The Kelpies, Falkirk, Scotland

Across the border and into Scotland for my latest low-light shots. The location was Falkirk, home of The Kelpies, the largest equine sculptures in the world. The Kelpies are 30-metre high horse-head sculptures, standing next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal in The Helix, a new parkland project built to connect 16 communities in the Falkirk Council Area, Scotland. The sculptures were designed by sculptor Andy Scott and were completed in October 2013. The sculptures form a gateway at the eastern entrance to the Forth and Clyde canal, and the new canal extension built as part of The Helix land transformation project. The Kelpies are a monument to horse powered heritage across Scotland. The sculptures opened to the public in April 2014. As part of the project, they will have their own visitor centre, and sit beside a newly developed canal turning pool and extension. This canal extension reconnects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the River Forth, and improves navigation between the East and West of Scotland.

It was dusk when I arrived at the site and the blue hour was almost over, so I quickly got to work while there was still decent colour in the October sky. Initially I ran with a Canon 17-40L lens, but soon switched to my brand new and as yet unused Samyang 14mm prime. The difference was immediately noticeable, not only with the extra wide angle field of view, but also the focus ring, which is manually operated and glides easily with just one finger. The Samyang 14mm is a rectilinear fisheye lens, which would be much smaller and less expensive, but also curves everything into a ball. Samyang is a Korean maker of security camera lenses -  Tamron does the same thing in Japan. Compared critically to Nikon and Canon's 14mm lenses, the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 is the least expensive 14mm ultra wide lens ever made and it attempts to keep straight lines straight.

But enough about the new lens, more of that will be revealed at a later date when I post more pictures and a review after putting it through its paces. To view 'The Kelpies' page on my website click here and go to Gallery 2 > Special Feature Galleries. Here is a small selection of shots from my visit, the first of many...
Back soon, Ash

Luss, Loch Lomond

After a nice week away on the Isle Of Wight, it was nice to make the most of my second week off work by paying a visit to Scotland. The main reason for our drive across the Anglo-Scottish border was to visit family in Livingston, not too far from Edinburgh, in a westerly direction. From Livingston we made the 64 miles trip to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, stopping off at Luss. The weather was fine, which is quite a rarity in Scotland, even in Summer. Our visit to Luss was a fairly short one and merely an exercise to get out and stretch our legs around the shores of Loch Lomond, taking in some fine views in the process. There were many tourists, like ourselves, and the coaches came and went every few minutes - Luss was obviously a popular place to tick off the list, judging by the sheer volume of people that were entering this small town. Apart from photographing the landscape around Loch Lomond, mainly from the pier, plus a quick walk around the nearby streets, I saw little else. That wasn't a disappointment though, as what I did see was more than enough and a taster of what else lay ahead. It was from Luss that we made a further journey North, up the West Coast towards Glencoe, adding another 60 miles on the clock. An hour and twenty minutes later, after being stuck in traffic on a very narrow road, we arrived at a very sunny Glencoe. Just what we wanted. Stay tuned for that and more, soon...
Cheers, AC

Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries

Hello again, and welcome back to the blog page of a roaming Mackem photographer. A few weeks ago I was in Dumfries on the south east of Scotland, photographing a rather picturesque 13th century castle at Caerlaverock. Surrounded by a moat, the ruins of Caerlaverock Castle are surprisingly in good nick, so all angles presented decent photo opportunities, which I was about to take advantage of. This was my third visit to this castle, following two previous appearances back in 2002 when I was using Fuji Velvia transparency film, which I still have archived somewhere in my house. From my base in Houghton le Spring, the castle is approximately 100 miles - a journey which takes just over 2 hours to complete.  Anyway, a brief insight to Caerlaverock Castle...

Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle first built in the 13th century. It is located on the southern coast of Scotland, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south of Dumfries, on the edge of the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve. Caerlaverock was a stronghold of the Maxwell family from the 13th century until the 17th century when the castle was abandoned. It was besieged by the English during the Wars of Scottish Independence, and underwent several partial demolitions and reconstructions over the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th century, the Maxwell's were created Earls of Nithsdale, and built a new lodging within the walls, described as among "the most ambitious early classical domestic architecture in Scotland". In 1640 the castle was besieged for the last time and was subsequently abandoned. Although demolished and rebuilt several times, the castle retains the distinctive triangular plan first laid out in the 13th century. Caerlaverock Castle was built to control trade in early times. Today, the castle is in the care of Historic Scotland and is a popular tourist attraction. It is protected as a scheduled monument, and as a category A listed building.

Back soon with another blog entry - it's more of the Farne Islands!
Ash

West Coast Of Scotland - Part 4

Eilean Donan Castle, Kyle Of Lochalsh

The final instalment of my recent trip to Scotland comes in the shape of one of the countries most famous and much photographed castles - Eilean Donan, near Dornie, one of the focal points of the Kyle Of Lochalsh. To familiarise yourself with the exact location of this castle, click here for a map. You'll get an insight as to how many road miles I covered to reach my destination, but it was as picturesque as I could have imagined as I made the 66 mile trip north from Fort William to Dornie. A few stop-offs on the way broke up the journey - these being brief photograph opportunities at such places as Spean Bridge, Glen Garry, Loch Cluanie and Morvich. The weather was kind, so I intended to take advantage - my first real visit to Scotland and there wasn't a hint of rain in the air. Infact,  by the time I reached Morvich, which was only 7 miles from Dornie, it was sun all the way, and big temperatures! I entered the burial ground, briefly chatting to an American couple on my approach - the place was silent - just the sound of occasional traffic on the main road nearby where I parked up. Morvich Burial Ground, or Clachan (klockan) Duich (duhie) is the ancient church and burial ground of the MacRaes of Kintail. Located near the banks of Loch Duich, and a few miles south of Eilean Donan Castle, Clachan Duich has been in existence for at least 1,000 years and probably was in use three centuries earlier. Surrounding the ruins of the old church lie MacRae ancestors in graves marked and unmarked—some of them clan heroes and warriors, some of them simple folk of the Highlands. Clachan is the Scottish Gaelic word for “stones” and is used throughout Scotland to describe a village built of stones. Duich is name of the nearby Loch and is derived from the Scottish Gaelic term for St.Dubhthaich, or St. Duthac, a venerated religious figure. To view a selection of 'Morvich' photographs, click here for my West Scotland Slideshow - you'll find a few in there, with accompanying music written by Mike Oldfield. 

Out of Morvich and back on the road, I made the relatively short journey to Dornie, home of Eilean Donan Castle. This was the highlight of my short tour of Scotland, and a location that I'd waited a long time to visit. I drove through Dornie and the excitement level increased as I caught my first site of the castle. There it was, sitting on an outcrop at the edge of Loch Alsh, with the Isle Of Skye in the distance. It was a landcape scene that was just waiting to be picked off, and I was ready to park up and hit the ground running, so to speak. There were dozens of like-minded tourists, snapping away and taking in the scenery as the sun shone hard. A free car park! Bleedin 'eck - who said the Scots were a mean bunch? Lots of foriegn folk around, standing mesmerised next to a lone piper, who was busking near the bridge entry to the castle, and raking in the coin judging by the contents of his leather case! I threw in 50p, a kind of 'Thankyou' for letting me fire off a few frames, with the castle as a backdrop. I got my 'Ten Bob' worth - too right, no short change for the roaming photographer!

I photographed from either side of the bridge, although the most photogenic of the two was where the sun was bouncing off, so I was quite lucky there - perfect timing upon arrival. Here is a small selection of shots, with extra's currently showing on my slideshow (click link above). And that just about wraps up my Blog of West Scotland. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Where oh where will I end up next?

