The online presence of Tim Collier. Photographer, course leader, lecturer and blogger.
Luing is a small island so it’s possible to see a fair amount of it in a short time and with the light fading by 4.30pm at this time of the year (early November) getting to a few places, north, south, east or west is doable. After Ardinamir Bay we headed to the west of the island, to Black Mill Bay.
The morning was spent on the east coast of Luing, at Ardinamir Bay, over looking the island of Torsa. The tide was out and the sky a rich deep October blue, with not a soul around.
Following on from the last post, when I passed through the Gulf of the Corryvreckan, I thought I’d take a look at a few of the images I took when we boarded a rib to enter the whirlpool over ten tears ago, it felt a very different place! It’s critical to time any visit to see the full extent of the waters between the north of Jura and Scarba and there aren’t that many occasions in the year when the whirlpool can be seen at its best. We arrived before dawn for this visit and caught the tides just right for a spectacular sight.
We were off Iona on the early ferry and not booked on the Craignure ferry till about 4.00pm, so giving us a few hours on Mull. If you only a few hours on Mull then best to had round to Loch na Keal for as good a chance of White-tailed Eagles as anywhere, as they tend to sit out on the skerries with a recent catch.
The south of the island, like the Abbey, is intrinsically linked with St. Columba. A walk across the rougher part of the island past loch Staonaig, which at one time supplied Iona with its fresh water, will take you to Columba’s Bay.
Up to the north yet again in the afternoon and the rain got heavier and heavier. On the sands at Boundary Strand the Sanderling were back and two Knot appeared from somewhere over Calf Island. They were struggling against the increasing wind and now persistent rain.
The forecast was right! Early morning it was threatening and getting darker with the wind beginning to strengthen. I like these conditions even if it can make photography a little challenging.
So the afternoon came with heavy showers before settling down to a fine day with a good breeze. It’s about a mile and a half from where we were staying to the north of the island, passing the ruins of the Nunnery and the iconic and atmospheric Abbey, which I would visit at length on another day.
Handa is an island that simply tugs you back. It has it all; a wonderful evocative sense of loneliness (no Skomer hoards here – although it is still possible to get a quiet spot if you walk in the opposite direction to the Wick); a chance to get close to the ‘pirates’ of the bird world; archaeology and ancient history and a landscape of low coastal reefs to seriously imposing 100 metre Torridonian sandstone cliffs.Continue reading
Back to Islay and the geese. The aim was to place them in a wider context and I was fortunate that the weather was with me (seems like it’s not been very good since then). The mornings were superb and straight out of the van I was able to work with a perfect backdrop and the geese coming over the waters of Loch Indal. Trying to work them together is not such an easy task, focusing is all against you and the focusing spot had to be continually adjusted.
Islay’s about the perfect destination in winter if you love both geese and a good malt. For such a small island it has a wealth of fine distilleries and they are wonderfully located. Eight distilleries in such a compact area all responding to the natural characteristics of the island.
