Alpenglow on The Buachaille

Morning alpenglow illuminates the Buachaille Etive Mor across the River Etive.

The Buachaille Etive Mor is an icon amongst the peaks of the Scottish Highlands. Standing proud above Rannoch Moor and guarding the entrance to Glencoe and Glen Etive, its vertical buttresses and narrow ridges soar like a cathedral high into the sky. The mountain is instantly recogniseable, highly respected and held in affection by the many mountaineers who have come to know it.

On this cold February morning, a cold front had passed overnight and a small ridge of high pressure promised a window of fine weather before the next atlantic system was scheduled to move in. In the cold pre-dawn small strips of cloud moved across the summits from east to west – occasionally lying on the mountains but never totally obscuring them from view. As the sun rose it produced a brief spectacle of soft pink light across the mountain, the moors, the gravel pools and waterfalls of the River Etive.