After my first stop at Inverary to photograph Kilchurn Castle, I had barely gotten my feet wet in the Scottish Highlands. But wet they were! Armed with a new pair of rubber boots, I was off to my next destination: Glencoe.
“Glen” is a Scottish term for a long deep valley with gently sloping sides and Glen Coe is probably the most famous one. About 8 miles long and half a mile wide, the glen is surrounded by tall majestic mountains.
The rugged landscape, dramatic clouds, gurgling rivers, and gushing waterfalls make this a spectacular location for photography. Add in the autumn colours of rust, yellow, orange and green on the shrubs and grasses that cover the lower elevations and you have the ingredients for a photographer’s dream.
I arranged 3 nights in the village of Glencoe and was glad to have that time set aside. On the first day my challenge was to photograph the River Coupall in front of Buachaille Etive Mor. The Mor itself is not hard to find for it looms over the entrance to the glen with a distinctive pyramid shape.
I decided to take a drive down the road that goes past the Mor and leads to Glen Etive. It was my first experience with driving on a single track road and I was not ready for it! Talk about STRESSFUL!!
The road is extremely narrow and is only one lane for both directions. There are pullouts along the way, so if you see a car coming, you pull out and let it go by. But if you come up to a car and there is no pullout, one of you has to backup until you get to one so the two cars can pass.
Eventually I became more experienced at this and had faith in the frequency of the pullouts. But this first experience was hair raising and crazy mad! It was absolutely pouring sideways rain and I was so stressed that about half way along I was simply looking for a pullout that was large enough to turn my tiny rental car around so I could head back. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the payoff at the end of the road: Loch Etive. I doubt I would have seen anything on that day anyway.
So my first day in Glen Coe didn’t turn out very well, and the weather was not ideal for photography, but the next two days certainly made up for it.
The next morning I got up long before sunrise and returned to this same road in the dark! I only drove down it for a very short distance to a spot where I had seen the river the day before. I really wanted to find the location where you can photograph the river in front of the impressive mountain, so I decided to walk alongside the river and see if I could find a good location before sunrise, and I did!
I drove the 8 mile length of Glen Coe on Highway A82 numerous times during the next two days. I had a few specific places picked out, but one afternoon I decided to just drive along and stop whenever I saw something good along the way. After 4 hours, I discovered I had only gone 4 miles!!
All of this time was spent photographing not very far from the side of the road. Since I was having problems with my knees at the time, I wasn’t doing any serious hiking in the highlands. But fortunately there is plenty to see right from the road.
One of my favourite locations that I had picked out ahead of time was the Lagangarbh Cottage, which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. I made lots of photos of this place, but my favourite was when I got right down on the River Coupall in front of the cottage and got the colourful rocks in the foreground.
The strangest thing happened to me when I was there. This couple came up to me and said they had seen another photographer there and they wanted to know what was so good about it. I think I looked at them a little dumbfounded and confused. So they clarified that they didn’t understand why anyone would want to photograph here. What is interesting about it?
I was like “uh … a rugged mountain, autumn foliage, cute little house, river in the foreground, colourful rocks, dramatic sky … I really can’t think of anything you could possibly want in a photograph that isn’t here!”
One thing I loved about photographing in Glen Coe is the ever changing clouds and light. Dramatic, moody, ethereal, magical and sublime, the feel of the place was constantly changing.
Beautiful set, Anne! I’ve seen Glencoe images before, but somehow never ones with the river. Those river shots especially stand out – really wonderful, particularly the one with the cascades.
Thank you Jackson! I would love to explore that river some more, I’m sure there are lots of other locations along the way with good compositions.
Fabulous!!
Thanks Laurie! Glad you enjoyed them.
Thanks Anne for taking me on a nice hike…
You are most welcome Kaz, glad you enjoyed the photos 🙂
Thanks Anne for sharing these fantastic images, as always, I thoroughly enjoy your photography. When life get in the way and takes me away from the art and adventure of photography, when I see your landscape captures, it automatically inspire me and motivated again to head out.
I always look forward to your posts.
Angelito, your comments make me feel great! It means so much that my photos can be inspirational and motivational for you, I really appreciate that.
Stunning images! Jealous in a good sort of way! Thank you for sharing Anne.
Many thanks Debbie! It was a great trip and very do-able. I just went on my own and rented a car. I highly recommend it 😉
Wow Scotland, and your pics really touch on how beautiful this country really is. I have to say that the little house on the river is amazing. The detail and depth are just spectacular. Thanks Anne and once again always look forward to your next news letter.
Thanks Robert, I appreciate your kind comments. I loved the cottage on the river too. I could spend all day in that one spot looking for different compositions.
Spectacular! Was in Scotland last year but only to Edinburgh. Would love to go back.
Thanks Sharlene. I missed Edinburgh. I’m not big on cities, but I’ve heard that Edinburgh is a particularly nice one.
Thank you ever so much for sharing your inpirational talent& Gift.Many Blessings to you in the months ahead,as we celebrate the return of Light.We are experiencing the strangest Winter yet here in Berkshire/ Taconic Mtns.in Western Massachusetts.Looking forward to seeing more of your fantastic captures.Warm Spring Sun to warm your shoulders….☕☕☕You are always welcome to come visit
Thank you Marylee! That’s a very kind offer. I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the posts 🙂
Spectacular landscapes. I really enjoy your work and especially your written presentations. Now i know it’s not the great camera or lens you are using, It’s the boots.
Haha, I’ve often thought that a lot of success in photography has to do with warm clothing, boots and cliff bars 🙂 I’m thinking about getting myself a pair of waders! That should really add to my photography fashion.
