Scotland Trip Report - Feb 2022

A trip to Scotland in winter is one of my favourite parts of the often dull winter months. I spent last week north of the border in the mountainous Cairngorms national park and rugged valley of Glen Coe. I try to make it up to Scotland each February for my birthday. In the winter months no other location in the UK gives me the same excitement, the pure scale of the landscape with guaranteed snow makes for truly unique photographic opportunities.

Aviemore has become our base of choice in the Cairngorms due to the reliable road access in all conditions and resort like amenities. At resort level the snow on arrival was deep and we enjoyed forest walks and sledging on the first day of our trip. Warmer conditions and a shift in wind direction brought a rapid thaw and closure of the ski resort on day 3 of our trip.

The plan for the second half of our week was for an extended stay in Glen Coe, and staying at the remote (and newly refurbished) Kings House Hotel high up on Rannoch Moor. Weather warnings were in full force during our stay, the South of England was also about to be hit hard by storm Eunice. Wind on the moor in the run up to the storm was in excess of 70mph meaning trips outside the hotel were limited.

We headed home early in order to get back home before the worst of the storm hit areas further north. I managed to capture a couple of shots from the roadside on the way home, the Falls of Falloch has always been on the list and I managed to stop briefly to explore the falls. The heavy rain from the storm raised the river to torrent levels creating a thunderous waterfall.