I have spent a day without the camera pressed to my face and instead taken some time out to look at the images taken over the last few days (and also to edit some music over a video shot on the way down the Bealach).

I am really happy with some of the photos I have taken and posted on this blog, however, one or two just didn’t sit well straight out of the camera and so I have resorted to the ever trusty but also dangerous Photomatix to try and give the odd image a little boost. HDR in general and Photomatix in particular seem to get over-used to produce results which are far from realistic so it is always with a bit of trepidation that I use it to enhance images.

The result of an edit today is shown below, and I hope you agree that whilst it is obviously ‘edited’ it doesn’t look unrealistic and was probably a fair representation of what the eye actually saw. I would be interested in your comments.

In other news, I used the amazing video capabilities of the Canon 5D mkII to take a ride down the Bealach na Ba on the way back to Edinburgh on Saturday morning and then spent much of last night and this morning trying to find a piece of music that encapsulated the drive and also lasted the 5 minutes 7 seconds of the clip. You can see the video on YouTube – I was always sceptical as to why a DSLR should have video capability or indeed Live View, however, the more I am using them now the more I can see they add value, probably just as auto focus did when that was first introduced (and probably was also vilified by the purists). Again, it would be great to get feedback on the video and also any comments generally about video or live view on DSLR’s.

Today was the long drive back from Applecross to Edinburgh, made even longer by the frequent stops to take photographs (and videos coming up on YouTube tomorrow) in places such as Russel Burn, Eilean Donan Castle and a totally unplanned, but amazing stop at Glen Garry where I was fortunate enough to witness my first ever cloud inversion.

Apparently, the conditions that are perfect for this type of inversion are very rare and it creates something called an inversion aloft which is when there is hot air above and below the cloud and means the inversion lasts pretty much all day. Sorry, this isn’t a meteorological website but it is an amazing sight when you see something like this one.

In other shots today, I have attempted to produce something similar (although in no way equal to) the fabulous Ansel Adams. There is a colour version of the photo below on my flickr site (link on the right hand side). I would really appreciate a comment or two to tell me which one you prefer.

This morning I woke up to the usual Twitter messages on a foggy day to tell me that Edinburgh was missing. It would appear that the M8 belt (not sure why it isn’t a corridor like the M1 corridor) was covered in a mist that didn’t move all day and the temperatures were sub-zero.  Alternatively, Applecross was bathed in sunshine for the entire day and temperatures were a comfortable 8 degrees, so just a light walking shirt was all that was required for me.

As yesterday, another new lesson has been learned (or is it learnt?). This time relating to long exposure photographs perched precariously on just four small rocks, one supporting me and the other three supporting the legs of my tripod. Never, ever, let a dog loose whilst you are taking photos in this position, especially friendly dogs, as they have a habit of running and leaping toward you after they have become bored after 5 minutes hanging around. Picture the scene as I was holding my tripod with one hand, trying to keep hold of the dog with the other and trying to make sure that I didn’t go A over T myself.

The resulting photo from the couple of minutes by the river is fantastic though and well worth the effort required at the end of the day.

And just for completeness, here is the darling little dog that caused the foray by the river.

Tomorrow is going to be a trip home to Edinburgh, however, on the way I am hoping to capture Russell Burn at the bottom of Bealach na Ba (assuming my stupid height issues don’t get too much of me) and Eilian Doran Castle which is kind of on the way back with a bit of a diversion – hopefully the Edinburgh mist makes it’s way to the castle and gives me that bit of something that will make a great photo in this well photographed spot.

It’s been my second full day in the Applecross Peninsula and I have to say that the rumours photographers pass around that landscape photography is so tiring because the ‘golden hours’ are at the start and end of the day have been well and truly dispelled. This far north the days are really short, sunrise is about 7:30am and sunset is usually around 3:30 – now to me that feels like a normal days work and to be honest there is a good five hours during the day when it’s tools down and enjoy some fantastic walks.

