Autumn in Glencoe

Why Glencoe?

Glencoe and the surrounding areas offer some of the most dramatic scenery in the British Isles and it’s hard not to be seduced into adding it to one’s bucket list. Visiting in Autumn has the added bonus of experiencing the warm colours of the grasses, trees and other vegetation.

At over 900km from my home in the south-east of the UK, it’s a trip that required a fair degree of planning. Having been postponed a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I was pretty well prepared when the time came. Travelling with my good friend, Phil Drury, with whom I have been on a number of photographic trips before, added to the experience. We could also share the driving and accommodation costs, making it good value for money, compared to tours offered by professional guides.

We were hopeful for a mix of weathers, from clear still days, to storms and the outside chance of snow on the peaks. In the end it was mainly just wet and overcast, with a few bright interludes - not much variety but one has to make the best of what nature provides, such as the dreamy image below.

A misty morning in Glen Nevis.

Day 1 - Travelling and Ashness Bridge

We had decided to split the journey over two days, with a stop-off at Carlisle. We would leave at 4.15am on the Friday morning, with the aim of getting a couple of hours in the Lake District to get us in the mood. We did not want to head deep into the Lakes, and opted for a visit to Ashness Bridge, which is easily accessible from the M6.

We were lucky in not experiencing any traffic hold-ups, arriving in the NT car park near the bridge around 1pm. It was a day of mixed sunshine and showers, with a good display of autumn colours on show. We suspected it would be a busy spot, with a number of walkers and photographers there. In all, we spent just over an hour at the location, which was as pretty as I had hoped it would be, managing to get some shots without people in them.

The light was fantastic, as showers passed over Derwentwater - the light changing every few seconds.

Ashness Bridge, with Skiddaw in the background

Rainbow over Derwentwater

Day 2 - Recce of Kilchurn Castle and Castle Stalker

By splitting the journey over two days, it meant we could get an afternoon to visit two castles, en-route to our rental cottage in Ballachuilish: Kilchurn Castle at the head of Loch Awe, and Castle Stalker on the Atlantic coast.

The weather was pretty miserable, but although it did not yield many pleasing images, it gave us a sense of the places, to help plan for visits later in the week.

Castle Stalker. Image by Phil Drury

Day 3 - Easen Dubh falls and Buchaille Etive Mor

These falls were a 30-minute drive from our cottage, on the River Orchy. The weather on the Sunday morning was overcast with intermittent light drizzle. It’s possible to park next to the falls, making for a gentle start to the day. Heavy rain the preceeding two days meant that there was a strong flow on the river and the surrounding rocks and trees allowed for many compositions. I favoured shooting wide-angle to include the whole environment.

Taken at 22mm to emphasise the rocky edges with a 1/2 second exposure to give movement in the river

From a slightly more downstream location, emphasising the sweep of the river in landscape orientation

On our way back from the falls on the Orchy, we headed down the Glen Etive road, parking up near the bridge over the Coupall river, with easy access to the falls in front of Buchaille Etive Mor. It’s one of the most photographed locations in Scotland, and standing there as rain showers pass over, it is truly dramatic. Wellington boots are essential here after heavy rain, otherwise the best places are inaccessible.

On the day, as well as having to deal with the boggy ground, the rain showers were in our faces, requiring frequent wiping of lenses. I’m not complaining though as it was the most dramatic light that we were going to get during the entire week!

1/4 sec at 21mm focal length in landscape orientation

Going in a bit tighter at 26mm in portrait orientation with side-lighting hitting the mid-ground. 0.3 second exposure

An alternative view looking up the river to the west

Day 4 - more rivers, mountains, cottages and Rannoch Moor

After our successes the previous afternoon, we returned to the Coupall falls, where the light was very different again. We then photographed Buchaille Etive Mor from behind a set of rapids on the River Coe, Lagangarbh Cottage before heading off to Rannoch Moor.

