Tony Tomlinson, Author at Tony Tomlinson Photography

07/08/202513/12/2025

My June & July Photography Journey

tony-tomlinson-photography, Buttermere, Summer, Sunrise, Fells, High-Stile, High-Crag,

As I have mentioned previously, I always find the summer months a difficult time of year, photography wise.

So, what have I been up to during the months of June and July, you could be thinking, not much, but here is a brief record of my summer exploits.

11 June 2025

Early June saw me heading to Tewet Tarn to attempt to capture some lovely golden sunrise images, at this time we were still in the exceptionally sunny spell, so the conditions were a bit of a given.

Unfortunately, the ridiculous early sunrise time meant a 3am alarm call. Once on location I set up for a slightly different composition, trying to judge where the arriving light would be best viewed.

It didn’t take long for the rising sun to begin to light up the eastern sky, it was looking promising, but shock, horror, the golden glow from the sun arrived, and was over in about 20 minutes, this was a surprise to me as I was expecting (rightly or wrongly) that the sunrise glow would last longer than this.

The plus side of the morning was that I met a fellow photographer, Mike Childs from Penrith, we chatted about all thing’s photography, and local locations in between us taking the few images that were available.

Once the sun was up, the light soon vanished and became quite hard and direct, so it was time to head into Keswick to find a hot cup of coffee and a sandwich to ease my hunger.

4x3, Tewet-Tarn, Cumbria, Fells, Low-Rigg, Blencathra, Lake-district, Landscape, Mountains, Summer, sunrise, tony-tomlinson-photography, UK — The rising sun behand Blencathra

18 June 2025

During the middle of the month, we were tasked with baby-sitting duties for our grandson, so I made the provisional plan to try and use this time to shoot some images of Cody in order to record how his development.

So the kitchen was swiftly converted to a small photo studio where we could capture a selection of various shots of Cody, the plan being that we would present his parents with a surprise set of photos for them to use as they saw fit.

I would be using the Godox A200 pro speedlight flash units of the first time, the benefit of these were that they were battery operated, so no trailing cables, and they can be used outdoors if required.

Carole, my wife supervised the positioning of Cody, and the props and accessories we would be using during the shoot.

The outcome of an hour’s work was a variation of images of Cody in a selection of poses and using a number of props.

When we presented the photos to Cody’s parents they were vey pleased with the results.

tony-tomlinson-photography, family-photo's, — Baby Cody

21 June 2025

The Summer Solstice, and I headed for Wasdale as the forecast was vey promising, I have recorded this visit in a specific news article on my website, this can be found here, so I won’t repeat all the details here.

I have never seen so may tents and campervans along the shores of Wast Water before, whether the Summer Solstice was the reason, or the exceptionally hot weather we were encountering I do not know.

Cumbria, great-gable, Kirk-fell, lake-district, Landscape, scawfell, Summer, sunrise, tony-tomlinson-photography, UK, wasdale, Wast-Water, Yewbarrow — The view of Wasdale

29 June 2025

Here I found myself in seventh heaven (photography wise), I headed for Buttermere on a whim (instant decision) where I encountered the most amazing conditions that I had seen here.

It did not start off like this, upon arrival, it was warm and windless, but the light was flat with little notification of what was to follow.

No wind, and warm temperatures resulted in mirror like reflections in the lake with high cloud cover, all this was then intermingled with the developing glorious light from the sun has it rose over the neighboring fells (some 20 minutes after sunrise) to create these unique and beautiful conditions.

I had the place to myself, with the exception of a sole photographer who walked past me not long after I arrived at pre-sunrise.

I left Buttermere on this morning, a very content and satisfied person.

Buttermere, Cumbria, Fells, Fleetwith-pike, Haystacks, Lake, lake-district, Landscape, Mountains, Pine-Trees, Reflections, Centennials, Summer, sunrise, tony-tomlinson-photography, UK — Beautiful Buttermere

3 July 2025

I had been booked to take photographs of a student’s prom evening, concentrating of the celebrations within the home. This was a new event for me, but I planned it along the lines of a family photos session.

I had the option of taking photos inside, or outside the premises, but I had no prior knowledge of the layout or size of the home and garden.

On the afternoon of the event the weather was undecided, it being overcast and heavy cloud present.

I was met by the student’s mother, who made me very welcome, and left me to it. I began with a talk to Megan, then it was straight in to getting some images. The house was quite full of family members and friends, but I commandeered the conservatory.

I was using an on-camera flash using TTL as this was the easiest and quickest method to use, the results were very favorable throughout.

