A Favourite View 
from the Hill of the Wild Garlic

 All images COPYRIGHT asserted - David Geddes at The Open Sky

Its not too far. If the sunset and weather hold promise, its only 40 minutes of climbing to reach the rocky spur that faces west to Plockton, Skye, and between November and February, the sun setting behind the far Rum Cuillin to the south of Skye. 

It is possible to look back towards our house over looking Strome Castle Bay, but really its the unfolding sunset colours to the west that are intriguing. Perched up high, having been distracted by woodcock and roedeer, the colours develop, intensify, change and all too soon fade into the arms of the night. Merlins, Kestril, Buzzards and Sparrowhawk are common here. Rabbits are non existant. Voles and field mice are common. Hares populate the higher reaches of the hill. Eagles soar by once in a while. We have seen the dolphins in the loch quite clearly ambushing unseen shoals carried up the loch on the incoming tide.

The journey down is colder and more difficult with stepped rock slabs and small shaded drops to avoid. The dogs generally find their simple right way quite naturally.

I love coming up here to watch in the silence, bar the faint bird cries from the coast and the bark of another roebuck disturbed by a foraging chocolate labrador or two with a scenting ability like early warning radar.

In the spring there are the first primulae and purple saxifrages to find. In the summer the faint path reveals 3 forms of orchid. Occasionally there are shouts from the climbers under instruction on the dry tooling crag. Its below us. This is Bad a Chreamha, the hill of the wild garlic. Its like an extension of my garden, where wild garlic grows.

This is home, where the heart is, and I cannot tire of coming up here. I never shall.

.

Cold

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              All images COPYRIGHT asserted - David Geddes at The Open Sky

Winter’s came, the snow has fell, 

Wee Josie’s nose is froze as well, 

Wee Josie’s froz'z nos's skint'it 

……..Winter’s diabolic, in't it ........

Bud Neill - legendary cartoonist for the Scottish  Daily Record

Mountains - a few local scenes

Am Bhastier, Sgurr Bhastier, Bruach na Frith - Skye Black Cuillin

Sgurr nan Gillean, Am Bhastier - Skye Black Cuillin

Sligichan, Red Cuillin, Sgurr na Gillean - Skye

An t' Ruadh Stac

An t' Ruadh Stac

Meall Gorm towards Skye

Beinn Mheadhoin - Cairngorms

Beyond Strathnethy  - Cairngorms

Meall Gorm, Sgurr a Chaorachain, Bhein Bhan - Applecross

Horns of Alligan, Liathach - Torridon

An t Ruadh Stac, Maol Ceann Dearg, Sgurr Ruadh - Srathcarron

Beinn Alligan, Liathach, Sgurr nan Lochan Uiane, Beinn Damph - around Loch Torridon

An t' Ruadh Stac, Maol Ceann Dearg, Beinn Eighe, Sgurr Ruadh, Fuar Tholl - Srathcarrann

The mountains west of Attadale Forest, looking towards distantSkye

Liathach and Beinn Dearg - Torridon

Sgurr na Forcan from The Saddle

Horns of Alligin

Liathach

Sgurr nan Lochan Uaine

 All images COPYRIGHT asserted - David Geddes at The Open Sky

Almost all taken within a few miles of my home in Wester Ross, Scotland. Most on long dog walking outings. There are a couple from the Cairngorms.  No particular theme, just myself and a camera in my most natural environment.