I have to whisper this and hope that no-one hears but I do enjoy a visit to Glasgow over Edinburgh. You may be amazed when I say this, as I do love Edinburgh. I have spent many happy days in the Scottish Capital City and taken some memorable photographs. Glasgow may not have the same immediate sights as Edinburgh. However if you allow yourself to be part of the energy of the city then there is a rich range of places to see. My conference was at the University of Glasgow and I stayed in the Grosvenor hotel in the West End near to the Botanical Gardens. My walk to the University buildings took me along Bryers Road past University Avenue. I took the detour down Ashton Lane several times to sample the quirky neighbourhoods and also sample the delicious food in the restaurants of the area.
My pictures are a selection of shop fronts and restaurants. There was a visit to the Kelvingrove museum. A walk along the river Kelvin in the early morning captured the shadows and light of the beautiful weather we had whilst we were in Glasgow. Visiting the Botanical Gardens during the golden hour captured the glass and the ironwork of the Victorian buildings. My particular favourite was a sunrise along the Western Avenue. For a few moments the sky radiated a warm orange colour as the sun rose over the rush hour traffic.
More information on Glasgow’s Westend plus pictures may be found on the Visit Glasgow Website.
This is my second blog on Glasgow after my Photographing Glasgow in 2019. Since then, I noticed the Glasgow graffiti has changed.
Scotland is a wonderful place to always visit and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend a weekend on Loch Lomond in February with Sandy. Having flown up on the Friday morning, we picked up our hire car and made our way to Duck Bay on the bonny shores of the Loch. A magnificent rainbow greeted us set against the backdrop of Ben Lomond. I knew then that it was going to be a lucky weekend.
So much to see around the shores and following Duck Bay, we headed over to the east side of the Loch. When we arrived at Balmaha, the low sun was reflecting off the water creating beautiful light reflections. I love visiting such places out of season as the places are quiet and you have the place to yourselves. Balmaha houses the Loch Lomond coffee house and the pub serves a tasty bowl of soup. After a stroll around the Lochside we drove back to Balloch.
Our destination for the end of the day was Loch Lomond shores. Whilst it is very commercial and more concrete than aesthetics, it is redeemed by the views of the Loch. Also I saw that renovation of the Maid of the Loch steamer was gathering pace and that the paint work had been stripped off and the metal was showing.
Saturday morning threw up some colours in the sunrise and an early morning photographic stroll allowed for some interesting long exposures. We were staying at the Cameron House hotel and the grounds gave excellent access to the loch shore.
After breakfast, we set off for Inveraray to visit the prison museum. This attraction was excellent and gave an insight into the past society and the harsh life people led in the Highlands especially if they broke the rules. There was a restored black Mariah which Bill one of the staff, showed us and also provided an excellent account of life at the prison. It was an enjoyable drive along the Loch. After every turn on the road, there was spectacular scenery just asking to be photographed.
My favourite picture of the day was stopping at the layby “Rest and be Thankful”. There was a glimpse of the sun which lit up the valley and highlighted the old military road and the roadworks on the side of the mountains. I just stood there for several minutes taking in the beautiful scenery.
On our last morning, the weather was dull with a great deal of cloud cover. As I wandered along Duck Bay looking for photo opportunities, I passed by many people huddled together talking in low voices. I wondered what they were doing. Undeterred, I found a good spot on the Loch shore and set up for a long exposure. I found an interesting stone in the water and lined it up with the island in the background. A very peaceful scene. As I was taking the photograph, two women in wet suits ventured into the loch and I found out that they were freshwater swimmers. They agreed to have their photograph taken. Whilst they were well prepared for the cold waters, a man followed soon after and he looked unprepared and a likely candidate for hypothermia from the low temperatures.
On my way back I then realised that all the people who were standing in huddles had transformed into swimmers. I realised that a favourite Sunday morning pastime is to venture into the cold waters around the Loch. This is not something that I would enjoy.
My final picture is from Firkin Point which I had not stopped off at before on my visits to Loch Lomond. I discovered the lone tree over the Loch. The afternoon had closed in and so the picture leant itself really well to a black and white processing.
