Herb Riddle's photos with the keyword: Sutherland

The Old Man of Stoer - - - stands solid like the people of Ukraine! Enjoy with me today a scene that was the highlight of our ‘Stoer Head’ walk. A mighty fine stack indeed and one can see why it is be a magnet to climbers. A 60- metre (197ft) high sea stack of Torridonian sandstone in Sutherland, Scotland, close to villages of Culkein and Stoer and the nearby Stoer Head Lighthouse. The stack is popular with climbers, though they have to be mighty cautious due to the frequent high winds in this area. The area is rich in seabirds, with fulmars nesting on the rock and the nearby cliffs. Some five months after our visit a rather daring rescue was carried out here - BBC News: Two climbers were rescued after getting into difficulty on a sea stack on Sutherland's north west coast. The men were climbing the Old Man of Stoer, a 60m (197ft) tower of rock, when the sea conditions deteriorated. They became crag fast - stuck - on a ledge near the bottom and were unable to move due to high waves and the tide. Stornoway Coastguard helicopter winched the climbers to safety and they were flown to Lochinver to be checked over. "The Old Man of Stoer is a popular location for climbers but weather can rapidly deteriorate and, particularly at this time of year as we come out of the summer months, rising waves and high winds from the North Sea present significant risks that anyone moving around the coast can expect to encounter." Essential full screen.

A few moments of excitement as I and another photographer saw this on the Island of Handa in Scotland, for we thought we were seeing a very rare endangered Caparcaillie which in many ways is similar. My further research on describing it here for you brought it to be in fact a male Red grouse. ‘The red grouse is a medium-sized game bird. It has a short tail and a lightly hook-tipped bill. It is reddish-brown, with its legs and feet covered in pale feathers. Birds breed in the UK in the uplands of the north and west and are resident all year round, travelling very little in their lives. The population is declining, perhaps linked to diseases and the loss of heather moorland.’ RSPB Enjoy full screen.

Another view from this very isolated part of Scotland. A long lens here reveals the highlands around Lochinver again including the wide expanse of Suilven to the left and an area known as Coigach to the right here. Well beyond this Bay of Stoer is the nearest big town: Ullapool some 26 miles (40km) SE as the crow flies. Enjoy full size and contrast the freedom of this sight compared with what our friends in Ukraine have today.

A day trip to the ‘Point of Stoer’ and its famous stack of ‘The Old Man of Stoer’ brings us by this lighthouse. This taken from the stony path up to the high head and stack itself. See and follow PiP for more about the lighthouse. Have a good day.

Our penultimate full day of this busy two weeks in Scotland brings us to the Point of Stoer. Our car park is just a few hundred metres behind me and a steep climb brings me to this spot. As can be seen, the lighthouse out-buildings can now be rented as a holiday home. Tomorrow I shall post a more dramatic view. ‘Stoer Head Lighthouse was built on Stoer Head by brothers David and Thomas Stevenson in 1870. Although the lighthouse is relatively short (only 14 metres high) its elevation above sea level is 54 metres. A Principal Lightkeeper and an Assistant and their families lived at Stoer Head until the light became automated in 1978. They were quite self-sufficient and nearby you can see the remains of the former byre, stable, cow shed, pig house and cart shed all built for life at the lighthouse station. The Lightkeepers’ children were educated at Stoer Public School, however there were no senior schools in the county of Sutherland so the children had to continue their education away from the lighthouse at boarding school. Lightkeeping was a remote, lonely and hard existence. One task overruled everything: the light must burn at maximum intensity throughout the hours of darkness. During long winter nights, the need to constantly check everything and trim the lamp wicks every four hours was extremely demanding. The lighting system is an array of sealed-beam electric lamps, as used by locomotives for headlights. When daylight falls and rises between set levels a small light sensor automatically switches the banks of lights on and off. The light is monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board’s offices in Edinburgh and is visited on a regular basis by a Retained Lighthouse Keeper. Once a year the Northern Lighthouse Board Technicians visit the light to carry out maintenance.’ (Northern Lighthouse Board). Have a good day.

