Sligachan, Isle of Skye, Scotland, Spring
I have returned from my fifth visit to Skye.
I have returned from my fifth visit to Skye.
God damn I love that island so much.
What definitely helps, apart from the fantastic scenery, is that for entire week of our stay the weather and light conditions were fantastic.
All in all, I returned to Cumbria with 200+ RAW files of epicness. Where does one start?
For me, with one of my favourite places on Skye: Sligachan.
Sligachan is a small settlement on Skye’s eastern coast, somewhat halfway between two of Skye’s major population centres: Portree and Broadford. There’s not much at Sligachan apart from a hotel and a couple of houses. What it does offer is some of the finest views of the Black Cuillins and Red Cuillins on Skye.
In particular, there are a number of small rivers that run from the Cuillins towards Loch Sligachan, and the underlying geology has enabled some fantastic waterfalls. You’ve just gotta be prepared for some boggy hiking.
I’ve played around these waterfalls many a time, always seeking the “one” winning photo from this area. On this occasion, I’ve come closer than ever before of capturing that special photo from this magical place.
All photos taken on my Sony α7ii using my Pentax SMC 28mm F3.5 and Rokinon 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC prime lenses. RAW files developed in Lightroom, edited and finalised in Photoshop.
Sligachan, Isle of Skye, Scotland, Spring by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
On our first full day on Skye, we first enjoyed the Scorrybreac circular around Portree. Afterwards, we nipped south to visit Sligachan. Whilst Portree was relatively sunny, conditions at Sligachan were significantly different. Stormy skies and powerful freezing winds made for some awe-inspiring conditions. On this occasion this was the best image I could make on this brief visit, the Red Cuillins topped in snow with storm clouds brewing above.
Returning to Sligachan on another day presented a completely different story, with strong sun bursting through the passing, racing clouds. Our first port of call was getting under the Old Sligachan Bridge for a composition of the Black Cuillins.
Afterwards, we began the hike up alongside one of Sligachan’s many rivers, this one being the Allt Dearg Mòr (“Great Red River”). Numerous waterfalls can be found along the river, this one being one of the bigger ones. My ultra-wide 14mm lens was able to capture not only the entirety of the falls and the snow-capped Black Cuillins, but some of the Red Cuillins too.
Beyond the large waterfall, a wide series of falls presented a beautiful composition involving the Black Cuillins as the clouds sank over the mountains.
Getting closer to the falls as I dared, I faced directly towards the sun and attempted a composition of the falls with one of the Red Cuillins, Marsco (736 m/2,415 ft).
A 3-shot 28mm panorama stack from top to bottom enabled this composition of another waterfall with the snowy Black Cuillins darkening above.
Looking back down the river towards the Red Cuillins saw clearer skies. On the left, the wizard’s hat of a mountain is Glamaig (775 m/2,543 ft), catching the light on its smooth flanks. The other Red Cuillin in the distance is Beinn Dearg Mhòr (731 m/2,398 ft)
Back at the Old Bridge, a classic composition involving the bridge and Glamaig proved impossible to resist. In the late 1800s a Gurkha named Harkabir Tharpa scaled Glamaig, starting and finishing at sea level in the bar of the Sligachan Hotel, in 55 minutes. That’s nuts, especially considering most routes up the mountain involved a steep climb on loose scree.