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Fearnan Photography

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A Snawsel Causey an We Jist Wag Awa! - 16/12/2022

Loch Tay - 12/12/2022

Loch Awe - 06/12/2022
Beinn Eunaich and Beinn a'Chochuill

Spot Connel Bridge? Mull and Morvern across the Firth of Lorn

Video - Panoramic from Beinn a'Chochuill

In retrospect with the route indicated. That's Kilchurn Castle and Loch Awe in the foreground

Bucks is the place to find sunshine in November

Dartmoor - 13 & 14/11/2022

Leather Tor doing its best to look Alpine

The dam at Burrator Reservoir, storing water for the burghers of Plymouth

And again from a distance

Shaugh Prior church

Ham Green Viaduct now used by walkers and cyclists. To the right are the piers of Brunel's previous wooden trestle bridge. Plym Valley line to Tavistock

River Walkham

Glen Lyon Autumn Glory - 29/10/2022

Loch Chon in the Pouring Rain - 17/10/2022

The Scots Pines of Loch Tulla - 13/09/2022

Fiacaill Coire an t'Sneachda and Ben Macdui - 11/09/2022
Rough translation - tooth of the snow corrie

Contemplating the progress so far. A bite to eat and then the ridge...

Eric looking determined

Something to think about

That looks a bit airy hairy

The rearview mirror. Did we really go over that? If you look carefully there are two Scots lads just below the skyline. We heard them long before seeing them

Two happy fellas on the summit of Ben Macdui (photo courtesy of some bonny lasses)

Braeriach being atmospheric across the Lairig Ghru

A retrospective. The Fiacaill in all its glory

Blair Drummond Safari Park - 09/09/2022
Some Inmates

Tour of Britain Stage 1 - 04/09/2022

Start - Aberdeen

Finish - Glen Shee (181km/113miles)

Weather - Foul

4hrs 36mins 27secs
Results:
1. Corbin Strong NZL
2. Omar Fraile ESP
3. Anders Johannessen NOR
4. Gonzalez Serrano ESP
5. Tom Pidcock GBR
6. Dylan Teuns BEL

Corbin Strong takes the win in a bunch sprint from Omar Fraile...

Who looks wrecked...

And has something to say. Caption competition...

Richie Porte in has last race

The Red Jersey - Corbin Strong

Sprints competition leader Matt Teggart being presented by Eve Muirhead

Coire Ardair and Creag Meagaidh - 27/08/2022

Some early morning cloud breaking to reveal a glorious day in the Forest of Aberarder

Lochan a'Choire surrounded by the massive buttresses of Creag Meagaidh - from Stob Poite Coire Ardair

The Window

Mad Meg's Cairn with the summit of Creag Meagaidh beyond

Impressive, isn't it?

Contemplating the descent. That's Loch Laggan down there with an unusually large sandy beach just visible at the far end

A Trip to Aberdeen - 19th to 21st August 2022

The Angus hills viewed from White Caterthun, a hill fort that forms a pair with the Brown just across the road

Fettercairn - An impressive arch constructed in 1864 to celebrate an earlier visit by V and A, at a cost to the villagers of £250

Sands of Forvie

A delightful, hidden gem some two miles from the nearest road. Hackley Bay, looking for all the World as though it should be in Cornwall. Gives one the urge to strip off and plunge, naked, into the sea

Collieston. Somewhere down there is the better half devouring ice cream.

Another of Robert Stevenson's lighthouses - Buchan Ness. Most of Britain's lighthouses were designed by the Stevenson family, mainly Thomas and Robert, father and son. This is the same Stevenson family as Robert Louis and not to be confused with the Stephensons of railway fame

Slains Castle (new), creation of several generations of the Hay family, the Earls of Erroll. It was purchased in 1925 by a demolition company who were clearly less interested in demolition than in asset-stripping

Och, puir wee thang - at Milton of Crathes station, one and only of the Deeside Railway

Monadh Liath - 05/08/2022
A nice long walk (16 miles or so) without too much exertion. Once up the steep side one just undulates. Big skies, wide vistas

Carn Dearg almost has an actual summit! For most tops up here if wasn't for the pile of rocks you'd be in Inverness before realising it had been missed

Dalballoch. Seen better days, methinks. The aircon is great though!

Ben Cruachan - 01/08/2022

A gloomy day. A brief view of the summit

The Pass of Brander looks more impressive from up here!

A Trip to Ayrshire - 3rd to 5th July 2022
We watched the Ayr waves, walked on the Ayr way, saw the Ayr line and ate with Ayr India. Any other Ayr puns?

Wemyss Bay station, designed by James Miller for the Caledonian Railway in 1903

A murky view up the Firth of Clyde from the top of Great Cumbrae

Croy Brae. We parked the car at the bottom of the lay-by and somehow it rolled uphill to the other end. Weird!

