NORTH OF INVERNESS

One of the pleasures of overseas travel is that of meeting up with friends made through the Internet Forums and many of you who are members of some of these will have read the many postings of Oddquine on them. On my last visit to the UK, a trip up to Scotland was a 'must' and a trip to Scotland also meant seeing Oddie who lives in the far North of that country.

I knew that some areas of the UK were desolate but I think that the Scottish Highlands, while desolate, are some of the most beautiful countryside that I have ever seen; the mountains, the coast, the moorlands - they are all so lovely, it takes your breath away.

One of the small ports close to where Oddie lives is Lybster on the North East Coast of Scotland and from here can be seen a variety of scenery and ancient monuments some of which date back around 5,000 years or more. It has only a very small harbour but a busy one and way out to sea you can see the dim outline of one of the oil rigs which lay off the coast. We drove down towards the harbour but after stopping to take photographs from half way down the hillside, we decided to leave the car where it was and walked the rest of the way - we needed the exercise for one thing !

It was a cool summer day to me but can you imagine how this would be during a storm in the middle of Winter ?

Looking back up the hill from down on the harbour wall in the photograph above.


If we had driven down we would have missed views like this.


To one side of the harbour we came across a circle of large rocks with a stone plaque in the middle of them giving details of what they were.

They were a mixture of red sandstone, red and grey granite and Moine Meth Sediment with the rock at the centre of the photograph in front of the placque being of Jurassic Sandstone - the age of the rocks ranged from 1,500 - 135 million years old.

There were a number of small boats at their moorings while on shore a lot of preparation work seemed to be going on.


A walk along the quayside gave us views of the ruggedness of the cliffs and a rocky outcrop which the seagulls seemed to have taken over as a nesting place.


Just visible - the oil rig.


It was soon time to move on and Oddie took me along a side road to visit some Cairns but unfortunately we came across a small number of wandering cattle who were determined that they had the right of way - I didn't like that baleful look given me by the closest of them. It seemed to say 'Don't you even think of passing !' - So I didn't. I pulled over and let others pass me so they could have the job of hurrying the beasts along !


These Cairns were built as burial monuments about 5,000 years ago and have recently been restored by HISTORIC SCOTLAND to give a better impression of how they were originally.


As with all the photographs, you can click on the image to obtain a larger view.


The round Cairn is about 3.5 metres high by 18 metres in diameter. You can crawl (literally) inside them so I am told but due to the wet muddy conditions I decided not to. We didn't have a torch either. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it).


From the edge of the round Cairn across to a view of the long Cairn some distance away.


The Long Cairn could have been two Round Cairns originally before being joined together.


The remains of a terrace at one end of the Long Cairn. Human remains were found inside both Cairns when they were excavated.


I'm not sure how old this sheep fold is but it was obviously built to fit in with the Cairns.


One of the two entrances to the Long Cairn .....


..... a gate is in place but not locked.


Oddie is a tiny person so you can see why crawling would be necessary to enter the Cairn.


As you can see - closed but not locked.


Many Pine Plantations have been established to provide renewable forests.


After leaving the Cairns I noticed that the fuel tank of the car was approaching empty so after a hair raising time trying to find a service station that was open (it was a Sunday) we continued on to the next historic site - a circle of standing stones .....


..... in another very remote area.


The lichen on the rocks made me wish I could gather it and use it for dyeing handspun yarn to find out which colour it would give .....


..... but it was probably much better to leave it where it was.


Where I live in Australia is in the Sutherland Shire in Sydney, just South of Botany Bay, so a shot of this sign was a must.


Once again the scenery here was magnificent.


This little cottage looks to be in an idyllic setting .....


..... until you see how remote it is ! I would still prefer it to the hustle and bustle of City life, though.


Another lonely residence.


Wherever we went the heather was blooming


No wonder it is the flower of Scotland.

By this time we were approaching Inverness and my visit to the Highlands was nearly over. I would go back there again at any time - over and over again.

Wales - September 2007

I am a member of an OnLine Photographic forum and earlier this year it was suggested that all of us who could make it should meet for a weekend of workshops in South Wales at a small place called Crickhowell. Being the sort of person who loves travelling and meeting up with the friends I have made on the Internet, I jumped at the opportunity, so late August saw me catching the flight from Australia to the U.K.

Once there, I hired a car and wandered around the U.K. for a couple of weeks, visiting family and friends, and then headed off to Wales for the big weekend. After squeezing my way into the carpark at the hotel, I decided there was no way that that car was leaving there again until it was time to head back towards Derbyshire !




Since there were still a few hours of daylight left, those of us who had arrived early took a drive out into the countryside on a scouting expedition for the best views.

The following morning saw us all up before dawn and heading for the hills so that we could catch the sun rising behind the Brecons - and what a wonderful sight it was, too !

Moving on so that we could fit as much as possible into the limited time we had, we rounded a corner and came to a screeching halt with gasps of astonishment as we saw the panorama below us. (The other car behind us wondered what was going on until they saw the view, too).


The valley below us was filled with rolling banks of mist which moved rapidly, swirling around the hillside like cottonwool. The rising sun caught the tips of the mist and the colours of the hills and mountains changed quickly as the sun rose.





After spending lots of time photographing the splendor below us we moved on down through the mist, which wasn't anywhere near as thick as we expected it to be, and rounded a corner to see the rays of the sun streaking down towards a canal and sending up wispy tendrils of steam from the water's surface.


By this time, we were all feeling a little hungry so we headed back to the hotel for breakfast before heading out again to another area.

It was decided that following a morning of shooting in the high country (more photos of this later) we would walk to a series of waterfalls so off we went with some of us wearing good hiking boots and others making do with sports shoes. After several falls due to bifocal glasses and the lack of suitable footwear, I will be buying some decent boots before going on a hike like this again !

I decided that after my falls, I was much better off staying well away from heights like this but I was envious of the shots Ric must have got from this angle.




The path was very rough indeed with gravel, rocks and large tree roots making it hazardous for all of us who were spending more time looking at the scenery rather than the footpath we were following.




After several hours of photography we headed back to the carpark for a few refreshments in a nearby hotel before returning to the hotel. Following dinner, two of the party had to leave us, unfortunately, while the rest of us looked forward to the following day.

The next morning we assembled for breakfast well after sunrise and then decided to explore the canal further before heading into the high country again.












Ever had the feeling you are being watched ? Wherever we went, we had eyes glued to what we were doing !


By the late afternoon, I was the only one left of the party at the hotel and the following morning I took my heart in my hands and braved the exit from the carpark. Actually it was much easier than I had feared it would be and I managed to drive out without putting a single scratch on the paintwork of the car - much to my relief !



I would have loved to have stayed in Wales for a much longer time but time was getting on and I had a lot more things to do and see.