Our big loop through northwest Scotland began at Inverness, went to Skye, then headed north with stops at Ullapool and Altnaharra. From there we crossed the northern coast to John O’Groats. Why John O’Groats? it feels like one of the more remote places in Scotland – it is on the North Sea and beyond there are only the Orkney Islands. I also recall running into a cyclist on our previous visit to Scotland who was riding from the furthest south point in England to John O’Groats, and that piqued my interest.
It is a place utterly exposed to the elements and the moods of the North Sea. When we got there we immediately headed to the lighthouse, which provides a good view north and a short walking route to the Duncansby Stacks. The weather was quite variable — a bit of sun followed soon by wind and rain — so we put on rain gear and headed out across the headlands toward this overlook. The wind was extremely strong, but we managed to spend a few minutes photographing… before we saw that a big squall was approaching from the north. We quickly packed up and headed back into the wind, but a moment before we arrived at the car the rain and hail hit.
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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
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