Pieces of Scotland
Nick Smalley
Pieces of Scotland A selection of photographs taken in Scotland by
Nick Smalley This publication and the collection of photographs in it are copyright Š2011 Nick Smalley. This publication, its contents, or any part thereof, must not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author. If you would like to use or obtain any of the images in this book, please contact the author directly by phoning 01294 227548 or emailing nicksmalley@btinternet.com during office hours. More information is available at http://ntsmalley.homestead.com
Left: The sun makes the surface of the Clyde at New Lanark Mills look like a giant sheet of tinfoil. Cover photo: Taken on a dreich morning at Tralee Beach, Argyll, looking north towards the Grampian Mountains, about 25 miles distant.
oban & District
These two photos were taken a few hours apart from the same vantage point, at Port Selma, Benderloch, on the same autumn day. The first, taken in the early morning, shows a mantle of mist hanging over Loch Linnhe whilst by mid-morning, the sun was shining and the loch’s surface was clearly visible again.
Previous pages: The setting sun on a September evening gives the sky an almost biblical appearance. Taken near Connel Bridge.
Connel Bridge spans Loch Etive at Connel. The bridge takes the A828 road across the narrowest part of the loch, at the Falls of Lora, a popular venue for canoeists and photographers.
As evening falls, sunset over Loch Etive provides a perfect opportunity for an atmospheric photo.
The village of Benderloch boasts the ‘Pink Shop’ - a well known convenience store - a long with a seasonal tearoom, a filling station and access to Tralee Beach.
Tralee Beach offers a stony shoreline and a view across Ardmucknish Bay.
Dunstaffnage Castle, built by the McDougall Clan in the 13th Century as a stronghold overlooking the Firth of Lorn , provides a host of photo opportunities. The castle stands on a huge slab of rock. Flora MacDonald, who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie to flee Scotland, was imprisoned here on her way to the Tower of London.
Near to the castle is Dunstaffnage Marina. In the centre of the photo Connel Bridge can be seen approximately two miles away as the crow flies.
These photos of Loch Creran were taken from the shoreline at Oban Sea Life Centre on an overcast September morning.
History
Dean Castle (left) incorporates a keep dating back to the 14th century. The castle was given to the town of Kilmarnock in 1975. Prior to the Jacobite uprising in 1745, servants in the castle claimed to have seen a severed head rolling around on the floor. The castle’s owner at the time, the fourth Earl Boyd, joined the uprising and was beheaded in 1746.
For much of its life Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran has been owned by members of the Hamilton family. The older part of the castle is said to be haunted by a "Grey Lady" who starved to death in the dungeons of the castle because she had the plague. A man has been reportedly seen sitting in the library and a White Deer is reputedly seen in the grounds of the castle when a chief of the Hamiltons is close to death.
The image on the left is a stereotypical shot of Culzean Castle near Maybole in Ayrshire, framed by its gateway. It is a spot where countless tourists and photographers have stood to capture this classic view over the years.
Glamis Castle in Angus appears on the photo on the right as well as the on the title page of this chapter. Glamis was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Glasgow Green. Due to its close proximity to the River Clyde, the women of the city’s East End historically used the area for washing and bleaching linen.
In September 1570, Dunure Castle was the scene of a gruesome event during which Gilbert Kennedy, the Earl of Cassillis, roasted alive the Commendator of Crossraguel Abbey, in order to force him to transfer to him some of the lands belonging to the Abbey. The Commendator yielded after two turns of the spit and survived his injuries to a ripe old age.
The late afternoon light gives an eerie appearance to Montgreenan Mansion in Ayrshire.
Clava Cairns near Inverness is one of the best preserved Bronze Age burial sites in Scotland. There are three cairns here, two of which have passageways aligned to the Midwinter sunset.
A dozen traditional cottage known as "The Twelve Apostles", sit just a few yards from the beach in the tiny village of Catacol, on the Isle of Arran. Each of these cottages has a differently designed upper window so that when the men were fishing in the Firth of Clyde, their wives would light a candle in the window and, from the shape of the window, the fishermen would know which house was signalling to them.
The statue of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn Heritage Centre. The head was modelled using measurements from Bruce's skull following the re-discovery of his skeletal remains in Dunfermline Abbey in 1821. In the background, Stirling Castle sits on its hill top location three miles away.
Ayrshire & The Isle of Arran
This statue of Ayrshire’s bestknown son, the ploughman poet Rabbie Burns which stands on Irvine Moor, is said to hop off its plinth in the middle of the night when no one is about and go for a walk around to stretch its legs.
Seen on the skyline of this photo of Irvine Harbour is the sorry sight of HMS Carrick, originally launched in Sunderland in 1864 as The City of Adelaide. As the vessel slips further into disrepair, various schemes to save it have, so far, come to nothing.
Previous page: Fergushill Church dominates the skyline above the small community of Benslie in North Ayrshire. The church,which was consecrated in 1879 closed its doors for the final time in 2009 and is now a private dwelling.
Croy Brae, or 'The Electric Brae' in South Ayrshire. The configuration of the land on either side of the road provides an optical illusion making it look as if the slope is going the other way. Therefore, a stationary car on the road with the brakes off will appear to move slowly uphill. Similarly, a football will appear to roll uphill. The term 'Electric Brae' dates from a time when it was incorrectly thought to be a phenomenon caused by electric or magnetic attraction within the Brae.
The mountains in the north of Arran as seen from Glenrickard Forest.
The sun shines on a flower border in the courtyard of Eglinton Country Park in North Ayrshire, whilst the shadows amongst the trees give a marked contrast to the colours of the flower bed.
Also taken at Eglinton Country Park, an almost perfect reflection of the Tournament Bridge shows in the River Lugton. The bridge was named after a medieval style ‘joust and revel’ that was held here in 1839.
Lochranza on the Isle of Arran. In the background is Lochranza Castle. Once a hunting lodge used by the Scottish Kings, this 14th Century castle is now in ruins, but is nonetheless picturesque.
Kilwinning Abbey Tower, built between 1812 and 1816, now houses the town’s Heritage Centre.
Pladda lies off the south coast of Arran. It is a small, flat, teardrop-shaped island, less than a kilometre in length and rising to just 27 metres (89 ft) above sea level. Unusually for such a small island it has its own source of fresh water. A lighthouse has stood on Pladda since 1790.
Loch Doon near Dalmellington, a popular haunt with anglers, artists and photographers and the ideal place for a picnic on a warm summer day.
Mother Nature and the weather
Winter sunrise over Corsehillmuir Wood, Kilwinning.
On the day that this photo was taken from Saltcoats, the air was so clear that the island of Ailsa Craig some 28 miles away as the crow flies - could clearly be seen.
Previous page: Snowfall in North Ayrshire.
A dusting of snow covers the ruins of Eglinton Castle.
A rainbow marks the end of a summer thunderstorm in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.
The seafront at Saltcoats is battered by heavy tides during a spring storm.
Early morning frost covers the ground as the sun rises over Corsehillmuir Wood in Kilwinning.
Herald of the spring: Daffodils in bloom at Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.
This publication and the collection of photographs in it are copyright Š2011 Nick Smalley. This publication, its contents, or any part thereof, must not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author. If you would like to use or obtain any of the images in this book, please contact the author directly by phoning 01294 227548 or emailing nicksmalley@btinternet.com during office hours. More information is available at http://ntsmalley.homestead.com
THIS PUBLICATION IS NOT FOR RESALE
Slippery driving conditions near Dalry, North Ayrshire