I was booked for a two-hour slot, and would only photograph at the house, my final few shots were of Megan getting into the “special” taxi that was taking her to the Prom itself.

tony-tomlinson-photography, School-Prom, — Megan

8 July 2025

This morning, I was heading for Rydal Water, with plans to photograph a specific image, but the conditions had to be right. Another 3am alarm call was the order of the morning, followed by a 50-minute drive to get to the location 30 minutes before sunrise.

I was surprised to find that there were a group of people camping next to the place where I wanted to shoot, and that they were up and about, and rather loud. I suspect that they had been up for some time, but it was only an assumption on my part.

I was at the Rydal Water lone tree and wanted to get a photo of it reflected in the water, but without any interference of the shore.

Sadly, the water was rippled, and the water levels prevented my getting the shot that I was looking for. I hung around for the sun to rise above the surrounding hills, but things didn’t improve, so I set off for a leisurely stroll around the lake to see if I would find anything.

I tried the boathouse, but nothing grabbed my attention, but has I was following the shoreline, a view through the trees towards the far hills got my interest. It turned out to be an interesting snap, but nothing else.

I continued around the far side of the Lake, but I couldn’t find that composition, I continued around to Grasmere, but again I was devoid of any inspiration.

At the end of my efforts, I had walked a few miles on a pleasant morning, got a bit of exercise in the can, and taken a few snaps of the area. Once back at the car, time for a coffee and sandwich, only to find that the car park was full of contractors vehicles, one of the chaps came to inform me that they were about to close the road for resurfacing, so if I wanted to miss the long detour, I should set off and get to Grasmere village where I could partake in my sarnie and coffee, his advice was very welcome, so I was soon on my way.

Rydal-Water, Tony-tomlinson-photography, Lake-District, Summer, Sunrise, lake, — The view along Rydal Water

24 July 2025

Northumberland, we had booked a four-night stay in Blyth, this was primarily a holiday break for me and Carole, but I would be able to fit in some photography work at sometime during our stay.

The first morning was the opportunity, St Mary’s Lighthouse was 20 minutes down the coast, so it was high on the agenda. A footnote being that last year when we were here, it was covered in scaffolding.

So a 4am alarm, and a very quiet exit from the hotel got me to the lighthouse before sunrise, There were a few other photographers there when I arrived, but I wanted some specific shots from the causeway with waves breaking over the road in the foreground, and some form the shore, using rocks or similar as foreground interest.

As the sun rose over the North Sea, the light was so, so lovely, but as it rose the cloud formed what I can only describe as a fog-like filter which the sun was shining through, this created a defused sun, with a more orange like shade to the light, all contributing to a set of good photographs.

Once back at the hotel, it was off for an hearty breakfast, followed by a bit of relaxation before we went for a drive down the coast to sample the fresh air and beautiful coastal scenery of this part of the world.

16 x 9. St Mary's Lighthouse, Northumberland, Seascape, Summer, sunrise — St Marys lighthouse

Unfortunately from here the break went downhill, Carole became unwell which necessitated a hospital visit to be prescribed medication to control her symptoms, and I came down with a viral infection which knocked the stuffing out of me.

We ended up spending the next two days trying to recover, only improving in tome to make the return journey home.

Upon reflection, quite a busy period for me photography wise, but being of a wide selection of photo events.

Landscape Photography wise, it was quiet, but has I have eluded too previously, this is normal for me during the summer months.

The variety of the photo opportunities during the two summer months have helped keep my interest high and further developed my photography skills.

What will August bring?

21/06/202505/05/2026

Summer Solstice Sunrise

We have been experiencing exceptionally warm weather in Cumbria over the last couple of days, I decided to head to Wasdale for a sunrise session, not realising that the day was the summer solstice.

Upon approaching Wast Water, I could not believe my eyes, every parking place was taken with cars of campervans, I drove some considerable distance along the lake, but nothing changed, car, after car, so I turned round and retraced my route to find a parking spot.

I was soon pulled up on a grass verge, well off the road so that traffic could pass safely., I then headed down towards the lakes edge to look for a decent composition to capture the impending sunrise, not a chance, there were tents at all the locations which I could use.

So, plan “B”, I headed up from the shore to try and use the road as a leading line into the scene. As I was heading up for the lake shore, I bumped into a group of wild swimmers who were coming out of the water, a very friendly bunch of people they were, fancy going for a swim at 5.45 am !!

I found a reasonable place on a small mound to set up, and began the waiting for the sun to rise above Great Gable and Kirk Fell to the east.