Another view as we head south between Handa Island and LochInver. We see our road below us but the stars are once again the mountains of Canisp (covered by cloud on the left) and Suilven on the right. Contrast this view with almost the same shot taken earlier in the day travelling north. What a difference a bit of sun makes. See that same photo description for more info. PiP Enjoy full size.

A view from above Drumbeg in Sutherland showing us the wild nature of the coast around here. Full screen viewing advised.

We are in Sutherland, a historic county in the Highlands of Scotland. We have travelled some miles south of Handa Island but the scenery remains wild and wonderful. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems. Enjoy full screen

A look across the Assynt Loch Geann Dunh to this fabulous Stac. I am stood at a place which I think is surely one of the most scenic in Scotland. The Stac (Stack) is 497m high and the Glencoul thrust, brings the older Precambrian gneiss up over the Cambrian quartzite along Loch Glencoul. Enjoy full screen

A magical view from this seat over Loch Geann Dunh towards Stac Glecoul bathed in sunlight. Essential full screen Have a great day.

A big day-out for us travelling here and about five hours on the Island. Just a short trip on this boat from Tarbet on the mainland which you see in the background. The Island is really quite small at 760 acres (309 hectares) and is 404ft at its highest point and needless to say -wild. Not really inhabited, as it is a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and Special Protection Area. Noted for its birdlife, having high cliffs suitable for nesting and breeding. ~ Our adventure is just beginning. Enjoy full screen.

We are trekking across the Island towards the sea cliffs to see the birds but before that we are blessed with views like this towards the mainland looking south. I think the predominant mountain in the distance is Canisp but perhaps somebody can put me right Big sky country. We have been told to watch out for rats as they have invaded this Island and eat the bird eggs. Will it rain? - Just a few drops whilst eating our picnic (of course). Enjoy full screen.

We are on the far north of the Island and I think this is what is known as The Great Stack, quite famous for being a climbing goal. This is about one third of a mile east from the other more scenic stack called Sea Stack. (It is possible however that this photo is of another stack to the left (west) of Sea Stack. It all gets confusing, I know.

The high north-facing cliffs of Handa were full of sea birds like this. These could be either guillemots or razorbills which both have white chest and black backs. The white and grey birds here are most likely kittiwakes. Skuas and fulmars are also present around here, as well as the most adorable puffins. In fact during the summer months these cliffs are the home of 100,000 breeding seabirds. Many years ago, the local population from the mainland would climb these cliffs for the eggs, as food for their families. Enjoy full screen.

A photo of a puffin having just landed on this high rock, clearly showing the makeup of its wings.

Here we see just a couple of the puffins around these high cliffs, of which this is the top. You can clearly see the holes where they build a small burrow to lay their eggs and bring up their young. The PiP link shows one having just landed on this high rock, clearly showing the makeup of its wings. The other PiP, shows a puffin taken on Scotlands North coast, Duncansby Head in 2014. ‘Puffins are unmistakable birds with their black back and white underparts, distinctive black head with large pale cheeks and their tall, flattened, brightly-coloured bill. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil. Its comical appearance is heightened by its red and black eye-markings and bright orange legs and is one of the world's favourite birds. With half of the UK population at only a few sites it is a Red List species. They eat fish, especially sandeels.’ Wiki & RSPB.org.uk Enjoy full screen

Returning south from Handa Island to Lochinver we get the chance to stop the car and stretch our legs. We are in fact just a little higher than Kylesku Bridge but the landscape looks quite different here. Best viewed full size.

We are on the way back south after our visit to Handa Island and a detour takes us along a very scenic road near the hamlets of Drumbeg and Nedd with views north towards Loch Dhrombaig and Eddrachillis Bay. This is wild country and it takes a lot of will power, work and luck to survive for any length of time here. An old dwelling, long since abandoned testifies to this and makes us wonder. Enjoy full screen