Loch Scavaig and The Cuillin of Skye

Looking out from Beinn Leachach to Loch Scavaig and the Cuillin of Skye

The Black Cuillin of the Isle of Skye present some of Britain’s greatest challenges for both the mountaineer and the mountain photographer alike. The very location of this complex and precipitous group of summits, on the southern tip of the largest island in the inner Hebrides means that it is exposed to some of the most changeable and unpredictable weather patterns to be found anywhere in the British Isles.

The most popular and widely accepted view of The Cuillin from the south is that from Elgol, the tiny fishing village at the tip of the Strathaird Peninsula, However, I personally felt that the view from Elgol had its limitations. After careful research I settled on this new viewpoint on Beinn Leacach, and early one morning in May I finally arrived on its summit above the deep blue waters of Loch Scavaig which themselves lapped delicately onto the shores of Camasunary Bay. The meadows above the bay were rich green in colour with new spring growth.

I captured my first images at six o'clock, but the shadows intruded too far into the image and I decided it was necessary to compromise colour and clarity for composition and take further shots later in the morning. It was another hour before I shot the images that eventually produced the print.