The sunrise was short, not much time for pre-sunrise colours, which soon became hard light. It can be frustrating having to get up a daft o clock in the night to get to a location, then what seems like a blink of an eye, its over.

Whilst I was waiting for the sun to rise, I got to thinking, was the fact that it was the Summer Solstice that there were so many people camping or visiting Wasdale on this morning, or was t the fact that we were having a exceptionally warm spell of weather which had enticed all these people to be out at such a time?

By the way, I am not grumbling about people being out in the countryside, they have as much right as anyone else (including me) to be enjoying the experience, I found it a little confusing to understand that’s all.

I took the scenic route home, heading south before turning north on the A595, as I was pottering along the road, I seen four Roe Dear in a field, managing to catch a photo on one, they certainly do not hang around once a human is close by.

Cumbria, lake-district, Landscape, Summer, sunrise, tony-tomlinson-photography, UK, wasdale — A Roe Dear

I also came across a Buzzard perched on a farmers gate post, no doubt eyeing up its breakfast. I didn’t have chance to grab the camera, but it was pleasing to watch such a beautiful bird out in the wild, it was soon off looking for a meal though.

I stopped off at Egremont to grab a coffee, surprised to note that it was still only 6.15am.

One home, time to edit the photos an plan where too tomorrow!!

Until next time, stay safe and take care.

06/06/202505/05/2026

Photography: is it enjoyment or a chore?

tony-tomlinson-photography, lochan, Assynt, scotland

For all the years that I have been taking photographs, I have always found that I encounter a rollercoaster of emotions, I am either really enjoying the experience, or I am in a slump and find it difficult to find the enthusiasm to get out with the camera.

An example of this is that at the end of 2024 I sat down and reviewed my photography exploits for the year, I was surprised to find that during 2024 I was out with the camera for the least number of times, and that I had taken the least number of photographs for many years.

I made a conscious decision that 2025 was going to be a different story, so my mindset was to get out with the camera whenever I could, and to stop listening to the monkey on my shoulder telling me no to bother. By the time April came around, I have achieved a significant increase in the number of photography visits than in the previous year and greatly increased the number of photographs that I had taken.

The icing on the cake was me attending a week’s photography workshop in Assynt which is in the far north of Scotland at the end of March, with Dean Allan Photography, this was a fantastically enjoyable week, where we were out from dawn to dusk taking photographs with likeminded people and us all having a blast. (See my previous posts for more details of this adventure here)

Assynt, Landscape, Mountains, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, Stac Pollaidh, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter — A fence to Stac Pollaidh, Assynt, Scotland

Upon my return home it took me several weeks to view and process the photos that I had taken in the week, I then needed to spend a substantial number of hours updating and refreshing my website, even fitting several photography sessions in whilst completing the editing and website updates. Upon completion of the editing and website work, I was really pleased with the results.

As we headed into late spring and early summer the negative thoughts began to return, sunrises were becoming earlier and earlier, I was again not getting out into the landscape for what were minor and stupid reasons, and I was again fighting the demons in my head. We are now in the second week of June, and I have already cancelled several alarm calls and stayed wrapped up warm and cozy in my bed.

So, how can my mood swings change so quickly and regularly, its time for some self-reflection. I will admit that in previous years, summer is a quiet time photography wise for me as my excursions decrease markedly, probably due the early sunrises, late sunsets and the harsh summer light.

So, what can I do to resolve this situation? I have made the decision that I am not going to fight this lack of enthusiasm, I will take a month or so off from photography in the hope that I can re-charge my batteries, and come late summer, and autumn seasons I will be back to normal. Time will tell!!

So, what is the purpose of this article, I hope that it highlights the fact that my photography is not an all-year-round activity, for which I am constantly enthused towards it.

There are times when I have a negative mindset and cannot find the enthusiasm to work at my photography 12 months a year, year after year, it just does not happen.

Let’s see what the summer of 2025 is like for me.

Achmelvich Bay, Assynt, long exposure, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, Seascape, tony-tomlinson-photography, Turquoise waters, winter — Achmelvich Beach, Assynt, Scotland

Thank you for finding the time to read this article, and for your support towards my photography, be it by likes, shares, comments, on social media, or by visiting my website.

14/05/202524/06/2026

Arguably, Possibly, Probably, the best weeks photography ever. Part 2

Loch-Stack, Bothy, Assynt, Scotland, tony-tomlinson-photography

Day 3 (Continued)

Allt Chranaidh Waterfall

Our next stop was the Allt Chranaidh Waterfall, also known as the Wailing Widow Falls. The volume of water flowing down this stream did not look too promising. The waterfall was huge and by god there was a sizable volume of water cascading down the falls. The waterfall plunges about 50 feet down from a rocky cliff into a pool below.

