Tag Archives: scottish

Scottish Forest, Soft Light

Scottish Forest, Soft Light
“Scottish Forest, Soft Light” — Soft light under thin overcast illuminates Scottish forest on the Great Glen Way.

This sort of terrain was far from typical during our trek along Scotland’s Great Glen Way this past May. We did walk through a lot of forests, but many of them were extremely dense and dark — that sort of forest you might describe as “impenetrable.” We did see moss like this in places, which is not surprise given the Scottish weather. But this sort of green, open forest was a bit of a rarity.

In any case, this open forest was also a surprise when we encountered it. At the start of the day’s hike we had climbed up from flatlands and into open highland terrain with expansive views and a lot of wind! From there we descended back into trees and then traversed along a ridge paralleling Loch Ness. Here the thick trees blocked any open views. But shortly after our lunch stop we came upon this magical, light-filled section of open forest.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Hootananny

Hootananny
“Hootananny” — A woman at the door of Hootananny, a music venue and restaurant in Inverness, Scotland.

Since the previous photograph I shared came from the last day of our Great Glen Way trek in Scotland, it seems appropriate to follow it with a photograph from our first full day back in “civilization” in Inveness. (To be honest, while the Great Glen Way walk is an outdoor experience, it is pretty civilized, too, as I have written in previous posts.) Our itinerary for this day would involve a train trip from Inverness to Glasgow, but we had several hours of free time in the morning. So we stashed our luggage at the train station and went out for a walk. Along the way we passed this venue, which is apparently a center for performances of Scottish music.

We really were not in Inveness long enough to fully experience the place. We had thought of it mainly as a place to end our walk and sleep one night before heading on to the rest of our trip — but after being there I realized that it would have warranted a longer stay. We did enjoy our morning walk around the compact center of the town in the area near the railway station.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Highland Trees and Fog

Highland Trees and Fog
“Highland Trees and Fog” — Fog and trees along the Great Glen Way in the Scottish Highlands above Loch Ness.

Most of our hike on Scotland’s Great Glen Way passed through various bucolic landscapes: flatlands, tree-lined canals, the shores of the lochs, lowland and hillside forests. But on a couple of occasions the trail ascended above the forest and into true highlands terrain. Both times the gentle (though occasionally a bit wet) Scottish weather turned more dramatic. In this location, on the boundary between forest and open highlands, the fog drifted in and out, occasionally obscuring the view of the Glen and Loch Ness far below.

This photograph comes from the section of the walk that lies just north of Fort Augustus. Here the trail quickly climbs out of town, passing the iconic “View Catcher”, crossing a ridge, dropping into a valley, and then ascending steeply to a ridge high above Loch Ness.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | PostEmail

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.