Tag Archives: travel

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Sailboats, Oban

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Sailboats, Oban
“Sailboats, Oban” — Sailboats on the water at Oban, Scotland.

Oban is a lovely Scottish town — a picturesque spot on the waterfront, with hills and islands all around, fine seafood, good people… and the Oban Whisky Distillery! (Yes, we did the tour, and we bought a bottle as soon as we got back to the states.) There is almost constant boat traffic in the bay in front of the town as fishing boats, small tour boats, sailboats, and ferries come and go.

I made this photograph from McCaig’s Tower, the very old stone structure that sits on a hilltop above the town and offers a remarkable panorama of the surrounding landscape. Shortly after we arrived at the top of the hill a large group of sailboats crossed the bay in front of us, stretching out in a line against the darker land and water.

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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Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Ferry Terminal, Oban

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Ferry Terminal, Oban
“Ferry Terminal, Oban” — Ferry terminal, waterfront, and the town of Oban, Scotland.

The Scottish town of Oban has many attractions. It is a nice contrast to larger cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh — it is small, walkable, and charming. It sits right on the waterfront, and it is a center of marine traffic, with fishing boats, personal watercraft, and ferries heading to island locations. And being so close to the water, it is a fine place to find great seafood.

We spent a couple of days there in mid-May when the press of tourists wasn’t yet that great, and the weather was warming up. (Despite the overcast sky in this photograph, it was actually warm, and some of the natives gratefully suggested that perhaps we had brought our California weather along.) The ferry dock is at the lower left in this scene, with homes on the hillside beyond.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Highland Trees and Fog

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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 | Post | Email

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

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Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Oban Waterfront, Dusk

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Oban Waterfront, Dusk
“Oban Waterfront, Dusk” — Waterfront buildings reflected in smooth water at dusk, Oban, Scotland.

Our recent visit to Scotland included jet lag adjustment time before our Great Glen Way walk. It did not seem wise to get off our 11-hour flight, eight time zones away from home and immediately start walking! We spent our first night near the airport in Glasgow, then took a train to Oban for a couple of nights before heading to our trailhead in Fort William. Oban was a wonderful surprise — a lovely, walkable town on the waterfront. And, of course, the Oban Whisky distillery is in town. And, yes, we visited!

We stayed at a B&B about ten minutes from the center of town. As we walked back from dinner we came upon this lovely dusk light over the waterfront. I had not thought much about it before the trip, but Scotland is so far north (the northern tip is about as far north as Juneau, Alaska) that the daylight lasted until nearly 10:00pm.

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 | Post | Email

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.