A Road trip to The Cairngorms

I have recently returned from what I can only describe as an epic road trip up to the Highlands via Northumberland. I stayed in Alne (Yorkshire), Warkworth (Northumberland), Glen Etive, Glencoe and Kirby Stephen in the campervan. All thoroughly nice campsites aside from Glen Etive where I spent the night in one of the many lay bys down the long and winding road that burrows deep into the glen. After Northumberland and the glens I had booked a 4 night stay at the Lazy Duck at Nethy Bridge deep within the Cairngorms. It was an absolutely lovely off grid eco cabin in the heart of a scots pine forest.

So before I delve into the photography side of things, a few recommendations if you ever find yourself driving up to Scotland via Northumberland or are just visiting these places independantly. I visited Fountains Abbey outside Ripon on my way up on the first day, and I do recommend seeing it, its all ruins now but very enchanting and surrounded by beautiful gardens and countryside. The shop and cafes are well stocked and are typical of any National Trust property. You only need 2-3 hours there so a very nice place to stop off at.

The next place I visited which I reccomend if you have not been is Alnwick. The castle is superb and is the main focal point of interest as you enter the town. It has a very medieval feel with many pubs, shops and antiques stores. The castle has featured in many films including Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and Harry Potter. But the main attraction for me wwas visiting Barter Books, one of the largest second hand bookstores in the UK. It was formerly the railway station and they have kept a lot of the aesthetic and even have a model railway running around the bookshelves.

The day after I visited Bamburgh and Holy Island. In Bamburgh you have one of the best castles I think exists in the UK, positioned on the coastline gives it a very imposing and haunting feel and if it had not been for the light being very flat I would have stayed longer to get some images at golden hour from the beach of the castle. I had lunch at the Potted Lobster, I would comfortably say the best fish and chips ive ever had, its a must if you are there. Also I had the potted lobster starter which whilst expensive was absolutely incredible. Finally, if you ever find yourself in Glencoe and need a campsite, not only is the Red Squirrel Campsite very reasonably priced, it is set in beautiful surroundings, overshadowed by towering peaks and having the serene company of a river runnng by, but there is also a great pub within ten minutes walk.

So now onto the photography side, my main goal of this trip was to try and capture some of the unique features of this area of Scotland. Which is why I felt being off grid in the heart of the forest would give me the best chance. I also included a long hike up the second highest mountain in the UK in Ben Macdui, that also included Cairn Gorm. The hike was absolutely brutal as temperatures were low and lots of wintry showers incessantly flowed by. It was all ice and snow at the top but thankfully parking at the ski resort meant I could get a well earned cappucino on arriving back at the van! So first, the landscapes. I was not overly happy with what I captured but here are a couple of examples, it was important to try and tell a story of the conditions and the brutality of wintry conditions on the landscape. I am really working on trying to keep my images clean with an obvious subject. One of the best pieces of advice I have heard so far with photography is ‘take an image about the subject, not of the subject’. So essentially placing it into context.

Cairn Gorm summit

I really liked the symmetry with the valley almost mirroring the crest of the mountain. Also the sky being so aggresive and dramatic really helps to show how angry the showers and conditions were at the time. Quite often on days like this I just drive around and sometimes the conditions just present a photo opportunity so I pull over, pick the camera up and open the window as these moments often just last seconds. I often have the camera on the front seat with my most versatile lens, the 24-105 F4 for the Sony E.

The ski resort on Cairn Gorm, the summit cairn you can see on the far left

One of the main reasons I came up here was to see the wildlife and especially the illusive Red Squirrels. I was so lucky that my eco cabin had windows all around the bed with a feeder just outside, so I could try and photograph them whilst essentially being in bed with a cup of tea which was perfect. It took a lot of patience but finally I got them..

Dinnertime!

I did not quite get the focus right for this one but they look so good and it was a pleasure watching them, sometimes you have to remind yourself to put the camera down and just take it in. I also wanted to get some shots of the Highland Coos and finally found a field that was full of them. Unfortunately the shots I got are still being processed but will add a couple soon. I also randomly came accross a steam railway that runs along the Spey, and managed to get this shot as they were about to depart. I knew straight away this would look better in black and white than colour, I always feel with sharp contrast and old nostalgic subjects the mono look can create more feeling, but that is also subjective!

All Aboard!

So a great trip and more opportunity to get out with the camera. As always any questions or advice just drop me an message on the contacts page.