Stoer Bay

At Stoer Bay, I headed to the beach, this being a broad bay with the waves battering the shore. I found a bench seat which overlooked the scene, so I set about capturing an image including this item.

Day 4.

Moine House

Moine House is a ruined house on the vast expanse of boggy moorland between the Kyle of Tongue and Loch Hope, it was also a family home and in 1881 it housed three generations, totaling four adults and five grandchildren.

Loch Eriboll

Loch Eriboll is a 16 km (9.9 mi) long sea loch on the north coast of Scotland, which has been used for centuries as a deep-water anchorage as it is safe from the often-stormy seas of Cape Wrath and the Pentland Firth.

Ceannabeine Beach

Our next location was to the stunning Ceannabeine Beach, this dramatic gently sloping beach with its cliffs of pink rock is only a short walk from the car park on the A838. The beach was once known as Traigh Alt Chailgeag, “The beach of the burn of bereavement and death” which tells the story of a lady who died after falling in the burn and was found on the beach.

The view from high up on the surrounding cliffs were stunning, acers of golden whit sand, turquoise-coloured waters, and substantially sized waves which were being blown backwards by the strong offshore winds.

Quite simply an outstanding location.

Assynt, Beach, Ceannabeinne Beach, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, Seascape, tony-tomlinson-photography, turquoise water, Waves, winter — Ceannabeinne Beach

Loch Assynt

Upon arriving at Loch Assynt, we were located further along the Loch to photograph some lovely small islands which had old or dead trees growing on them.

Day 5

Stoer Cottage

I was set up on a small mound to place the cottage on the third intersection of the composition. We were waiting for the colour in the sky, we were at the point where we were about to accept that the sunrise was not going to be the best, when hey-ho, the colour arrived, for a 10 minute period the sky suddenly illuminated with lovely pink colures, what a time, what a place to be.

Achmelvich

Achmelvich as two beaches, these being divided by a rocky outcrop, we headed for the far beach, and what views we were greeted with, even though it was an overcast morning the colour of the sea and sand blew me away.

Clachtoll Beach

We arrived at Clachtoll Beach where the Assynt mountains could be seen in the distance, all illuminated by the golden glow of the setting sun.

I headed towards the headland, and what I found was amazing, I thought that I was approaching a cliff, but Gary encouraged me to get closer to the edge, it was not a shear cliff face, but a 45 degree slope all the way down to the waters edge.

Assynt, Clachtoll, Lochinver, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, Seascape, Split Rock, Sunset, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter — Clachtoll Panoramic

Day 6.

Assynt Stone Viewpoint

First location of the day was to the Assynt Stone Viewpoint, where we hoped to capture some early morning images of Suilven and the surrounding mountains, only to find that all the mountains were hidden by the low-lying clouds.

Elphin Bothy

From the viewpoint we headed for the Elphin Bothy again as the light was far better than the first visit. I again got some remote looking images of this lovely location.

Lochan an Ais

From here we travelled the short distance to Lochan an Ais where I used a small spring and the grass on the Lochan shore as foreground interest when looking towards the Assynt mountains.

Stac Pollaidh viewpoint

Our next location was to the Stac Pollaidh viewpoint. Conditions were not ideal, a strong wind driving rain clad clouds across the sky, this meant that we would get wet at regular intervals but produced some exquisite lighting on the scene.

Assynt, Beinn an Eoin, Landscape, Loch Lurgainn, Mountains, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, Stac Pollaidh, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter — Stac Pollaidh.

Coigach

When we arrived the weather gods were not behaving, driving rain, low cloud and flat light greeted us. We all got out to take photographs, but the conditions were against us, I will show you one of mine below.

The Last Morning.

Just before I left the house for the 8.5-hour journey home, we said our farewells. The whole experience had been very enjoyable, the group were all very friendly and easy to get on with, the accommodation was excellent, the food was scrumptious, and Dean had been a very good leader throughout, what more could you ask of a workshop?

Thank you for finding the time to read this blog (split into two parts) and I hope you have found it interesting and enjoyed looking at my images from the trip.

Until next time, stay safe.

05/05/202505/05/2026

Arguably, Possibly, Probably, the best weeks photography ever!! Part 1.

