Woodland Miscellany

 

Just some assorted woodland pictures from the far corners of my hard drive, while I plan the updates to the Gallery section of the website. The woods are all bursting into life at the moment, with Bluebells springing up beneath the trees, and lush herbage such as Garlic Mustard and Cow Parsley crowding the edges and roadsides. Ah, woodlands are fantastic! The following photos are a bit of a mixture, but are all from the woodlands - certainly one of my favourite places to be on a sunny day like today.

 

These two images above were both taken near Zell am See in Austria, on a misty morning climbing the mountain Schmittenhöhe. If a ten-hour hike to the top of the local mountain and back doesn't sound like fun, then perhaps it's best to avoid holidaying with an ardent walker and photographer like myself! The morning started off with a thick mist floating through the evergreens, creating an ethereal atmosphere and interesting lighting for these two photos when the sun blazed through. The mist thinned and finally burnt off around noon, leaving some stunning views over Zell am See and the adjacent lake, and surround countryside too. Myself and Natasha attained the lofty heights of Schmittenhöhe at 1,965m above sea level - around 1,200m above the town where we began, with temperatures reaching 23 degrees Celsius. Strange to think that the mountaintop was covered with a heavy snowfall just two days later.

 

This image was taken on the shores of Loch Lomond in Scotland, while walking the 96-mile long distance footpath "The West Highland Way" from Glasgow to Fort William. The lacustrine woodland petered out here, with one lone outlier tree standing in the very waters of the lake and taking pride of place in this shot. The lighting was very soft for the time of day (midday) giving this picture a very calm aspect. Wood and Water here both contribute to my favourite image from this eight-day hike.

Lifebuoy at Loch Cuil Na Caillich

This photo was taken at Loch Cuil Na Caillich (loch of the nook of the old woman), also known as Aigas Loch, on the Aigas Estate in Inverness-shire. I travelled to Aigas for a job interview a fortnight past, and thought the place very pretty indeed (even in its wintry sub-zero state).

The first European Beavers, Castor fiber, in the Scottish Highlands in over four centuries were introduced to the loch here (see the Aigas website for more info). This occurred back in 2006, and although the beaver pair were enclosed they seem to have thrived within their two hundred acre space and have even had kits. Signs of beaver activity were ubiquitous during my circumambulation of the loch, from felled trees and signs of feeding through to tracks, dams and a veritable lodge. These were the first beavers in the Scottish Highlands in over four centuries

The loch is also utilised by other wildlife. Right here on the jetty, just to the left of the frame, we found and identified some Pine Marten scat. An otter was also spotted on the water that very morning. So even on a frigid, frosty morning, the deceptively placid loch can play host to a lively troupe of exciting animals.

On the surface, however, this is a peaceful photo of a calm loch. The surface of the water, where it is iced over, shows geometric striations. The jetty provides a man-made frame to the natural scene, with an additional anthropogenic detail in the form of the boathouse on the distant shore. The lifebuoy a splash of colour to focus on in the fore.

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Dark Wings over Loch Lomond

This is a shot of a crow taking off from the shore of Loch Lomond in Scotland.

I took this photo in 2010 while living and working on the Scottish west coast, on one of my holidays to see other parts of Scotland. Loch Lomond was a beautiful place to stop while on the way back from visiting Fort William. The lake is the largest in Great Britain, at least when looking at surface area (Loch Ness is the top when it comes to volume or depth).

This crow was one of the many natural sights that I have witnessed in Scotland, and although crows are somewhat commonplace my own affection for the corvids adds to my fondness of this photo. With the backdrop of water there is a simplistic elegance to the shot that makes it memorable for me even amongst the many photos from Scotland, and the exciting sightings and breathtaking views that I have encountered there in abundance.

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Rannoch

 

 This photo was taken last year up in Scotland, in possibly one of my favourite spots ever. 

I was walking the West Highland Way, a long distance footpath that runs almost 100 miles from the 'burbs of Glasgow to the foot of Ben Nevis. On such a long walk through such a stunning country there were of course many places which I remember fondly, but walking over Rannoch Moor the very wild beauty there touched my heart.

Rannoch Moor is hailed as "western Europe's largest remaining wilderness", and thought to be the largest uninhabited wilderness in Britain. Plodding across this landscape on foot (the only way to traverse the moor as no road crosses it), I loved every minute. The soul of the place is unreal.

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