“Cotswolds Forest Clearing” — A break in the trees lets sunshine into a clearing in a Cotswolds forest.
During spring the woodlands and fields and pastures of the Cotswolds are very bright and green… if it isn’t raining. Of course, it is the rain produces all of that green. We had our share of sunny days, but we also experienced the rain — generally light and transitory, but a bit more substantial on the final day of our weeklong walk. This scene was midway through the walk, where the path crossed green hill, the trees opened up a bit, and the sun shone in.
“Soft Light, Ellery Lake” — Ellery Lake in early morning soft light.
This spot and this view have long intrigued me. The lines and curves lead from the shoreline forest at left, past that talus-covered slope on the right, across the water to another peninsula, and finally to the massive face rising beyond. The personality of this view can change remarkably — I’ve photographed during storms, under the full moon, in direct sunlight.
“Windblown Trees at Loch Stack” — Two windswept trees backed by Loch Stack and Scottish highlands mountains.
The last few days of our drive around northwest Scotland followed an indirect route. After more or less tracing the North Coast 500 route from Skye toward Durness, our plans had us making a longish detour to the historic lodge at Altnaharra. This meant leaving the NC500 and heading south into the highlands on less-traveled roads. I made this photograph along the detour late in the day.
“Three Peaks, Rain Clouds” — Distant highlands peaks in light rain, beyond tree-covered hills.
Arriving at this spot involved one of the driving adventures that characterized much of our time in northwest Scotland. We followed a main road northward from Skye, and here we diverged to the west toward the coast. As we topped a rise we looked back and saw this spectacular scene — spots of sunlight on nearby hills, light rain falling between us and three distant tall peaks, and a dramatic, cloud-filled sky.