The walk today was assisted by Lulu, dog of the owner of the B&B I am staying at whilst visiting Applecross. I can’t recommend this B&B enough, 5 star hotel service in a B&B which includes fluffy dressing gowns, slippers, under-floor heating, chocolates on the bed at night and the most amazing breakfasts (book at http://www.raggedacre.co.uk/).

Anyway, today’s photography consisted of a few shots looking down the road that travels from north to south along the peninsula, one or two waterfall shots and then I ended the day by spending the evening golden hour (the time of the day when the light is at it’s best and casts a golden glow across the sky) taking some time-lapse images. When I get back to Edinburgh I’ll be posting a short clip of the 349 images taken over an hour that will show the setting of the sun over the Cullin Hills in Skye. However, as a little teaser, here is one of the frames from the clip to show the amazing colours on display this evening.

Every day teaches you a new lesson, and today’s lesson was that when taking time-lapse images over the course of an hour when sitting on wet grass in the middle of the winter, it is probably better to take something to sit on. Thankfully, the heated seats in the car helped but I was fearing an electric shock from the dampness of my butt!

Off to bed for my last full day in Applecross and then back to Edinburgh on Saturday.

Check out more pictures on the Torridon MRT website and on team member Martin Moran’s site.

For the last week we have been on holiday in a little cottage called Callakille on the breathtaking west coast of Scotland.

Callakille

The cottage was about as remote a place as you could find, which was ideal for a week away from the day-to-day routine. The location was simply stunning; the Applecross peninsula is an amazing place. It has the best that Scotland has to offer, the coast line is right on your door step with Otters skirting in and out of the water on their fishing trips along the rocky stretches and Seals appearing in the calm waters of the many hidden away white sandy bays to take a look at who has come to visit their home. Inland, the hills rise up to accomodate the deer herds which were in abundance, climbing all the way up to high peaks which form a natural barrier to keep this peaceful area secluded from all but the determined.

Applecross Bay

The weather at this time of year gave you an idea of how hard life on the west coast can be, with strong winds and icy cold rains keeping you pinned inside snuggled up in front of a peat fire. On occasions though, the wind would drop and the clouds drift apart to allow the sun to shine down on this amazing place and give you enough of a view to enchant you forever.

We spent a few days exploring the hills, with Hector loving the freedom to charge around with nobody else around for miles.

Hector discovers the hills

On one walk, we came across two stags that were feeding just above the beach in one of the bays, as we walked up the hill, they both crossed in front of us, yards away from where we were walking, giving us a magnificent view of these gracious animals. The first picture below shows how well suited the animal is to blending into their surroundings.

A Stag allows us to walk on his hillside

Stags above Sand Bay

The highlight of the week though was talking a walk to the top of Sgurr a Chaorachain, the hill over which the highest road in Britain passes; the Bealach na Ba. The road itself is breathtaking, both from a driving perspective with the hairpin bends and also for the views. But taking the walk up the track from where the road crosses the hill and past the radio mast to the summit is well worth the effort to be rewarded with views down Coire a’Chaorachain which raise the hairs on the back of your neck.

View from Sgurr a Chaorachain

Of course, fearless as ever, Hector lead our way to the top:

Hector conquers Sgurr a Chaorachain

Breathtaking views back towards Applecross

Another sunny afternoon saw us discovering a sheltered cove near Cuaig with a pure white sandy beach. The calmness of the place reached deep inside as soon as your came along the path. The wildlife around you carrying on in their activities, seemingly oblivious to the intruders. After a few minutes though, a Seal popped its head up just off shore to take a good look at us playing with Hector on the beach. Happy we were doing no harm, it casually floated on the surface for 15 minutes taking in the sight before heading back underwater to leave us to enjoy the peaceful location.

Cuaig Beach

 We discovered some hidden gems in Kishorn and Lochcarron which we’ll talk about in another post. Yesterday though, under clear blue skies, we said goodbye to Callakille and the surrounding beauty and made the drive back through some of the most beautiful countryside in the world to Edinburgh. We love Scotland and this holiday gave us another taste of why that is.

