Rannoch moor at around 300 metres high and covers an area of around 50 square miles is one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland, you only have to witness how many people stop while crossing on the A82 to snap a photo.
I always like to take a familiar area and try to find a different view to what most would see and this small hill on the edge of the moor made for a perfect spot.
Rannoch late afternoon
Covered in lots of small bodies of water Lochan na h-Achlaise and Loch Bà Are the main sights that most will see and are the key points from my little perch. Having visited many times before it was often too windy or it just wasn’t happening weather wise, this outing made up for all the misfires.
It was a short but steep climb up the hill the going hard as there was no path to speak of and I was soon coming to boiling point, getting a brew on as soon as I arrived was much needed. The camp location was spot on with just the right amount of breeze to keep the beasties away and the light show to follow that kept on giving was nothing short of spetacular.
Fantastic camp spot
One of the key advantages of having been here before was that I knew roughly where I wanted to shoot, I perused the areas according to time of day and the compositions that I wanted to shoot for sunset and sunrise.
The light show begins
A dinner of pasta bolognaise washed down with lashings of hot tea and it wasn’t long before the colours began to fill the sky.
The sunset of dreams
Sunset was amazing and it was a busy affair with so many possibilities, it was literally breath taking even long after the sun had sunken behind the distant hills.
Colours reflected
At 11p.m. it was time to bed down and get a couple of hours sleep, it had been a long day and a little shut eye was most welcome the glow on the horizon at this time of the year never completely giving way.
Sleep time
Oh well, I did say just a couple of hours sleep, at 1 a.m. I was up again, this time to shoot some more, too light this far north for any astro photography with stars, but something else is present in the night sky. Noctilucent clouds or night shining clouds are only visible during astronomical twilight in the summer months and are made up of ice crystals at an altitude of 76000 - to 85000 metres.
Noctilucent Clouds
Noctilucent clouds never fail to impress but after 30 minutes it was time to hit the hay again, I would be up again at 4a.am. to catch sunrise. I lingered a bit longer to drink in the spectacle.
Inversion
Up again and I wasn’t disappointed, a temperature inversion saw the whole of the moor and the surrounding area covered in a blanket of low cloud, what a beautiful sight.
Sunrise
Even after the sun had risen the low cloud refused to budge swirling in and around the hills, probably didn’t look so good for those down below.
Misty
Finally it was time to catch up on some sleep and crawl back into the comforting embrace of my sleeping bag, I slept for a good 4 hours at which point the sun was high in the sky. It was hot in the tent and I was starting to cook. The cloud had cleared as I emerged for breakfast and it was a beautiful day as I packed up and made my way back down. What an awesome little adventure it had been, can’t wait for the next…