More low cloud the next day, giving a totally different feel to the place

View from behind a set of rapids on the River Coe. Strong light on the foreground contrasting with the low cloud over the mountain

As well as the rivers and mountains, the Pass of Glencoe is famous for its old crofters’ cottages, the most photographed of which is Lagangarbb cottage, which is just a short walk from a car park on the main road. In our haste to capture the light, we left our tripods in the car, as we could see a storm approaching from the south. We had about 15 minutes before the heavens opened.

Lagangarbh cottage and Coupall river just before the storm arrived

We decided that we would take the 20-minute drive to Rannoch Moor, in the hope that the rain might ease off a bit - at least turn showery. That proved not to be the case initially, as we were treated to leaden skies on our arrival. We did get a few breaks later in the afternoon, but the light was hitting the hills in background rather than the foreground. I’ve seen some great shots of this location, but it did not really work for us on the day. I’d love to go back when its covered in snow!

At least we were treated to a rainbow…

Day 5 - ‘washout day’ in Glen Nevis

Of all the days, this we by far the wettest; in fact it rained all day. We decided to take a drive through Fort William and head up Glen Nevis to try and capture some autumn colour. We spent a couple of hours there, jumping in and out of the car, but by lunchtime the rain got the better of us and we headed back to the cottage to dry out. We did get a few half-decent images, but it did make us want to come back when it was less dreary.

Day 6 - River Coe, the Three Sisters

Just a short drive from the cottage there is access to another set of rapids on the River Coe, giving the opportunity to shoot towards the west. We spent a good couple of hours here, before heading up the road to capture a panorama of the The Three Sisters.

I love the small, lone larch tree on the rocky bank

A panorama created from three images taken with 24mm T&S lens

Panorama of the Three Sisters, blended from five individual images

Day 7 - Kilchurn Castle and Coupall River

After our initial recce to Kilchurn Castle, we decided that what the location needed was mist. So, during the week, we kept our eyes on the weather forecast, hoping for a cool morning with light winds. As it turned out our penultimate day, Thursday, had the most promising forecast, so we headed off early, arriving just before sunrise.

Initially there was a little mist off to the east over a marshy area, but nothing near the castle. On the plus side, there was very little wind, so we found a good vantage point and waited to see if mist would move or develop further. Our patience paid off, and bands of fog drifted though the scene, giving great photo opportunities with the extra level of interest

Once the light had gone and the bus loads of tourists started to arrive, we headed back to the Pass of Glencoe, as there was another location on the Coupall River that we had not tried. The light was very flat by now and was to stay that way for the remainder of the week. There were some different shots to be had, nonetheless.

An HDR of five different exposures; the sun breaking through some very uninteresting cloud cover

Day 8 - Glen Nevis and the Glenfinnan Viaduct

The weather on our last day was very similar to the preceding one: dull grey skies and light winds. At least it didn’t rain at all, so I’m not complaining. We decided to head back to Glen Nevis, in the hope of capturing some more autumn colour. The light was significantly better than our sortie earlier in the week, and the resultant images more pleasing.

With just one afternoon left of our holiday, we had to decide where to go. We knew that most of the previous locations would be very dull but we had shortlisted one place as a possibility to go to and that was the Glenfinnan Viaduct. It was only a 30-minute drive from where we were, so we headed off up the coast road, following the SatNav.

On arrival we met a couple in the car park who informed us that we had just missed the train passing through. To be honest, we did not realise the viaduct was still in use! After making some polite enquires we were informed that the last train of the season/year was due past at 3pm. We decided that we would hang around for the additional two hours and try and photograph it on the viaduct.

We trapsed around for a while until we found a good vantage point. High enough to be level with the train and the right side of the viaduct so that it would be coming towards us. It was a long wait, but worth it in the end. I’m by no means a train buff, but it made for a pleasing shot as it chuffed past, even if it was arse-end first.

In summary

If you are in two minds of whether to go to this area, I would say, just do it. Autumn is a great time to visit and there’s plenty to keep you interested for a whole week. We had a whole mix of weather, with the start of the week giving us the best opportunities.

A big thank you to Phil for his companionship throughout.

I would recommend Strathassynt Cottage as a place to stay, being spacious, well-appointed and opposite a great pub/restaurant.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and please contact me if you’d like information on any of the locations we visited.