Callakille - beautiful and remote

Ipoh Garden Restaurant is located along the busy Canning Highway in Applecross, very near the Raffles Hotel and the Canning River Bridge.  There is no parking outside or behind the restaurant -  you have to either park on the street before – Ogilvie Road if you are coming from the city, or at a small carpark further up the road near the Thai restaurant. 

Ipoh Garden is a simple restaurant, not much in terms of decor but is quite spacious, with an area expanding into the back, enabling it to fit big groups of people if required.  It is popular for their Ipoh Hor Fun (white flat rice noodles) which is a specialty in Ipoh, one of the city in Perak, Malaysia.  The version I like is the soup type, served with clear chicken and prawn broth with chicken shreds, prawns and spring onions.  A must try! 

We had a simple meal this time round and it turned out everybody wanted the Ipoh Hor Fun Noodle Soup!  I ordered something different just so I can take a photo of something else and chose the Sliced Fish Noodle Soup which was in the restaurant’s recommended list too.

The Ipoh Hor Fun Noodle Soup came out piping hot and was as good as ever according to my friends.  It looked good as well with steam coming out from the soup – too bad I couldn’t taste it that night.  My Sliced Fish Noodle Soup came and I thought it was humongous!  It is similar to the Fish Head Noodle Soup with the ‘kiam chai’ (pickled/salted vegetable, very popular in Malaysia) in the soup but with the addition of milk in this case to produce the thicker and milky consistency.  It tasted quite nice and was very filling.  (The best of this dish I had tasted so far is in a restaurant in Malaysia called Ka-So – apparently they don’t add milk to the soup but boil the fish for 10 hours+ to produce the flavour and thickness in the broth.  It is very yummy!)

Service is quite basic but is adequate to get your orders taken and the food on the table.  I had tried their other dishes here before for lunch and dinner and they are nice and reasonably priced.  They even have sticky date pudding in their dessert menu and it wasn’t bad either, I remembered they gave lots of sauce!  Good place to try some Malaysian cuisine!

WITH a new manager running a very tight ship, and a new chef in the kitchen armed with a new menu, Oceanus on the Beach in City Beach has undergone something of a renaissance in recent months.

Since moving to Perth from his native Scotland, chef John Martin has run kitchens at the likes of the old Campo De’fiori in Applecross and the Royal Perth Golf Club as well as his own Wembley restaurant, ultimately selling the business to spend more time with his growing family.

Martin said the first thing he did was change the Oceanus’ menu to something more in tune with the beachside restaurant’s oceanic surrounds.

“The last chef went sort of 90 per cent meat on the menu, and I thought, we’re surrounded by water here, so I went back to about 80 per cent seafood, 20 per cent meat,” he said.

“There’s nothing on the menu that I’m not proud of.” Martin – who was originally trained in French cooking – said simplicity was an important part of his culinary ethos.

 “I go for the good taste and the flavour and I tell the staff in the kitchen to keep it simple ,” he said.

 “You get a lot of chefs that put too many flavours in; complex flavours, and you end up with this mish-mash on your plate.

” Another recent addition to Oceanus is manager Paul Fox, brought in by owner Tom Galopoulos. Fox said he arrived at the restaurant shortly after Martin.

“All I’ve done is just streamline the staff to make sure the service is at a level where it should be, that all the staff are fully professional and really compatible with the industry,” he said.

“I’m teaching my staff the three things I find lacking most in the industry – complex flavours, and you end up with this mish-mash on your plate and, to let people know that the menus are suggestions.

“If you like the sound of the fish of the day, but you don’t want the mashed potatoes with it, we will ask what would you like with it?

“Products in the fridge are there to be used and the chef is there to cook the food that you want to eat.”

Oceanus is also introducing some dinner shows later in the year, with pub-rock legends Mental as Anything dropping in as part of their 30th anniversary tour, as well as a show by Richard Clapton.