I you enjoyed this account of Loch Lomond then be sure to read these as well.
I was fortunate to visit Edinburgh for a conference and had the morning to myself. The meeting was due to start at lunchtime, leaving me free to roam around the city. It was a beautiful morning and my hotel was in the Old Town. My plan was to wander down the Royal Mile down to Holyrood and the Scottish Parliament. Then my plan was to move upwards to Carton Hill and then finally back to the Old Town. Edinburgh is full of nooks and crannies.
The City is fun to explore and as my pictures show there are many different sights. The hilly terrain allows for some scenic views of the City. Calton Hill has been a focus for many people over the years and with the sunrise over Arthur’s Seat, many of the famous buildings were caught in the beautiful light. I met Zain who wanted his picture taken and he obliged with the portrait that is featured in my blog. In the background, you can see the Dugald Stewart Monument and the Portuguese cannon with the National Monument reflected in his glasses.
There were many sun worshippers and tourists out and about in the early light. I took many photographs and then moved back down to Waverley train station and the Scott monument on Princess Street. Then I made my way back to the Old Town via the beautiful Cockburn street with its Victorian architecture and bustling coffee shops and restaurants. The long straight road of South Bridge brought me back to the Royal College of Surgeons and their hotel 10 Hill place where I was staying.
If you enjoyed this blog then be sure to take a look at Photographing Edinburgh which was about my last visit to the city in 2019. Photographing Edinburgh
We spent a great deal of time during our holiday visiting this beautiful village on the banks of Loch Lomond. Luss is Gaelic for herb and the village was so named after St Kessog. As Irish missionary to Scotland, he was martyred, and the legend is told that herbs grew on his grave.
The village of Luss is characterised by the neat row of cottages that once belonged to the slate quarry workers that worked in the surrounding area. The appealing thatched cottages built by the Laird around the village have slate roofs, as timber was in short supply. Now they are a popular tourist attraction, and the main street leads down to Luss pier.
This is the focal point of the village where there are ice cream vans and holiday makers taking advantage of water sport activities. There are also beautiful views of the Luss Hills and Ben Lomond with their peaks reflecting on the water. Luss church is away from the tourist track and has a quiet atmosphere as it sits overlooking the water.
A feature of Luss is the nearly developed Faerie trail which my granddaughters loved and takes in the nearby forest and river valley. You buy your tickets from the Airstream trailer in the Luss overspill carpark before heading off into the forest and meeting the Faeries. Luckily no Trolls can be seen as they are all in School learning how to behave. Luss is a delightful place to stay and is a perfect base for exploring Loch Lomond and its surroundings.
I just love going up to Scotland and the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh are so different but rather wonderful in their own particular way. First stop was Glasgow and I was there for a conference in September. I stayed in the City for the week and then Sandy came to join me on the Saturday. The Conference was at the University of Glasgow which is very photogenic with its imposing Gothic structure overlooking the city. Some of the lecture theatres were also surreal such as the Kelvin Gallery which had a definite Steampunk feel to it. After the conference we went up to Loch Lomond to visit friends and even though it was misty, the magic of the scenery was there to see.
Grafitti greetingGlasgow UniversitySteampunk lecture theatreGlasgow Town HallScottish DancingThe weather was good on some of the days! (featured by BBD Scotland)Early morning on the Clyde (featured by BBC Scotland)The beauty of Loch Lomond
There will be many visits around the country in the coming few years as I am part of a research grant with 4 other universities (Glasgow, Leeds, Southampton and Edinburgh). The lead institution is Glasgow University and that is where the kick of meeting began. There was a Burns supper the night before the meeting proper and a chance to photograph in and around the University buildings. The University is very photogenic and has commanding views of the surrounding Glasgow area. The building is also impressive and the central area is called the undercroft. The University have left the Christmas fairy lights in place and it makes for an impressive site. There had been some rain the night before and this added to some of the street reflections seen in the pictures.
The UndercroftStairs in the BuildingThe lightsEnd of the nightFairy lightsAlways fun to look atSnowdrops and path Imposing facadeThere was time for a Gin in the Hotel
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