I agree that would be a real fashion statement and definitely would require a selfie composition 🙂
Scotland and Spain are very distant but there are landscapes that are similar. Congratulations for the report. Regards
Hi Antonio, I’ve always wanted to go to Spain and it’s making it’s way higher and higher on my bucket list. Thanks for your visit and comments.
Your photos of Glencoe look so much better than mine.
I always think other people’s photos look better than mine. I think we just get sick of our own photos and another person’s perspective seems better when it’s just different. And sometimes the light just isn’t there when we’re there. Believe me, I’ve been to lots of places that look better in other people’s photos! 🙂 You’re not alone.
Thank you for the awesome photographs. I feel we (wife and I) should seriously think about the invitation extended by my sister-in-law to visit them in Edinburgh! Is there reasonably priced accommodation available in Glen Coe itself and what would be the best time of year to visit? Your captions too include some useful information about the place for a prospective visitor! Very helpful. Thanks again.
You should!! Although I didn’t go to Edinburgh because I wanted to maximize my time on Skye, but I understand it’s a beautiful city. As far as reasonably priced accommodation … I don’t know about that! I booked the Glencoe Inn and I thought it was going to special. I tried to get something a little nicer since I would be there for 3 nights. But it wasn’t nicer. It was old and dirty and a bit creepy. But there are not a lot of choices.
Beautiful photos, Anne. I had a brief stop there when I did a tour of Scotland last year. No time to do the scouting that you did. Now I want to go back, after seeing all the shots you captured!
Thank you Richard. I’m really glad I booked 3 nights there. It’s hard enough to get good shots when there’s nowhere to stop the car (they really need more places you can pull out and park). You really need time to be able to walk back to some of the beautiful scenes you see along the way. Thanks for your comments 🙂
I’m returning to Scotland in September, so I’m reading all of your posts about your trip there to get inspiration. Thanks for sharing those!
Hey Ugo, great to see you! I’m just getting started on my Scotland posts. All of my Isle of Skye photos are still to come so stay tuned! I hope you’re going to Skye, it is incredible. Thanks for your comments.
Definitely planning to go to Skye. We’ll be spending a week there, but I’ve already compiled a list of spots that would take a couple months to cover 🙂
I’ll look forward to your next posts.
One thing that might be good for you to know in advance is that if you are using Google to calculate driving times (like I did) you might want to double that! I think Google calculated based on the speed limit. But they are single track roads with a speed limit of 60mph, which is insane!!! Only the locals drive 60. I was going 40 during the day and 30 in the dark or in the rain.
I’ve just caught up with your recent blogs & fabulous pictures from your Scotland trip. I’m pleased to see that storm ‘Brian’ ( I think it was) did not result in a complete washout, but, if anything, contributed to the creation of beautifully atmospheric pictures. I trust thaI really should visit Scotland myself but Canada calls again.
The question you were asked about what’s god to take photographs here reminds me of a friend who doesn’t take a photo of a scene unless it includes his wife as the dominant feature! Needless to say he never features on any photos..
Hi Donald, I think it was hurricane Ophelia and Brian came afterwards. It was pretty intense, but yes it also brought great clouds with it!! That’s the good part about storms. You have to wait them out, and then as soon as things look like they might clear you have to get out there right away. I have spent more than a few storms waiting in my truck reading hoping that moment will come before I eventually give up and go home! Thanks for your visit and comments.
A gremlin hijacked my comment. as I was typing, it should read::
I’ve just caught up with your recent blogs & fabulous pictures from your Scotland trip. I’m pleased to see that storm ‘Brian’ ( I think it was) did not result in a complete washout, but, if anything, contributed to the creation of beautifully atmospheric pictures. I really should visit Scotland myself but Canada calls again. I trust that you will be able to revisit the UK again in the not too distant future.
The question you were asked about what’s god to take photographs here reminds me of a friend who doesn’t take a photo of a scene unless it includes his wife as the dominant feature! Needless to say he never features on any photos..
Great to read your blog on the time you spent in Glen Coe. It has a dark history as it was the site of an infamous massacre by the Clan Campbell of the MacDonalds way back. The light and the majesty of the hills can give the place a daunting atmosphere. Bright and sunny weather is also quite rare but dramatic
cloud gives a great image.
Glen Etive and the Bouchaille are very popular spots for photographers in all weathers!
Glad you coped with the narrow roads. Now you know why we have small cars, although, I drove a 6.5 m RV all the way down Glen Etive – and back, in high wind and rain – last year!
Wow, you drove an RV down there?? I could barely get my tiny Kia down there 🙂 I would try again though. After practicing on Skye, I was hoping to try that road again on my way back but it didn’t work out. What a stunning area though, I loved how moody it was. Your comments are much appreciated Clark!
The pictures are so beautiful they “speak” through the screen. But dear the peoples who asked you why you were taking pictures, were they Highlander? Surely not, beside all the reasons you mentioned, didn’t they know about the 1692 massacre of Glenco? It would have been enough to take pictures of the tipycal cottage with the river and rock plus the magnificent backdrop oh te Highland mountains.
Hi Sylvie, thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. No, I don’t believe the people I talked to were Highlanders. They were not Scottish. I’m not sure where they were from. I still can’t figure that one out!!
Very beautifully written Anne! From the time i have got my tickes to UK booked few days ago, I have been planning my itinerary to visit Glencoe for 4 days and 3 nights, and your blog and photographs firms up the plan now.
Wonderful photographs, and my fav of all is the one of the cottage and your explanation about the river, pebbles, cottage, mountain, clouds and sky is on spot.
Do share your Insta so that I can follow you to see other photographs which you may post. My Istan @vinodken.
Happy photographing!