Source  :  www.inmycommunity.com.au

The idea of loading of loading my bike up and setting off on an adventure directly from home has always appealed to me. Last weekend I had the opportunity to indulge myself – my friends Paul and Robin have been working on a project to cycle the north and west coasts in a series of long weekends, relying solely on public transport to get to and from each section. Their itinerary would take them by the morning Bike Bus to Braemore junction and onto the coast road south, overnighting in Kinlochewe and Lochcarron before travelling onwards to Mallaig via Skye. I was unable to depart until after lunch so cycled from my house to meet them in Kinlochewe. Next day I accompanied them round the coast road to Lochcarron via Applecross.

There is something tremendously satisfying about undertaking a journey under one’s own steam that would normally necessitate the use of a motor vehicle. The 55 miles from my home outside Inverness to Kinlochewe took a mere 3′15″ in the saddle. I also spent an hour out of the saddle, including a surreal visit to Contin Stores. The shop was in darkness due to a powercut. I had to borrow a torch from the proprietor in order to locate the biscuits in the gloom at back of the shop. As I paid for my sugary purchases of sweets, biscuits and energy drinks it occured to me that cycling may not actually be any cheaper than driving when you take into account the amount of food required to maintain an average speed of 17 mph on an fully laden bike. I was however being extravagant, a bag of oat meal would have supplied flapjacks and mealy water that would have sustained me every bit as well for a fraction of the cost.

As I cycled away my mind wandered from the financial cost of bike fuel versus car fuel to the amount of energy required by each mode of transportation. In terms of the actual energy expended per mile the bicycle beats the car hands down. But what of the total energy cost of manufacturing, packaging and shipping those Licquorice Allsorts, Tangfastics, Sport Mixtures and Lucozade Sport to Contin? It all adds up.

After the long haul up Strathbran the final descent from the Viewpoint to Kinlchewe was a wide, smooth delight. I settled in the hotel bar. Presently Paul and Robin arrived. In an effort to rehydrate I gradually decreased the amount of lemonade added to my cooking lager, shifting to tops after a couple of shandies and ending the night drinking neat lager.

It is a curious feature of Germanic culture that shandy, or Radler as they call it, is regarded as a sports drink. Judging by the labelling it is particularly appropriate for cycling applications. I ingested a couple after our perfectly timed 1100 arrival in Shieldaig on saturday and can can vouch for its effectiveness. I found that it alleviated the sore head that had been afflicting me on the morning’s climbs. I am not so sure, however, that the trio of Radlers that accompanied my lunch at the Applecross Inn did anything for my performance on the climb up the mighty 620 m Bealach na Ba.

I became increasingly flatulent as we crept up towards the summit, undigested fish and chips thrashing in a sea of shandy within, and was glad of the opportunity to pause and savour one of my favourite views, out to the Cuillin of Skye and Rum.

It was a tremendous relief to roll into the Wee Campsite in Lochcarron, lie down and let my lunch digest and my wind dissipate. If I’d had one of those charcoal dog biscuits I’d have eaten it. Had the chance presented itself, I might even have gone so far as to steal one from a dog.

The road titled ‘The Bealach-Na-Ba’ (Gaelic for Pass of the Cattle) is a famous, twisting, single-track mountain road, rising to 626 metres (2053 feet) in the Applecross peninsula,  within the Highland’s of Scotland. It is one of very few roads in the Scottish Highlands which is engineered in a similar fashion to the great mountain passes in the Alps, with very tight hairpin bends which switch back and forth up the hillside, with gradients approaching 20%. It boasts the greatest ascent of any road climb in the UK, rising from Applecross at sea level to 626m..

Now you see why we needed to hit this up right?.. With such a passion for driving, we take all we can in term’s of good roads to drive on. This area has a bad reputation for being badly maintained and full of idiots. To get out into the middle of no where.. with the only other soul’s around being sheep and dial-a-bus drivers and nothing but road, we set up to go.

This being the 4th attempt now at trying to make our way up there (All previous attempts failed due mechanical issue’s with the s15) we were finally set to get going. Aiming to leave between 1-2pm on Thursday.. we didn’t end up going till around 3/4. We arrived around about 8pm and begun to hit this place up!

