Day Four: Tuesday 21st December Every great day of photography begins with a plan, a rough prediction of what weather and light might look like, which gives rise to an idea for a photo. Frequently this idea goes out the window as soon as you get outside and compare your prediction to reality, but forContinue reading “The Great Inversion, Part Four: The White Goddess”
Category Archives: Writing
The Great Inversion, Part Three: The Edge of Beauty
Day Three: Monday 20th December Scout and I returned to Whitewell in the early morning, not long after sunrise. Once again we ran from the van to the birch trees at the crest of the hill. The thick mist in Aviemore had fooled me; I had assumed it would be much the same here –Continue reading “The Great Inversion, Part Three: The Edge of Beauty”
The Great Inversion, Part Two: Shadow of the Mountain
Day Two: Sunday 19th December The second day of the Great Inversion was Saturday 18th, but since I had to drive south to get my booster shot I wasn’t able to spend much time outdoors. Besides this, I also wanted to write Friday’s account of the mountain. I felt absolutely filled up by that experience,Continue reading “The Great Inversion, Part Two: Shadow of the Mountain”
The Great Inversion, Part One: The Scallywag and the Pilgrim
Day One: Friday 17th December I only happened to glance at my phone, on Thursday night, when I saw the synoptic chart that had just been published by the Mountain Weather Information Service. There were those magic words: fog in valleys. A temperature inversion was predicted. As soon as I knew that, not going toContinue reading “The Great Inversion, Part One: The Scallywag and the Pilgrim”
Moments of Loch Maree
I have always thought the waters of Loch Maree are one of those few places in Scotland that can only be described by one word: elemental. As if they came fresh from the forging of the world. Pure. Tempestuous. Wild.
The long nose of the kayak rode up on a wave and slapped down hard, splashing water into the air. The wind snatched the spray and slapped me in the face with it, catching me in the eyes. Stung, I shook my head and blinked, but I couldn’t raise a hand to my eyes. I couldn’t stop paddling; not even for a moment. Instead I dug in again, keeping to the rhythm, keeping the boat moving forward. I was alone on the water in the storm, fighting through the headwind. As my eyes cleared once again I looked up through the spray. I could see I still had a long way to go before I reached the shore.
A Walk Among Elementals
“this journey (…) is not to be undertaken lightly. One walks among elementals, and elementals are not governable. There are awakened also in oneself by the contact elementals that are as unpredictable as wind or snow” Nan Shepherd, The living Mountain I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about this place. TheseContinue reading “A Walk Among Elementals”
My First Wild Camp of the Year
The recent spell of fine weather here in the Highlands was a great opportunity to enjoy a relatively easy night out in a tent. After several good hill days on Cairngorm and Creag Meagaidh, I was very keen and eager to spend some more time among the mountains with my camera. I chose a fairlyContinue reading “My First Wild Camp of the Year”
Sunset on Cairngorm
I needed a moment to pause as I took in the ridge that I was about to climb. ‘Oh boy. Here we go.’ Sometimes I think it would be nice if these mountains would just stay the same size for once. But they seem to grow and they shrink. Tonight the ridge seems long. ‘NoContinue reading “Sunset on Cairngorm”
Walking at the Forest’s Edge
Despite having spent over a decade exploring the Caledonian Forests of the Rothiemurchus estate, there are some areas of these woods where I have very rarely set foot. The higher reaches of the forest, where it fades and blends into the mountainsides of the northern Cairngorms, is an area of huge photographic and emotional potentialContinue reading “Walking at the Forest’s Edge”
Thoughts on The Darkest Day
I’ve been trying to get my head in gear to write a new post for weeks now. This is the 5th draft I’ve started in ten minutes, but this is the one that’s going to stick. When I sat down and started writing I thought I’d go with the prevalent mood that I see online today – the mood of fury and disaster. I even drafted something apologising for my tendency to always seek a positive note, to give myself permission to wallow in the collective misery.