepped my new Berghaus Crusader rucksack for this years adventures.

And I’ve bought a new OEX Lynx tent for some camping adventures!

And I’ve sorted out the camping kit.

Let the adventures begin!

All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!

I’ve just recently watched (a few times!) the recently released (on DVD) Macbeth.

   
   
All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

It’s a fabulous story for those of you who are not familiar with it plus it’s shot in some fantastic locations. 

It just so happens that I visited most of them in 2015!

Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland   

   

The Quiraing in Skye   

 

And around Sligachan and The Fairy Pools in Skye   

  
    
    
   

So, watch the movie and who knows, you may be tempted to visit the shooting locations!
Here are my less cinematic movies of my visits to these locations in 2015.

Seahouses 2015

Skye 2015

A great walk up Great Hill

Even though I’ve lived in Bolton since 1988, I’ve never ventured up Great Hill.   There is a Wiki article about it here…

On Saturday 11 April 2015 I got up nice and early, packed my rucksack and set off for White Coppice, which is about 12 miles from my house.

Once I walked through the cricket ground, I crossed The Goit and started the easy ascent.

The views East were fabulous…

It was a lovely fresh day, not too hot, not too cold, a ‘Goldilocks’ day…it was great to hear the Skylarks as I meandered along…

Before long, I was at ‘Drinkwaters’

Drinkwaters Farm was so named because of a nearby spring which still flows, rather gently, just below the path from the summit of Great Hill. Not far from the farm ruins is a small, discrete memorial to a local fell runner, Joe Whitter (1939-1991).

Joe, a member of Wigan Phoenix, was one of Lancashire’s true fell running characters well known for his ultra-distance runs over these moors. The spring at Drinkwaters was used regularly by Joe and his companions on Sunday morning runs. The February 1992 Fellrunner magazine contained an obituary where it was observed

“Joe Whitter was one of those essential characters that make fell running what it is. The Anglezarke Moors will be a poorer place without him and he will be sadly missed. Typically, Joe requested his ashes be scattered on the moors he loved, and there are many fell runners who will now be unable to run past Drinkwaters on Great Hill without remembering him.”

Why “Joe’s Cup”?…if you carefully remove a stone or two, all will be revealed!

The path to Great Hill and the summit were easily visible from here…

And before long I was on the top!

 

 

The views all around were fantastic!  There was a bit of wind chill which made the temperature drop a bit…but the walk was very enjoyable all the same.

One of my photographs taken on this trip was used as a backdrop for the Granada Weather Reports on Monday 13 April 2015.

Fame at last eh?

All in all, a great little walk up Great Hill

Past Wedding Photos

Just been reviewing some past wedding photography. I don’t do social photography anymore as I much prefer the peace and tranquility of Landscape Photography, and there is a lot less pressure!