Somewhere new and somewhere old.
The draw of Glen Etive is always strong, especially with those world-famous views towards Buachaille Etive Mòr. But before we revisited what is quickly becoming known as the “Skyfall valley”, we wanted to check out somewhere new (to us).
At the foot of Glencoe, beneath the prominent peak known as the Pap of Glencoe, there’s a fair amount of woodland one can enjoy. Within that woodland one can find a small tarn known as Glencoe Lochan.
It’s super easy to get to and thankfully, on this occasion, it offered us almost perfectly clear reflections of the surrounding mountains.
After exploring the lochan, we then drove downGlen Etive for compositions of the “the Buckle” and more.
An absolute corker of a day.
All photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my Vivitar “Series 1” 28–105mm f2.8–3.8 zoom and Laowa 9mm f2.8 lenses. RAWs converted and corrected in Capture One for iPad, developed using RNI Films’ Kodachrome film profiles, then finalised in Affinity Photo 2 for iPad.
Glencoe Lochan #
From the village of Glencoe, the Pap of Glencoe is ever-present. The word “pap” comes from Middle English, meaning “breast”.
In the distance, this magnificent stag was happily chewing cud and enjoying the winter sun light.
The beck below the woods looked absolutely gorgeous; the water was unbelievably clear. One to think about a swim in.
The woodland beneath the Pap was chock-full of delightful scenes like this.
Soon enough we arrived at the lochan to find perfect reflections of the various mountains around.
Glencoe Lochan was planted in the 1890s by a Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, using trees from the Pacific Northwest of Canada. He did this to alleviate his wife’s homesickness, who was missing Canada after moving to Scotland.
In the morning winter sun, reflections of Beinn na Caillich looked sublime.
Looking west from one of the many jetties dotted around the lochan, the pyramidal peak of Sgorr Dhearg (1,024m/3,359ft) was looking crisp.
I spotted an opportunity to focus-stack some evergreen foliage along Glencoe Lochan’s eastern shore, the reflections leading the way towards Sgorr Dhearg.
I bet this place looks absolutely insane in autumn.
Glen Etive #
After stopping off at the Glencoe Ski Resort cafe for a bite and a coffee, we made our way towards Glen Etive. But first, I just had to nab this iconic building and composition. This is Blackrock Cottage, a private building that’s been featured in hundreds of photos with “the Buckle” behind it.
At the top of Glen Etive, the River Coupall crashes into the River Etive in a series of impressive cascades. It is perhaps the photographer hotspot for photos of the Buckle, and I’m no different. How can you say no to a scene like this?
Lisabet and I clambered up the River Coupall, seeking compositions of the Buckle.
To date, this is perhaps the finest shot of the Buckle I’ve ever taken. I knew there had to be a reflection in the river somewhere…
Down at the foot of Glen Etive, right on the shores of Loch Etive, I spot this little group of trees beautifully framing Stob Dubh.
Those same trees act as a leading device in another composition involving Stob Dubh.
Directly opposite our shore, Ben Starav (1,078m/3,536ft) dominates the eastern shore of Loch Etive.
The final composition of the day. Beautiful Scots pines and Stob Dubh in the distance.