Scottish Highlands

TheFlyingCamera said:

If you'd like, I can research an itinerary and put together a price quote, special for APUG.

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Do you have time for this? I'd love it....for the fall of '07

Drew B. said:

Do you have time for this? I'd love it....for the fall of '07

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Those pictures look like they managed the 1 sunny afternoon Scotland is allowed!

If I could scrape together the time, I'd love to go - even when misty (normal) Scotland is a wonderful country.

Except in the winter. I can give the winter a miss - dark and high winds on the Islands.

eclarke said:

Geez, This sounds like a good idea. I had a little correspondance with Tillman Crane last year. He was trying to put together a "Scottish Romp" with 8-10 people and I was really attracted to the notion. It didn't happen, but it might be cool to try ind involve him..he knows his way around..Evan Clarke

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Tillman Crane obviously knows what he is doing. I saw his book on Scotland and it is beautiful.

Anne Marieke

Drew B. said:

Do you have time for this? I'd love it....for the fall of '07

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It's my photography company's raison d' etre. I can start investigating possibilities and I'll keep everyone up to date here on the thread. Fall 07 sounds like a viable target date. Perhaps around the Columbus Day weekend? I'll look into a five- to seven-day package, and work up Ireland and a Scotland alternatives. I have a travel agent I can work with to help folks with the air and other arrangements. I'll aim for mid-level accommodations, nothing budget, and nothing exotic, unless I come across something that could be a must-see or must-do for a single night.

KenS said:

Lachlan forgot to mention the days when you might have to endure the "smir".... The very fine and "light" rain that can soak through just about anything, and chill you to the bone... The time when the smirahorrigans get at ya. The best defence is a heavy pure non de-oiled wool that will keep you warm, even when it gets wet.

Ken

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Its like that in Aberdeen right now... a good gore-tex jacket is a very effective defence.

Lachlan

Lachlan Young said:

Its like that in Aberdeen right now... a good gore-tex jacket is a very effective defence.

Lachlan

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Or an old-fashioned New England fisherman's rubber overcoat. The yellow ones. NOTHING gets through those.

TheFlyingCamera said:

Or an old-fashioned New England fisherman's rubber overcoat. The yellow ones. NOTHING gets through those.

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Except that you can't move in those, or sweat will make you as wet from the inside as you would have been from the outside without it.

Wool it is. The lanolin is a mickle fine smirahorrigan deterrent.

Highlands info

Hello,

I live in Edinburgh and am in the Highlands twice a month on photographic trips. Have been working in the Highlands for many years. I'm a newbie to APUG, but hope to get some stuff submitted to the gallery soon, mostly B+W landscapes.

The Highlands are great, but weather is very changeable. This means of course that plans can go awry, but also that the light can be very dramatic. Weather wise, the best idea is to check the climbers forecast
http://www.mwis.org.uk/ and also phone a hotel in the area you plan to go as close as possible to the time you're going to be in that area - they will tell you what it's really doing outside! The general BBC forecast is often wrong, particularly on the west coast.

My favourite times to work are Oct- March: often better dramatic light, hopefully some snow on the hills, and, if you work in colour, the hills are an attractive russet brown rather than the uniform green of summer. And there are no midges! Downsides are (even) more unpredictable weather and short daylight hours.

The best time to go if you don't want the winter is May though. Landscape colours not uniforn green yet, it's statistically the driest month of the year and the midges are not out yet. July and August are often wet and you'll get eaten to death by the midges...!

I've got hundreds of favourite locations, but the far North West is my favourite: try Applecross, Skye, Assynt, Torridon. If anybody wants any more info please email me.

Hope this is useful,
Gavin

We already had these horrible midges at the beginning of May, according to mild springtime. They really kill you!!! Myriads of them!
That`s the only nasty thing about the Highlands!

Just got back from a stay on the Isle of Lewis where we have a small place. Christmas Day was spent on the local beach, kite flying, taking snaps [Perkeo1] and drinking Gluvine. Nice. Had to [almost ] rope ourselves down to stop us been blown off to Greenland mind you but it was mild. Light at this time of year is fantastic - if it shows itself - which it doesn't that often. 'Moody' is a term that springs to mind in winter.
Funniest moment [thankfully] was when my chum Vic, who was partially marinated at the time, flambe'd the back of head after leaning back too close to a candle. I thought he looked just like a Christmas pud at the time. He wasn't hurt as he didn't have that much hair to burn.

Lucky you! The Isle of Lewis!
Want to buy a house there, too!

I'll be in Scotland in September. If something were to happen formally (or even informally) that would be cool.

We'll be in Edinburgh a few days, then Aberdeenshire, then up to the highlands and the Western Isles. Exact details still being determined.

We'll also be in London for a little over a week.

Feel free to PM if you're in the area and want to get together. I shoot everything from 35mm to 4x5 but I think airline weight considerations will probably keep me confined to 35mm on this trip.