Totty Bye,

Ash

West Coast Of Scotland - Part 3

Castle Stalker, Appin

 

It was day two of my tour of Scotland's West Coast, and after a flat sunrise at Oban I drove north on the A828 towards Loch Creran. It was 8am and there was very little traffic to contend with, so I covered a lot of road, with no delays. I passed Benderloch and the Scottish Seabird Sanctuary, with Barcaldine now appearing to my right, and Loch Creran to my left. Once over the Creagan Bridge, Castle Stalker was right in front of me, appearing almost from nowhere as I negotiated a blind summit near Appin, North Argyll. I slowed down, not wanting to miss my turn as I looked for an access path to the castle, which was now to my left down a hill. Then, just ahead of me I noticed a signpost which directed me to Castle Stalker View Cafe, which had its own viewpoint - just what I was looking for. I pulled into the empty car park, and although the cafe wasn't open yet I took advantage of the access path to the viewpoint, where Castle Stalker could be seen from above the trees below me. Although it was dry the light was poor, offering very little to my photographs, but as this was my first ever visit to Stalker, I was just glad to be here and to see this typical Scottish scene unfold in front of me. And typical it certainly was, with Castle Stalker, the Island of Lismore, Loch Linnhe and the Morvern Hills in the distance. As I lifted the camera to take my first shot I could hear the sound of cackling Geese. I managed to capture their V-formation as they flew by, which was a stroke of luck and it certainly added a little extra to the shot (shown here). I stood for a while, wondering whether I should make an attempt to get closer to the castle, as I wasn't content with a handful of shots from one angle only, but there was a thick wooded area directly in front of me and down the bank, with no footpath or designated route to Castle Stalker. I decided to pack up my gear and head back to the car, settling for the shots I managed to pull in at the viewpoint.

Back on the road I drove in a North-Easterly direction, continuing my journey on the A828, with Loch Linnhe to my left. Loch Linnhe is about 31 miles long. It opens onto the Firth of Lorne at its south-western end. The part of the loch upstream of Corran is 9 miles long and only about an average of 1.2 miles wide. The southern part of the loch is wider, and its branch which lies to the south-east of the island of Lismore is known as the Lynn of Lorne. Loch Eil feeds into Loch Linnhe at the latter's northernmost point, while from the east Loch Leven feeds in the loch just downstream of Corran and Loch Creran feeds into the Lynn of Lorne. The town of Fort William, my next stop-off,  lies at the northeast end of the loch, at the mouth of the River Lochy. It wasn't too long before I dropped anchor at Fort William, grabbing a nice cup of coffee from McDonalds and supping it whilst studying my AA Road Atlas to see how much road I had covered, and more importantly, what lay ahead of me. A rough calculation told me I had covered 44 miles since I set off from Oban, but there was quite a drive ahead of me if I decided to travel further north to the Kyle Of Lochalsh, location of Eilean Donan Castle, near Dornie. I sat for a while - should I, shouldn't I? I 'd seen photographs of this famous castle on many a biscuit tin, amongst other things, but I wasn't sure whether to drive another 66 miles to grab photographs of my own. It seemed a bit daft to come all this way and not go the extra mile (or 66 to be precise) to see Eilean Donan for myself. I took one look out of the car window, seeing clear blue sky and bright sunshine - my decision was made! Off I went, feeling quite excited at the prospect of what lay ahead, including other places en route that I may discover, and that I did.

Eilean Donan Castle is now on my radar...
Coming next.
Cheers, Ash

West Coast Of Scotland - Part 2

Glencoe & Loch Leven

Welcome back to my Blog page - thanks for visiting!
The Scottish tale continues as I recall my recent travels across the border and share with you some of the photographs I captured on location. From Glen Etive and its forest, in Argyll & Bute, I headed the short distance to picturesque Glencoe.