The rumor’s were true (Well mostly).. the review’s on website’s tourist wide about how cool this place was.. met its highly ranked status of being “One of the best roads in Scotland” – Super Mount Akina style Hairpins.. scary scary drops with nothing but a crash barrier to keep you from sudden death.. suddenly.. the 4 hour drive and sheer price on fuel, almost instantly felt so worth it all!

As you can see its a tad crazy.. to be honest, I expected the hairpin’s to be less steep and more drivable however they were near on impossible to gather enough speed through safely. Loosing traction in second in just trying to get up the hill was a challenge in its own at certain points.

Scott and myself both agreed though.. It was the best road we had ever driven on and some of the sights will stay with us forever.

Well done Scotland, It almost compares!

Oyasumi

Well what a road indeed – Myself and Scotty headed on out yesterday to hit up this now famous road in the hills. The Applecross Pass!

Gathering the tools, jack, water and some camera’s we set off after changin out the Volks on the rear for some of the JDM rims that turned up with the car off the boat with some fresh tread just for the run. Unsure on the journey time but was around 4 hours give or take.

We got a good few runs in and stopped for aload of picture’s too – More info + Pics to come in Part 2 as im off to work now.

We’ll be heading back to this road at some point.. Got home around half 1 in the morning so not had a chance to see the video footage. But its in HD.. win.

Mata x

Holiday Rental in Mindarie

If you’re looking to move to Perth at the end of 2009, or are thinking of visiting family and friends over Christmas, then this might be the perfect holiday home for you.

Located in the picturesque suburb of Mindare, just 30 minutes North of Perth, this house offers all of the creatures comforts you could possibly need, with a few added luxuries thrown in for free.

Available for rent from the 28th November 2008 through to 3rd January 2009, the house comes with plenty of living space, a private garden and a large pool. Great for kids and lots to do for the whole family, Mindaire is nearby to plenty of sporting facilities and just minutes from a beautiful sandy beach.

This could be the perfect place chill out in the sun or park your cases when you first arrive.

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> Find out MORE about the property.

> See MORE pictures of the property.

> Find out MORE about the area.

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> EMAIL for a booking enquiry.

Hey guys!

Well I have been on a few shoots lately and have been very pleased with my results

The first is from Applecross, where I shot with Oli last week and the second and third are experimental type shots with a short dof that were really fun to shoot!

BBC misses the last bus

The BBC on their Breakfast news programme this morning are reporting the sad demise of 5 out of 7 Royal Mail post bus routes in the Highlands. They are late in featuring this story as the local media in the Highlands were highlighting this over a month ago.

Yet the BBC are running the story with the strapline, “Could this be the last post bus for the Highlands?” That suggests there is hope of a reprieve, but the service ceases as of today. There is no hope of these vital rural services being saved, Royal Mail even refused to enter discussions with Highland Council to subsidise the service. Royal Mail bureaucrats in London made the decision, sneaked out the announcement, left little time for consultation and have gone ahead with their plans. And they are meant to be providing a public service. Once the post bus has been axed from these remote communities it’s a simple step to the removal of door-to-door delivery as well. 

Author:  Monty Halls
ISBN:       1846076218 / 9781846076213

When I first caught this series on BBC2, I had high hopes and I have watched every episode with a hint of disappointment.   The first let down was when I realised Mr Halls was planning to spend only a summer as a Highland crofter; the second was that the series was only five episodes, all of which seemed to be more of a travelogue of the area than any real attempt at adapting to a different lifestyle.

By Episode 2, I was aware of a book accompanying the series, and I purchased it in the hope of finding more in depth information.  Alas, I was to be disappointed again.  Yes, there were some extra tidbits in there, but not much.  It lacked some substance, too, and I learned very little about being a crofter, even if only for a Summer.  I should have known really, when I saw the book was categorized as “travel”.  I was also a little puzzled as the episodes Monty describes in the book differed somewhat from what was shown on the television series.  Perhaps it was to make the book read better, or the series more watchable: either way, it was disconcerting.

