The Isle Of Skye, UK

The Isle of Skye. March 2002

All photographers should, at some point, visit the Scottish Highlands, in particular the West Coast Islands or the Western Mainland heading North. The best landscapes or seascape photographs can be taken from here. The High Season runs from 1st May to the 30th September, so prices tend to rise and so do "people" in your photographs and the dreaded,may I say, Caravan Drivers.

By Road.
On the A82 from Glasgow - Fort William, then take the A87 to the Kyle of Lochalsh. From there travel over the toll bridge "The Skye Bridge" (The toll at this time of writing was 4.80 for the car and passengers.) and onto Skye itself.

By Train.
A daily service runs to Inverness from Glasgow or through Edinburgh-Glasgow connections. You will need to check and co-ordinate all the necessary rail connections before any travel takes place.
From Inverness you will have to take the final train connection to the Kyle of Lochalsh. This journey, if taken early, gives
you spectacular views of the Scottish Glens and possible sightings of deer, depending on which time of year you make the journey.
Once you reach the Kyle of Lochalsh, there is a local bus service over the bridge to Skye, or walk, and take good photos from the bridge itself

By Bus.
Several bus companies operate a daily service to the Highlands, with connections through either Glasgow or Edinburgh. Check travel and connection times with the company of your choice.

The Island runs its own bus service, but this
is limited, and may not run to all the destinations you require. Car hire is available on the Island, as well as private bus tours through hotels or guest houses, but
the local people will give you lifts, so put your thumbs out and go for it..

A great help to planning your highland holiday, whichever way you intend to travel, is to obtain a copy of the Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board Publication called "Freedom of The Highlands"

It will give you a good starting point for choosing an area to stay and accommodation prices. It can be expensive, but with care in choosing where to stay and eat you can enjoy a good low budget photographic holiday.

A visit to the main town "Portree" information centre will get you all the local guide pamphlets you would require for your photographic locations. The Traveller's Companion split the Island into sections and are very informative, and best of all, are free issue.

If you can stay on the Island for at least 5 days you will be rewarded with great locations to be able to take your photographs. It would be beneficial to spend
the first day on a "Recce" and looked around the whole Island before committing yourself to any sunrise or sunset locations.

Mountaineering is one of the Islands various attractions in both the summer and winter months, and if you reach many of the famous "Cuillin Hills" peaks, then you are in for a real Fuji, Linhof or Hasselblad Panoramic treat. Options for most of us are the widest angle lenses you have on the old 35mm. A tripod is must on these trips.

Having your own vehicle is by far the best way to plan on where you will be at the best time of day to be able to take your photographs, but of course, you need to be prepared to walk or trek to higher grounds if you really require the ultimate in panoramic landscapes, but much can be achieved from just 15 to 20 minutes walk from your vehicle. There are plenty of walking trails, but I always ask permission if I feel I need to cross over some ones land.

I own a 4 x 4, so I'm lucky to be able to use track access to some areas, but walking is really the only way to get those isolated shots. There are many single-track roads on the Island, so extra time must be planned for travel, and take care on these roads. Look out for wildlife or on coming cars.

Remember the locals use these roads everyday and drive much faster than you, and the drop over the side can be a long one.!!!!

My time on the Island was limited due to my work schedule, but I have tried to show you what could be achieved on even a 2 to 3 day visit.

All the photographs were taken on an Olympus C4040z digital camera with a 0.8X wide conversion lens fitted, no filters, and very little manipulation through photoshop.

Have a good trip.

The Isle Of Skye, UK Images

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