Glencoe Village is the main settlement near Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It lies at the north-west end of the glen, on the southern bank of the River Coe where it enters Loch Leven, a salt-water loch off Loch Linnhe. Glencoe is the most famous and perhaps most impressively dramatic of all Scottish glens, the perfect scenic match for its dark history of the massacre of the Macdonalds. For walkers, this is a true Mecca, epitomised by pyramid of Buachaille Etive Mor, the guardian at the entrance to the glen. The highest peak is the great multi-summited massif of Bidean nam Bian whose three great buttresses rise impressively above the road and are known as the 'Three Sisters', whereas the north wall of the glen is the turreted and notorious ridge of the Aonach Eagach. Just to the south is the much quieter and secluded Glen Etive, with its own ranges of impressive mountains (which I visited and wrote about on my last blog entry). North and east of Glencoe is Loch Leven, with the town of Kinlochleven at its eastern end nestled beneath the great mountain range of the Mamores. My visit was a rather short one, to be honest, as heavy rain was forecast, and judging by the deep grey skies above, it was going to hoy down at given moment! I'd heard so much about this place that it dawned on me that I wouldn't see it anywhere near its best, due to the lack of light, which threw a blanket of dullness over the whole landscape that sat in front of me. Nevertheless, this place had real potential for those stunning landscape shots, so let there be no doubt whatsoever that I'll be back again soon, hopefully in totally different conditions. Despite the fact it was early evening there was no-one around as I stood at the waters edge taking photographs. Just the noise from passing vehicles on the road behind me was all I could hear - this place was ideal to chill out. Water was calm, just a handful of boats were anchored on the loch near the jetty where I stood. I wasn't snap happy - just grabbed four shots before heading off to another location. Light began to fall, so it was time to head to my hotel in Oban and to start thinking about food (no surprise there then). Haggis and Chips was on the menu, inside my head - it was now time to do something about it. All this mileage and regular pit-stops equate to one rumble tum. Time to silence it.

That is all.
Next Stop, Castle Stalker...

Ta ta, Ash

West Coast Of Scotland - Part 1

Glen Etive

My first 'Real' visit to Scotland happened during the August Bank Holiday weekend of 2012. I say 'Real' because this was the first time I travelled past either Glasgow or Edinburgh - two major Cities, and a far cry from the Mountains and Lochs that represent true Scottish scenery. As far as the landscape is concerned, it doesn't get much better than this for a photographer in the UK, so my eyes were well and truly opened to the natural beauty that greeted me during my recent visit. Equipped with all the necessary tools, including a rather bulging Goody Bag (prepared by Mrs Corr), I travelled north, across the border through Otterburn and heading towards Jedburgh. The weather was awful, but the forecast had reassured me that later today I would see an upturn in fortunes, with much brighter weather ahead. The following day (Sunday) was the purpose of the whole weekend - a full day of sunshine, blue sky and broken clouds, just what I was looking for. But would the weather forecast be inaccurate, or on the mark, only time would tell. Heading west from Edinburgh the rain worsened and driving conditions were very poor, to say the least. My first pit-stop was a service station not far from Falkirk, at which point I began to ask myself whether this trip was a good idea, and maybe I should play safe and head back home. Conditions were so bad that I thought there was very little chance that the weather forecast was going to be right - the skies were almost black and it was typical 'Rain all the way' for a place like Scotland. I made the decision to drive on, making the journey further north towards The Trossachs and Loch Lomond.  

Some time later, as I passed through the town of Callendar, there was a very noticeable change in the weather. Temperature was up and gone was the rain - there was even a break in the clouds and the first blue sky of the day presented itself. Things were definitely looking up. Chomping away at the contents of the Goody Bag, I was soon driving past the banks of Loch Lomond, to the chill-out sound of Schiller - perfect soundscapes to match the landscape. By this time I had driven through some picturesque villages and towns, as well as great countryside, getting a small sample of what hopefully lay ahead en route to Argyll & Bute. Heading north on the A82, I ticked off Glen Falloch, Tyndrum and Bridge Of Orchy, before passing Loch Tulla and Black Mount, and by now I was ready for my first stop to unload the camera. The dominating, and rather intimidating site of Buachaille Etive Mor was directly ahead of me on a very long and straight stretch of the A82 - it was here that I took a left turn and followed the signpost for Glen Etive, a place that had been highly recommended to me by Beely Bootleg (Scottish traveller and music download guru - sells biscuits too!). The road I now found myself on was a single track affair, probably laid during the Battle Of Culloden, but it came with staggered passing places, which help the likes of me who was covering it for the very first time. There was barely a soul around. The place was peaceful and desolate as I drove the winding path through Glen Etive, towards the forest and the end of road at Gualachulain. I stopped to photograph a waterfall (shown here), before leaving my car for the second time to photograph a lone tree at the end of Loch Etive - this scene was calling out to be photographed, so here it is, a great example of the Scottish Landscape.