Assynt, Clashnessie Bay, Clashnessie, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, Seascape, tony-tomlinson-photography, Waves, winter

I have an affinity with Scotland for my photography, we regularly visit Glencoe, the Isle of Skye and have visited many other locations in Scotland. Each has its own merits, and compositions, the common denominator being the Scottish weather, this can never be taken for granted and must, always be accounted for when visiting the country.

One area that I have always wanted to visit is Torridon and Assynt, but it is a very long way to travel to begin finding and scouting locations, accommodation is not readily available, and travel times are substantially longer than the norm.

I began thinking about what would be the easiest and most time effective way to visit these areas, I then became aware of several professional photographers who run “workshops” in these areas, these being of four, five, six or more days, some including accommodation only, some being “all inclusive” that is, all your meals are included for the duration of the workshop.

So, 12 months ago I took the plunge and booked a 6-day all-inclusive workshop with Dean Allan photography in Assynt. We were to be based in a large 9-bedroom house at Clashnessie, not far from Clachtoll, Sutherland, Assynt in the far north-west of Scotland.

In no time, it was time to begin packing and planning my journey up to Clashnessie, an 8.5-hour car journey from my home. I decided that I would break the journey up with an overnight stay in Inverness, followed by a relative 3-hour journey to Clashnessie, but coming home, I would start the journey as early as possible and aim to make it home in one journey.

So, the day arrived, I finished work, packed the car, said my farewells to Carole and off I set. A 6.5-hour journey up to Inverness where I was booked into the Leonardo Hotel for the evening. I reached Inverness easily, but the sat-nav sent me on a mystery tour of Inverness before I finally managed to find the hotel, the maddening thing was that it was located at the end of the slip road off the A9.

I was soon checked in and settled in for the night, I grabbed some food from the restaurant, had a couple of drinks and was soon fast asleep. The next morning saw me get a hearty Scottish breakfast. I was soon checked out and off to fill the car with fuel before the journey over to Clashnessie.

I found the hotel very reasonable, it didn’t cost the earth, and the food was very reasonable. The staff were helpful and friendly, with the room being clean, and well equipped.

I arrived at Clashnessie at about 1pm, but the house was not available until 4pm, so I took myself down to the beach to take some photos and help put the time in.

Once at the house, I was met by Gary and Lucy who would be providing our food throughout the stay, with Gary also assisting Dean on our travels to the various locations. Once everyone arrived, introductions were made, 5 of us being paying photographers and Dean provided a brief explanation for the 6 days ahead. This was topped off by a lovely evening meal expertly cooked by Lucy.

Day 1.

A very early start, 4.15 am alarm call for a pre-sunrise visit to Stoer Lighthouse. We would be using Dean’s 7-seater transit bus. What a location, we stayed there for a couple of hours then retuned back to the house for a lovely, cooked breakfast. We were also provided with a packed lunch for the day comprising of a sandwich of your choice, crisps, cake, biscuits, and a couple of bottles of water.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Stoer-Lighthouse, Assynt, Scotland, Lighthouse — Stoer Lighthouse

Once breakfast was finished Dean explained that the rest of the day would be relatively local to the house to make travelling easier for the first day, so we took the very short walk down to Clashnessie beach where we set about finding compositions of the location, the sands was a lively golden colour with turquoise waters lapping at the shore, this was to become a common theme throughout the 6 day trip.

From Clashnessie beach we then travelled to Ardvreck Castle, a location that I had drove past the day before on my journey up to Clashnessie, here, Dean provided us with some history of the castle and of the story behind the castle’s ghost. He also provided suggestions/recommendations of the best compositions for the location. Dean also provided some history of the ruined castle which helped

Ardvreck Castle, Assynt, Landscape, Loch Assynt, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter — Ardvreck Castle

As the weather was closing in, with rain, low clouds and a strengthening wind headed for Clachtoll beach. It was here that I saw the famous Split Rock for the first time. It was here that I had a chat with Gary, and he suggested a couple of alternative viewpoints of the split rock, advice that I eagerly took. Although the wind was now blowing quite strong and squally showers were present, we spent quite a while here, but Dean did say that we would return when conditions were better.

We returned to the house at 7.15 pm, so day one had been a long, but enjoyable day. Time for a wash and change before we were provided with another excellent evening meal by Gary and Lucy.

Post-meal, we sat down and chatted about all thing’s photography, as we got to know each other more. Dean gave us an update on the next day’s weather which was contradictory depending on which forecast was used, but he thought that it was not going to be the best, so he planned the next day’s travelling accordingly.