No sign of the Donald at Trump Turnberry but there's something very dense-looking out at sea - Ailsa Craig where all the curling stones come from. At least he has had the lighthouse beautifully restored, and using the wonderfully fragrant washroom was very pleasant: all gold and marble. Probably wasn't real

In the days before colour was invented... Now home to the Doon Valley Railway at Dunaskin. The ornate building is dated 1837. As far as I can ascertain, the Dalmellington Ironworks closed in 1921 so it seems amazing that the buildings still exist. Until more recently there was a lot of open-cast mining in the area but that is all closed down now because coal is bad and unemployment and deprivation is good. How long before it all reopens, I wonder, when we haven't got anything else to burn?

That looks a bit hair-raising! Greenan Castle with Ayr in the background

Ballochmyle, Britain's highest extant railway viaduct and Britain's widest masonry arch, 181 feet wide carrying the GSWR 177 feet above the River Ayr. Such a shame that you can't see this blessed thing for the trees!

Chatelherault on the outskirts of Hamilton. Handed over to the local authority when the Dukes of could not pay the death dues. Now run as a community green space. I wonder how the Glaswegians pronounce that?

Ben Lomond - 20/06/2022
In stark contrast to last Wednesday, this mountain is bristling with people. I ascended via the highway and descended via Ptarmigan, much prettier, more interesting and less populated

The Arrochar Alps, with Tarbet on the western shoreline. Note The Cobbler

Water coming from Loch Sloy and through the mountain to keep your lights on. Ben Lui in the background

Ben Lomond, Ptarmigan and Rowardennan Youth Hostel

Glen Tilt - 16/06/2022
Carn a'Chlamain and Beinn Dearg from Glen Tilt

14 miles cycling

20 miles walking

5,200 feet climbing
Knackered! Wild, lonely, wonderful countryside

A Trip to Helensburgh and Kilcreggan 5th and 6th June 2022 Helensburgh is a very middle-class, affluent outpost of Glasgow, with many large villas in leafy avenues. It has a pleasant Firth of Clyde seafront facing the plebeian towns of Gourock, Greenock and Port Glasgow. Kilcreggan is at the south end of the Rosneath peninsular. It must have important residents. It has a Post Office and a bank! All the Rear Admirals, perhaps...

Loch Long looking north from the Finnart oil terminal

Gare Loch and HM Naval Base Clyde

And around the corner came evil...
Balloch Castle, Loch Lomond Owned by Glasgow City Council and maintained as an open space freely available for all - nobody telling you where to go, what to do or not do, demanding to see a ticket, trying to extract money, sell you something... So refreshing!

Name those distant hills

Click on the picture for the answers

Meall a'Bhuiridh and Creise - 28/05/2022 (Pronunciation - Myowl a vooree, Kraysh) A considerable dump of snow covers a multitude of sins, otherwise laid bare for the rest of the year. The north side of this massif is covered in the dilapidation and detritus of the ski centre. I am sure they could at least try and make it look cared for! As for route finding, McNeish advises his readers to take the path from Blackrock Cottage that heads west. There are two problems - the path, such as it is, starts at the northern boundary of a plantation by the ski centre not by the cottage. Secondly, unless you have footwear that is throughly impervious to bog, going this way will likely condemn you to having wet feet for the remainder of the day. Doing the route in reverse means a tricky descent but reserves the squelching for the final hour or so
	Clach Leathad. This was the Munro until a re-survey proved that Creise is one metre higher. So it has been demoted
	Et voila! The other side really is very unspoilt. Meall a'Bhuiridh to the right, Creise to the left
	Creise - a slightly higher bit on a long ridge and a splash of sunshine to accentuate the colours
	Is that an obvious route up through the crags? I found a much harder route down involving loose rocks, scree and hidden cliffs! This is the Munro top of Stob a'Ghlais Choire
	The Ben finally cleared his head by early afternoon

South Queensferry and the Forth Bridge - 08/05/2022
It was the Forth Bridge that we really went to see, William Arrol's masterpiece but, unexpectedly, we discovered South Queensferry to be surprisingly attractive, with its cobbled main street, quaint shops and interesting angles on the bridge

Bo'ness Railway - 08/05/2022
Where once were collieries, docks and all the trappings of industry is now home to a very enjoyable heritage railway and museum. Our loco for the day - a Hunslet 0-6-0ST formerly belonging to NCB Fife

Beinn Laoigh - 23/04/2022
A year later and the way to do Ben Laoigh properly - the long walk in along Glen Cononish. A tantalising view and some interesting corries, ridges and snowfields to keep the interest up. Far better than the relentless slog up its soggy backside! Eric was enamoured and seduced by this queen. He eulogised!

Ben Nevis from Spean Bridge - 22/04/2022

The View with Cataracts!

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