The West Highland Way-March 12 2010 Glasgow, Rannoch Moor, Forth William, Glenfinnan, Morar, Mallaig
Glenuig Bay on the Moidart Peninsula looking out to the Islands of Rum and Eigg. I set off early in the day from Queen Street Station in Glasgow and eventually arrived in Mallaig just over 5 hours later. Had a great lunch of fresh fish, in the fishing village of Mallaig and then came back arriving in Glasgow at 9.30pm. The point of this journey was to enjoy the wonderful landscapes and the weather was perfect.
Taking photographs from a fast moving train through windows that were not the cleanest , reflections and refractions a constant problem, meant that none of the images I was able to take would be classed as top quality but never the less , I hope that you enjoy what I was able to take and perhaps think about taking this journey yourself or with your family one day. Craig Coussins, Glasgow, Scotland.
And here are some stills.
Soft rain brings soft rainbows leaving the Campsie Hills outside Glasgow. The ancient volcano of what we call Ben Cruachan looking across from the river Orchy
Perfectly shaped domes that are the Highlands of Scotland
Ice covered Lochs deep in the Highland Landscape form part of Rannoch Moor. It is one of the bleakest places on earth but, conversely, has a desolate beauty like a desert. This desert is Mooreland punctuated by the small clumps of the Ancient Caledonian Forrest that remains in scattered patches throughput Scotland. TS. Elliot said about Rannoch: "Here the crow starves, here the patient Stag Breeds for the rifle. And the soft sky, scarcely room To leap or soar"
Giviing way to ancient Lochs with primeval islands. This means that these Loch Islands have never had sheep or cattle grazing on them and so the vegetation is both extremely old and untouched by human settlement.
On Loch Morar the waters are some of the deepest in the world with Arctic Char living in the depths stranded there from the last ice age We reach the sea after leaving Fort William arriving at Glenuig Bay on the Moidart Peninsula. For much of its history, Moidart was the kingdom of the 'Lords of the Isles and they looked West to the Hebrides and not east to Scotland. The famous White Sands of Morar The silver sands look more like the South Pacific. sheltered by Rum and Eigg which along with Canna and Muck form the largest of the 'Small Isles' in this, Western Invernesshire Rising up from the sea, the edge of Eigg sits in front of the Island of Rum Looking over to Rum in the early evening Eigg lies in the Inner Hebrides of the coast of Morar
And finally a darkening sky softly covers the ancient landscape of Loch Shiel at Genfinnan where the Jacobite Flag was first raised at the start of the great rebellion of 1745. Jacobus is the Latin for James and the Jacobites supported the claim to the crown of James the V11 of the House of Stuart that claim being was passed to his son, Prince Charles, 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' the young pretender. The rebels gained initial success getting as far as Derby and the incumbent German King already packed to go. But double agents convinced Bonnie Prince Charlie that they would be defeated in London which was a lie and at Derby, for some inane reason, they turned round and went back. Having walked for hundreds of miles up and down the country, on 16 April, 1746 the exhausted Scots were fair game to the fresher English Troops lead by the Duke of Cumberland and after a fierce and legendary battle finally suffered defeat after which followed the massacre at Culloden Field in Inverness. That was the end of the Scottish culture for a long time with a number of severe civil penalties being instigated. New laws suppressed the Highlanders' clan system, and highland dress was banned until Sir Walter Scott revived the tartan and some of the old romantic clan ways in Queen Victoria's time. Victoria, like Walter Scott, was also a great romantic and in difficult times perhaps hankered after the lost 'perceived' Scottish history.. With the falling night wishing you a fond 'fare ye weel and haste ye back'.
Other pages of Craig's photographs This one has more Scottish Pictures www.bonsaiinformation.com/Scotland.htm
Page 1 Great Landscapes http://www.bonsaiinformation.com/landscapes1.htm
Page 2 Eastern Europe, Britain, America, Asia http://www.bonsaiinformation.com/landscape1.htm
Page 3 Images http://www.bonsaiinformation.com/pixmenu.htm
Page 4 Snowscapes http://www.bonsaiinformation.com/snow09.htm
Page 6 Japanese Gardens http://www.bonsaiinformation.com/pathways1.htm
Page 7 A visit to Lyon in France http://www.bonsaiinformation.com/Lyon2007/index.htm
Page 8 Japan. A new page in construction: http://www.bonsaiinformation.com/Japanesefolk.htm
Page 9 http://www.coussins.org/cumbrae.htm
Page 10 China http://www.coussins.org/china.htm under construction but some images already there
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İCraig Coussins 2010