Day 2

A little lie-in this morning lol, up at 6.30 am for breakfast then a journey north. The first stop was going to ne at the lovely Kylesku Bridge, which is an outstanding piece of engineering. The curve of the bridge being quite unique. Again, Dean gave us some recommendations, but left us to our own devices, if anyone wanted, or needed guidance, he was always on hand to provide this. A good example of this was that whilst we were all concentrating on the bridge to photograph, he noticed three red deer on a small hill behind us, they were as interested in us as we were them.

Kylesku-Bridge, Bridge, Assynt, Scotland, tony-tomlinson-photography — Kylesku Bridge

Red-Dear, tony-tomlinson-photography, Kylesku-Bridge, Assynt, Scotland — Red Dear above the Kylesku Bridge

From the Kylesku Bridge we continued northwards to Loch Stack. The first stop here was to photograph a lovely little Bothy near the loch’s shore. I headed off in a slightly different direction to try my luck at getting a slightly different image of this. I also found some small tree saplings growing at a crazy 30–60-degree angle. Whilst tramping through the terrain, I inadvertently placed my foot in an awkward position which really stretched my Achilles tendon. This had been damaged several weeks before and was healing nicely, however this little incident re-stretched the tendon, which would leave me in some pain and discomfort for the rest of the week.

Loch-Stack, Trees, Assynt, Scotland, tony-tomlinson-photography — Lock Stack Trees

From here we continued to travel along the shore of Loch Stack to the far end of the loch, here we disembarked from the bus to photograph some lovely reeds in the water, a boathouse, with all this being set against a lovely mountain backdrop which had different layers of colored rock which followed the contours of the mountain.

Loch-Stack, Reeds, Assynt, Scotland, tony-tomlinson-photography — Loch Stack Reeds

Loch-Stack, path, mountain, Assynt, Scotland, tony-tomlinson-photography — Loch Stack Path

Next stop was as for north as you can go on the western coast of Scotland; we arrived a Durness, and what a place, the beach was unbelievable. We were soon on the beach photographing the incoming waves which were being blown backwards by the strong offshore winds. Unfortunately, the rain returned which made things a tad challenging. Sand was soon getting everywhere, but the colour of the water and the rising waves made for some really nice photographs.

Durness, Beach, Assynt, Scotland, Waves, tony-tomlinson-photography, — Durness Beach

Once we were all content with the photos that we had taken we reconvened at the bus, we now had a 2.5-hour journey back to Clashnessie, and with the worsening weather this would probably be the end of today’s photography. Once back at the house, it was time for a shower and some camera cleaning chores before another excellent meal and sociable gathering to close off day 2.

Day 3

Day 3 began with a retune to Ardvreck Castle as the weather gods were playing ball today, and even though it was our second visit to the location, we were capturing such different images due to the different weather conditions. It was here that Dean was explaining how he captured one of his first published photographs, so I thought that if it was good enough for a magazine, then it would be good enough for me. A brisk climb up a substantial incline gained me some height so that I could use the road as a leading line through the image. I had to be careful though as I was using a long exposure to capture the panoramic image, but the wind was very strong, so I had to really dig the tripod spikes into the ground, and even then, I had to stand in front of the tripod to try and reduce the force of the wind buffeting it.

3 x 1, Ardvreck Castle, Assynt, Landscape, Loch Assynt, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter — The Road to Lochinver

Our next location was Elphin Bothy, a small Bothy that originally used to be a Dog Kennel for the local landowner. Dean was very clued-up on the history of this building, again this adds interest to the photograph that you are taking. Whilst here, I noticed an old washing line behind a property with very stained and marked clothing hanging from the lines and structure. Upon looking in more detail, the cloths pegs still attached to the washing lines and the old pots and pans added a great story to the photograph. I could not resist taking the shot.

Assynt, Bothy, Elphin Bothy, Landscape, old building, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, tony-tomlinson-photography, winter — Elphin Bothy

will conclude the first part of this blog here as it will become too large for one post. Part 2 will follow shortly. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, I hope you found it of some interest.

08/04/202505/05/2026

A Winters visit to the Isle of Skye

tony-tomlinson-photography, royal-commando-memorial, Ben-Nevis

Me and my wife (Carole) had booked a week’s visit to the Isle of Skye with the aim of having a relaxing time, and to try and secure some decent photography, weather depending.

We were staying in the excellent Cuillin Hills Hotel in Portree, a hotel we have stayed at on several occasions in the past.

We always break our journey into two days, we travel form Cumbria to Fort William on day one, then a comfortable journey on to the Isle of Skye, we find that this reduces the anxiety in travelling and allows us to stop off if we like and even allows some roadside photography if this arises.