I was attacked by thousands of Midgey's whilst photographing my surroundings. It was now that I realised I forgot to bring the repellant spray, and how did I regret this as the weekend wore on! But battle on and stop being a pussy.

Next instalment - Glencoe...coming soon...

Ash   

Just A Quick One

It's a quick one, alright...

Hello again! A quick blog to let everyone know that I'll be uploading my latest batch of photographs to my website over the next couple of days. There will be the usual blog entries to accompany the new gallery at ashleycorr.com - all photographs were taken during last weekends tour of  Scotland's West Coast. A memorable trip, taking in such places as The Trossachs, Glencoe, Oban, Fort William and finally the most northern point of my travels, Dornie, the location of Eilean Donan Castle - a place I have wanted to visit for many a year. Stay tuned for the new photographs.

Finally, the hit counter at ashleycorr.com has almost passed the 70,000 mark!!! Many thanks to all who have bumped up those figures down the years. It seems like yesterday that I was commemorating my 40,000th hit. Time flies. Hat tipped once again.

Back soon.

Ash

Edinburgh & Linlithgow, Scotland

Another blog entry from across the border - this time it's Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, plus Linlithgow, a small town which lies 19 miles west of Edinburgh. Just one day after our visit to Queensferry and the sun was shining once again, although there was a definite chill on the bones. My mobile phone done the honours once again, not that there was another option available - that's what happens when you leave the big camera at home. After stuffing Haggis down the owld hatchet it was time to get out and about in Edinburgh, starting with Princes Street Gardens before heading up the hill towards the Royal Mile. The gardens were busy and it was clear the sun had a lot to do with it. Many people sitting on the lawns just watching the world go by. Princes Street was undergoing a lot of construction work, so the road was out of bounds to all vehicles. The place was upside down, to be honest - a right old mess. I heard they were installing a tram line to run the length of the street. Time to exercise the legs and burn off some of those Haggis calories, so up the hill we went. Half way up I was blowing out of me arse - paggered! Got there eventually and headed up towards Edinburgh Castle, where its car park was now a huge temporary seated area, ready for concerts and other events, including the world famous Military Tattoo. Below is a panoramic stitch of the arena. Again, this place was thriving - the queue to gain entry to the castle was huge, with many foreign tourists making up those numbers. With only a couple of hours to spare in the capital we decided not to inside, opting for a bite to eat and a look down the Royal Mile before heading out to Livingston on a family visit, before driving the 19 miles across to Linlithgow.

Linlithgow is a historic Royal Burgh located in the central lowlands of Scotland - about 20 miles from Edinburgh and under an hour from Glasgow by train or car. It was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and the preserved ruins of the Royal Palace can be visited in a picturesque setting next to Linlithgow Loch. It was here that we killed time, under the sun that had shone all day up to this point. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although maintained after Scotland's monarchs left for England in 1603, the palace was little used, and was burned out in 1746. It is now a visitor attraction in the care of Historic Scotland. A Strathspey for bagpipes was composed in honour of Linlithgow Palace. The Palace, is said to be haunted by the spectre of Mary of Guise, mother to Mary Queen of Scots. The Palace was closed by the time we arrived, which must have been around 6pm. I entered the archway to the entrance, which was locked, and heard some strange noises all of a sudden. Could it be the ghost of Mary, or just bowel noises from the fettled haggis that was necked earlier in the day!

