Highland Games

Dancing competition

accompanied by bagpipes

I was helping out on a stall at Taynuilt Highland Games today (about 10 mile south-east of Benderloch on the opposite side of Loch Etive). These are a few of the snaps I took with a small compact camera.

The games field during the
throwing the hammer competition

Awards presentation

 The Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary at Barcaldine has a new feature for 2011 - a collection of turtles. The centre is found on the shore of Loch Creran on the A828 when going north from Benderloch towards Fort William.

The entrance - look for the large carved seals on the roadside!

The turtles

Turtles in close-up

View over Loch creran from the centre

Dramatic black-and-white shot looking into the Glencoe mountains from the centre

Fishing boat at mooring on the loch

More information about the centre - opening times, attractions, otter, seal and shark feeding times - human feeding at the cafe - the shop - here

If you book your tickets online during July 2011 you'll get a discount.

There is now a cycling/walking track from the centre running north to the Creagan Bridge over Loch Creran and beyond towards Appin. Other parts of this track are now open from Oban to Dunbeg, at Benderloch, and from Kentallen through Ballachulish to Glencoe. In time all these sections will be connected to make the Red Fox Trail between Oban and Fort William.

Orchids

Its been another good year for the orchids growing in the old gravel pit area above the beach at Benderloch. Perhaps not quite as numerous as last year but individual plants seem to have had taller flower stems.

Around Oban Piers

Some photos taken during a shopping trip into Oban 

Setting off to see the seals

Fishing boats

Three-masted ship at the North Pier
with St. Columba's Cathedral in the distance

Ardchattan Kirk 175th Anniversary

2011 is the 175th anniversary of the opening of Ardchattan Kirk, the Church of Scotland building on the north shore of Loch Etive. Throughout the summer there is a photographic exhibition showing people, events and documents about the building and the parish history.

There is more information about the Parish and the Exhibition here.

These are a couple of pictures I took recently. I spotted the potential for framing the building shot last winter and have been waiting for leaves to come out and the right light to get this photo from low down on the road. To get a nice balance of lighting more like the eye sees it this is built from a series of exposures of the scene.

Ardchattan Kirk

I have already produced a set of postcards of the church which includes a vertical shot of the interior. Now that I have a "wider" wide-angle lens I was able to stand in the gallery and take this view of the interior showing the Minister's pulpit (with the cross on the white drape or pulpit-fall as it is known); the inverted conical canopy (sounding board) above it and the Precentor's box below (for leading the singing of psalms). 

Inside the Kirk

Midsummer 2011 sunset, Benderloch

Tralee bay, Midsummer 2011

It turned out to be a wet evenig on June 21st so I was glad that I'd taken this shot the night before. Midsummer sunset is around 22:15hr here and stays close to that time for quite a while. I'm posting this on July 12th at 22:50hr. Tonight's official sunset time was 22:05hr and I'm still watching the fading  remains through my study window.

Glencoe & Ballachulish

Some photos taken walking near Ballachulish and Glencoe villages. If you are staying around Benderloch allow yourself about 40 minutes for the drive north up the coastline of Loch Linnhe.

Loch Leven and the Pap of Glencoe from Ballachulish

Loch Leven and Pap of Glencoe from north side of the loch

Glencoe Lochan behind the old hospital
- a lovely disability-friendly walk from the village

The old slate quarry port at Ballachulish - midsummer sunset

Ballachulish - midsummer sunset

Better still - make it a full day trip and have time to stop at the viewpoints and eateries en-route!