The journey up to Fort William was largely uneventful, except for a short stop off in Glencoe to snap a couple of images from the roadside.

tony-tomlinson-photography, glencoe-lone-tree — The Glencoe Lone Tree

We arrived at our hotel in Fort William only to be very unsatisfied with the establishment, our room smelled of damp and was not in very good condition. A complaint to reception, resulted in a move, into a much better room.
However, when we went for our evening meal, we found that the menu was very basic, the service was not good, and the staff were not the friendliest.
I have decided not to name the hotel in this article, as I do not want to influence other people who may be booked into the hotel in the coming weeks and months, however if you would like to know the name of the establishment, drop me a line from where I will update you.

Day 1
The next morning breakfast was skipped for a Morrisons supermarket one.
Once we had eaten, we filled the car with fuel then set off for a leisurely drive to Skye, however our first stop was a quick dash over to Corpach to visit the shipwreck that is beached on the shore, from here I captured a couple of photos with Ben Nevis in the background, and a couple of unusual angles of the ship.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Corpach-Shipwreck — The Corpach Shipwreck

As we arrived at Spean Bridge, we mentioned the Royal Commando Memorial, one which we have drove past on several occasions, so this time we decided to stop off and visit.
The monument is very nice and well cared for gardens with ample parking. Upon visiting the statue, this is a fitting memorial, depicting three commandoes standing on a stone plinth looking south towards Ben Nevis. On the day of our visit there was heavy cloud cover with shafts of light striking the ground around the monument.
We then walked the short distance to the Garden of Remembrance, this really struck a chord with me, firstly there is a ashes scattering area where the ashes of deceased service men and women can be spread. We then entered the remembrance area, where photos, messages and plagues of fallen service men and women are laid. Several of these messages had small bottles of whisky taped to them, very moving. Also, when reading the messages from surviving family members brought home the sacrifice that has been made by the many service men and women of this country, especially in Afghanistan.
We left the Garden of Remembrance in a very somber mood, but this is a very fitting tribute to the fallen.

tony-tomlinson-photography, royal-commando-memorial — The Royal Commando Memorial

Our next stop was at Eilean Donan Castle, primely for a toilet stop and to get a lovely hot cup of tea. Upon pulling into the car park, we were surprised to note how quiet it was, not one coach in the car park, only 6 cars parked and no ques anywhere. In the building.
We had a short walk about to stretch the legs, then drove up to the viewpoint to grab a image of the castle.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Eilean-Donan-castle — Eilean Donan Castle

From here we had the short drive on to the Isle of Skye then up to Portree to check in to the hotel.
Once settled in, we enjoyed an evening meal and drinks in the hotel restaurant, and as usual the hotel staff were very good, always friendly, available to help where they can and always offering advice.

Day 2
The day started with me taking the short drive down to Sligachan to capture some images of the cold and icy conditions that we had.
I had the morning to concentrate on trying to find compositions which captures the icy conditions, I even took a walk along the banks of the river Sligachan to find original compositions.
I got as far has the white cottage, then retraced my route back to the car, and returned to the hotel.
The afternoon was spent strolling around Portree sampling the hospitality and shopping experience.

tony-tomlinson-photography, river-Sligachan — River Sligachan Waterfall

Day 3

The plans for the second day began with a run up to the Quiraing where I have been trying to get to a location which is south of the Quiraing car park for the last three visits to the Isle of Skye, only to be denied on each occasion by the weather.
The forecast for the sunrise was very promising, sunshine, no rain, but high winds. I arrived at the Quiraing car park an hour before sunrise, got packed and set off following the path towards
Bioda Buidhe, for where I was hoping to shoot back towards the north capturing Cleat, Dun Dubh, and Druim an Ruma as foreground interest.
It took me an hour to reach Bioda Buidhe, from where I continued south over the summit, then turned left down a very steep slope from where I could look north towards the Quiraing. Here I was fighting the very steep slope, I definitely did not want to slip, fall or slide down the slope as there was a very daunting drop of several hundred feed at the bottom of the slope. I was also fighting the very strong wind, this was so strong that it prevented me from extending my tripod to its full height, so here I was scrambling about on my knees to ensure a steady footing for the camera could be achieved.
The light was gorgeous, lovely warm side light, so all I had to do was to pick out the images that I wanted, I also created many panoramic format images capturing all the foreground mountains.
After a couple of hours of being entwined in photography heaven, I decided to pack up and head back to the car park, from where I retuned to the hotel for a late breakfast.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Trotternish-Ridge — Dun Dubh,Druim an Ruma and Cleat along the Trotternish Ridge

