A few photos from an afternoon escape in August – one of my favoured routes, starting with the trek from Amulree along Glen Quaich – a moderately long stretch becoming quite a tricky road, steep with S-bends:
A favourite scene, looking back along Glen Quaich to Loch Freuchie.
The road is a particularly difficult drive; in winter, they stop gritting by the farm at the bottom of the hill, after which there is a series of sharp S-bends and a long haul up a steep incline. The first time I tried it, it was winter, and I got as far as the S-bends before deciding it was impassable; it took a multiple-point turn in the road, bumping the rear into the hillside to maximize the narrow width of tarmac available, to get back down. Fun fun.
A favourite scene, looking back along Glen Quaich to Loch Freuchie.
The road is a particularly difficult drive; in winter, they stop gritting by the farm at the bottom of the hill, after which there is a series of sharp S-bends and a long haul up a steep incline. The first time I tried it, it was winter, and I got as far as the S-bends before deciding it was impassable; it took a multiple-point turn in the road, bumping the rear into the hillside to maximize the narrow width of tarmac available, to get back down. Fun fun.
A favourite scene, looking back along Glen Quaich to Loch Freuchie.
The road is a particularly difficult drive; in winter, they stop gritting by the farm at the bottom of the hill, after which there is a series of sharp S-bends and a long haul up a steep incline. The first time I tried it, it was winter, and I got as far as the S-bends before deciding it was impassable; it took a multiple-point turn in the road, bumping the rear into the hillside to maximize the narrow width of tarmac available, to get back down. Fun fun.
As always, the view from the moor along the top was awesome – particularly with ominous dark clouds – I experimented a bit with a variable-ND (crossed-circular-polariser) filter to lengthen the exposures up to 30s:
Ben Lawers and adjacent mountains, from the top of the moor between Amulree and Kenmore.
Ben Lawers and adjacent mountains, from the top of the moor between Amulree and Kenmore.
Ben Lawers and adjacent mountains, from the top of the moor between Amulree and Kenmore.
Ben Lawers and adjacent mountains, from the top of the moor between Amulree and Kenmore.
Ben Lawers and adjacent mountains, from the top of the moor between Amulree and Kenmore.
From there, descending yet more wiggly bends on the way toward Kenmore, there’s a tiny track off the road to a small carpark nestling in amongst the heather. The hillside above there affords a glorious view over the Appin of Dull – there was even a bit of light on Loch Tay looking the other way as well:
I've photographed this dead tree-stump amongst the heather more than once previosuly. Hopefully the results are improving.
The carpark is barely noticeable by the roadside, but the views over the Appin of Dull from the slopes of Kenmore Hill are idyllic; a perfect afternoon's escape.
On this particular occasion, there were an awful lot of midges flying around making it singularly unpleasant trying to stand still long enough to make the photo.
Rowans, conifers, ferns, mountains and blue sky. Everything one could possibly ask for in a quick afternoon escape to the countryside. Idyllic.
A few rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds above Loch Tay, from Kenmore Hill.