I just wish it has provided a bit extra in the way of stories from his time in the area, or history of crofting, or the practicalities of bartering.  Oh, yes, bartering.  Mr Halls planned to spend a week living off what he could catch, grow or barter and through the entire series I only ever saw him barter half a dozen eggs for a cappuccino and this only in the final episode, which was not what I expected from the prologue.  

Of course, the book was enjoyable, as enjoyable as the series actually.  Monty claims not to be a writer, but he certainly made this book an easy read.  Having seen the series, his descriptions seemed more than apt and I did get a little lost in his world.  By the end of the read, I really wanted to hear more about Reuben, the rescue dog and faithful companion to Monty throughout his sojourn in the Highlands.  It seems Reuben immersed himself completely in the world of Beachcomber Cottage and its surrounds and he more than enjoyed himself.

The pictures in the book were a nice touch, as were the sketches, provided, the reader is informed, by Monty’s sister.  The chapters fly by and the book can be read in one afternoon and might be a pleasant read if you’re planning a short stay in Scotland.  I am sure it will do much to promote Applecross, the Isle of Skye and a few others places, giving a boost to the local economy in tourism, but this book (and series) could have been so much more. 

Rating: 3½/5.

Truth be told: I would have liked to learn more about Keith and Rachel Jackson’s business; the couple who helped Monty with his livestock, and wouldn’t you know it, they have their own blog.

Highland Post Buses Axed

Another lifeline service for rural communities in the Highlands will disappear in April as Royal Mail axes five post bus routes serving some of the remotest areas in the country. Areas such as Applecross, Torridon and Tongue will be hardest hit by the cost-cutting exercise where no real alternative public transport links exist.

Although only just over 3000 journeys were made along these routes last year, this would suggest that they were well used by the small, scattered communities. Yet Royal Mail has decided to save just £12,871 a year by cutting the five routes, even though they seem to have made no effort to seek subsidy from the Highland

Council.

Royal Mail will still need to drive along these routes in normal post vans so why the need to cut such an important service that will save so little. If they need to make savings then they should perhaps look at the remuneration of their superannuated  Chief Executive, Adam Crozier.

There must be enormous potential for services like these amongst the walking fraternity. For example, the Achnasheen to Diabeg service runs through the heart of Torridon and could easily provide drop-off points for walkers wanting to undertake walks on many of the mountains in that area. Yet, there is no publicity of the service locally or within the walking community. You have to search hard on the Royal Mail website to find any mention of post buses. Just a little bit of marketing could mean additional use, allowing the service to continue for the benefit of both walkers and local communities.

I was scanning the digibox last night, searching for something to watch after “Lark Rise to Candleford”, when I stumbled across a listing for “Monty Halls’ Great Escape”, about a gentleman who sets up residence in a bothy in the north-west of Scotland.   I thought I would watch it as it appeared he was doing what I only dream of.

As it turns out, its exactly what I want to do, only a bit further down the coast from where I want to be.  The more I watched, the more jealous I became of Monty Halls.   Its a three-part series and I intend to watch while wearing a shade of pea-green envy.   The only upside, from my point of view, is that Monty is only spending the summer at Applecross, not the whole year.   Perhaps I can sneak up there and take it over, now that he’s gone? *cue evil laugh*

Its also good to hear the music of the Peatbog Faeries being used on the programme, too.  I listen to the albums quite a bit on my commute to and from work, so to hear their music played over scenes of the Higlands and Islands is a real treat.

Anyways, here is an introductory video from the man himself.

Every Rock Star Landscape Photographer needs their boat.   Last time I looked in Better Photography magazine Peter Eastway and his friend run photography tours in a boat.  I was thinking that perhaps with all the money I’ve made from my Landscape Photography I could purchase this boat and do my own tours.    Any takers?     Seriously though I love this shot, I was going to call it ‘When I grow up’.    Its part of me learning to grow and extending my photography boundaries and ‘eye’.   Hopefully you will all see the sense of humour in this shot as I did.

Has anyone else got any quirky little shots like this?

Jamie Paterson