And on that little note I shall depart to watch some Olympic Games on the Beeb. I will be back soon with a good selection of photo's from our recent holiday in Cornwall, where the weather was perfect all week - 7 days of it. Until then... ta ta.

AC

South Queensferry, Scotland

It's not very often that I cross the border into Scotland and fine bright sunshine. More often than not I'm met with dull skies and more than a fair share of rain and wind, but not today, as conditions were ideal as we arrived in South Queensferry, which is 11 miles north-west of Edinburgh. This was our second stop-off en route to Livingston - our first being a lunch break in Eyemouth, slightly north of Berwick-Upon-Tweed. South Queensferry isn't a place I'm very familiar with, although I have visited this small town once before, a couple of years back, to meet up with Derek Forbes, former bass player with Simple Minds. A drum kit and money exchanged hands on that day - not bought by myself though, I was merely along for the ride. On that day the weather was miserable, which wasn't that important as we were only in South Queensferry for a matter of minutes before we headed south, back down the A1(M).  South Queensferry, sometimes also called Queensferry, sits on the south shore of the narrowest part of the Forth Estuary east of Grangemouth, looking across to North Queensferry, its twin on the Fife shore. As an obvious place to cross the river when heading into Fife from Edinburgh it is likely that settlements either side of the river here, and ferries between them, date back to ancient times. Queensferry is defined by the road and rail bridges that lie either side of it. But it is so much more as well. At times it has been an important trading and fishing port in its own right and the town still offers an environment that can transport you back to an earlier time more readily than most places in Scotland. If, that is, you can catch it in a rare traffic-free moment: cars are constrained by the narrowness and twisting of Queensferry's High Street, and as a result intrude far more than elsewhere.

Strangely enough, despite the nice weather, which is always a plus when photographing the landscape, I left my Canon 7D at home, which was not a good idea at all. The weather forecast on the previous day was nowt to get excited about so I took a risk by leaving the camera behind - something I'd probably regret further down the line. The photo's shown here were taken on my smart phone, which has a nice little panoramic facility on it, allowing stitches of over 6 images at a time. A couple of 'Stitches' are shown here, just for the record. There's a very small beach at Queensferry, which is accessible at low tide and is a great vantage point when looking north. If you ever find yourself in this part of the world, check out the restaurants along the main street - one in particular offers excellent panoramic views across the river through its huge windows, although its name escapes me right now.

Next stop Linlithgow...
Ash

Edinburgh Stop Over

It's was back up the A1 motorway again and my fourth visit to Edinburgh of 2009. This time it was a one night stopover on the way to Livingston, a town approximately thirteen and a half miles south-west of Edinburgh. The rain scuppered any chance of me grabbing some early evening low-light shots of the illuminated castle, which was top of my photography wish-list during our brief stopover. Infact, I didn't manage any photography at all on Sunday night and it wasn't too long before we were back in our hotel on the City's High Street.

The following morning I awoke early and headed up the Royal Mile towards Edinburgh Castle. The sun had just risen and it quickly disappeared behind the low cloud cover on the horizon. At this time I was in the castle car park overlooking the rooftops towards the west. It's a spectacular view alright, with the hills in the distance and some of the finest architecture in the foreground. It was very chilly, which was to be expected at this time of year, and particularly at such a high vantage point. But no visit to Edinburgh would be complete without a visit to the castle so the customary 'Showing of the face' happened once again. It was a pity that the weather last night got in the way of what was potentially a perfect opportunity to get the shots I was after. Oh well, maybe next time.

At mid-day we headed out of the City and back onto the A1, homeward bound. With the belly rumbling once again it was a case of a quick detour into Eyemouth to sample another helping of delicious haggis & chips. This was the third haggis I'd pouched in the space of 24 hours! Dear me, I must go sit in the corner and have a quiet word with ones self (wink).

All in all, an enjoyable visit to both Edinburgh and Livingston.
Cheers, Ash