After a relaxing morning in the hotel, we decided to head for somewhere new during the afternoon, this was Coral Beach, which is near to Dunvegan Castle, our plans included a visit to the Dunvegan Castle, but the internet was showing the Castle as being closed.
We soon arrived at Dunvegan Castle, and as advised by Mr Google, it was closed. So, we continued along the single-track road to the car park for the Coral Beach.
We underestimated the length of the walk form the car park to the beach, although this isn’t too far, Carole has mobility issues, which made the walk uncomfortable and hard work for her.
As we rose above the small ridge line the beach came into view, gleaming white sand in a small crescent shape, although we soon realised that the beach is not sand, but shells, these have been ground down to very small size which creates the beach.
As we walked along the beach, a lady headed to the waters edge to do some wild swimming, her turquoise-coloured coat contrasting against the bright white beach, a image I just had to capture.
The tide was coming in, at a rare rate of knots, you could visibly see the water rising along the water’s edge.
We took our time to soak in the views and the location before setting off on the return 1.25 mile walk to the car.
The afternoon was enjoyable, but the length of the walk would come to cause a lot of pain and restricted movement for Carole.

tony-tomlinson-photography, coral-beach — Coral Beach

Day 4

The day began sunny, and dry, but a bitterly cold wind blowing, as Carole was struggling with her mobility, we decided to go somewhere close to a car park so that she could get out and walk around quite easily. We decided the Sligachan would be the best place, so for the second time in two days, off we set.
Upon arriving at Sligachan, how the conditions had changed for our earlier visit. The ice had almost all melted, sun was shining on the bridge and surrounding areas.
Once I was satisfied that Carole was OK with her walking, I set off to find some compositions around the old Sligachan bridge, river and the Collie and Mackenzie memorial.
After a couple of hours, we reconvened at the car to call it a day at Sligachan and head back to the hotel.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Sligachan — The Old Sligachan Bridge

The plans for the late afternoon were discussed, it was decided that Carole would remain in the hotel, and I would head for Neist Point to try and capture some late afternoon/sunset images.
Whilst travelling west towards Neist point, it was noticeable how quiet the roads were, I hardly passed another vehicle on the road. Upon arrival at Neist point, I was able to drive right to the end of the empty car park, this saved my weary legs.
I wanted to walk to the lighthouse as I have never been there, so off I sent, not sure how difficult the walk would be.
Once at the lighthouse, I made my way down to the cliff edge to capture some shots of the lighthouse, perched on top of the cliff, looking out towards the North Atlantic.
I was busy concentrating on my photography, when I happened to look up and was quite surprised how low the sun was, conscious that I wanted to try and get a sunset image of Neist point, I packed up and began a swift return to the cliffs on the mainland, hoping to see some side light illuminating the headland by the setting sun.
Once at the bottom of the cliffs, a mad scramble along the escarpment to get a viewpoint of the large northern facing cliff face of Neist Point.
I grabbed what would turn out to be the best image of this location within the first 5 minutes, as the setting sun disappeared below the bank of clouds on the western horizon, neve to show its self again.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Neist-Point — Neist Point

Day 5

This was a quiet day photography wise, the only images that I took were of a small waterfall which is located near the Portree Hotel. I practiced with differing shutter speeds to final get one that I was happy with.

tony-tomlinson-photography, Portree-Waterfall — Portree Waterfall

Day 6

This was the start of our return home journey, again broken up with a stop in Fort William, at the dreaded hotel which we used on the trip up, this had been pre-booked, so we had little chance other than use it.
We eat before we went to the hotel and left early the next morning with the plan of getting a cooked breakfast at the Green Welly Shop.
How the best plans fail, upon arriving at the Green Welly Shop, the restaurant was closed until11am, several hours after our arrival time, so a couple of sandwiches were purchased along with a tea and coffee, and off we set again.
Four hours later we arrive home after a very enjoyable visit to the Isle of Skye in which we had encountered extraordinarily un-seasonable weather, four days of sunshine, albeit battered with high strength, bitterly cold winds.

I had captured several images which I was very pleased with, at least 4 will be going into my portfolio section of my web site.
It took me several weeks to trawl through the editing process of my Skye images, then family matters intervened, and another trip to ASSYNY in Scotland meant that these images remained on my computer for some weeks without being included into this blog.

Until the next adventure, stay safe and I will update you on the next one.