Already we're into May. The month started with me taking my pregnant fiancee for a walk around the cliffs of Dunnet Head, don't worry nothing too dangerous. We were checking out the local
puffin population, which was actually rather sparse from the location we were in. I did manage to get a couple of shots of this couple with a poor wallflower. After his departure there was a bit of a domestic.
The night ended with some nice crepuscular rays over Dunnet Head.
My next wander, this time with George was on the 6th May. We took a headed East to the Stacks of Duncansby by John O'Groats. I left the house in Thurso in relatively decent weather, totally unprepared for what was to hit me out there. There was a howling cold South Easterly, driving rain and thick fog. The tourists round about looked utterly bemused by the conditions, with one couple even asking if this was normal for Scotland, (I assume they guessed I was local by the fact I was in shorts and a hoodie).
On the 8th May I went on a hunt for a large bluebell meadow at Berriedale, but with our awful weather it looks like we're weeks behind the rest of the UK. I did get some interesting shots at Achavanich Stone Circle on the way home though. More info on this intriguing location can be found here,
I took delivery of another Olympus camera on the 12th May, this time an Olympus EM 5 Mark II. This is going to be my second camera for wedding imaging. I took it round Thurso river just to get to grips with it, another cracking little camera from Olympus.
So one week after my attempt at Bluebells I headed to Berriedale again, this time with a friend from the Caithness Broch Project, find them at www.thebrochproject.co.uk. There was again a lack of bluebells, slightly more than last time but still not a field to speak of. However we had a great wander and captured some really nice scenes round the area. A highly recommended stop for someone looking for a quiet walk in nature.
To round off the month I had two days off,
something Dounreay does with moving Bank Hols around, so on the 30th I went a drive West to the Wailing Widow Falls. I now massively regret the decision. With holiday season in full swing and the NC500 route being so popular, the majority of my day trip was spent in the car, with around 2 hrs to actually do anything else. I did get some images of the falls, but it was heaving with tourists. I was amazed to see tourists scramble in on the treacherous path, grab a selfie and then leave, with no time spent to admire the surroundings. I climbed out of the falls and beyond Loch na Gainmhich into the hills, and had my lunch looking over a smaller loch with a silly long name. Glas Bheinn loomed to my right as I sat and relaxed in the beating sun. I decided on this quiet location to be the spot for the inaugural flight of my new drone. I've had drones since their initial release, being one of the first UK certified drone pilots, but have been without now for a couple of years. I took this opportunity to get my first flight with the new equipment, capturing this shot looking over Quarig and the Badcall coastline.
I wandered back down the hill, took a few more drone images, then set off on the long drive home, with one quick stop at Tarbet for a look.
Join me again next month to see what other sights, both local and further afield I may have captured.
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