Pieces of Scotland

Nick Smalley

A selection of photographs taken in Scotland byNick Smalley

Pieces of Scotland

This publication and the collection of photographs in it are copyright ©2011 Nick Smalley.

This publication, its contents, or any part thereof, must not be used or reproduced without the expresswritten permission of the author.

If you would like to use or obtain any of the images in this book, please contact the author directly byphoning 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 atNew 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 weretaken a few hours apartfrom the same vantagepoint, at Port Selma,Benderloch, on thesame autumn day.

The first, taken in theearly morning, shows amantle of mist hangingover Loch Linnhe whilstby mid-morning, thesun was shining andthe loch’s surface wasclearly visible again.

Previous pages:The setting sun on aSeptember eveninggives the sky an almostbiblical appearance.Taken near ConnelBridge.

Connel Bridge spansLoch Etive at Connel.The bridge takes theA828 road across thenarrowest part of theloch, at the Falls ofLora, a popular venuefor canoeists andphotographers.

As evening falls, sunsetover Loch Etiveprovides a perfectopportunity for anatmospheric photo.

The village of Benderlochboasts the ‘Pink Shop’ - awell known conveniencestore - a long with aseasonal tearoom, a fillingstation and access toTralee Beach.

Tralee Beach offers astony shoreline and a viewacross Ardmucknish Bay.

Dunstaffnage Castle,built by the McDougallClan in the 13th Centuryas a strongholdoverlooking the Firth ofLorn , provides a host ofphoto opportunities.The castle stands on ahuge slab of rock.Flora MacDonald, whohelped Bonnie PrinceCharlie to flee Scotland,was imprisoned hereon her way to the Towerof London.

Near to the castle isDunstaffnage Marina.In the centre of thephoto Connel Bridge canbe seen approximatelytwo miles away as thecrow flies.

These photos of Loch Creranwere taken from the shorelineat Oban Sea Life Centre on anovercast September morning.

History

Dean Castle (left) incorporates akeep dating back to the 14thcentury. The castle was given to thetown of Kilmarnock in 1975. Priorto the Jacobite uprising in 1745,servants in the castle claimed tohave seen a severed head rollingaround on the floor. The castle’sowner at the time, the fourth EarlBoyd, joined the uprising and wasbeheaded in 1746.

For much of its life Brodick Castleon the Isle of Arran has been ownedby members of the Hamilton family.The older part of the castle is saidto be haunted by a "Grey Lady" whostarved to death in the dungeons ofthe castle because she had theplague. A man has been reportedlyseen sitting in the library and aWhite Deer is reputedly seen in thegrounds of the castle when a chiefof the Hamiltons is close to death.

The image on the left is astereotypical shot ofCulzean Castle nearMaybole in Ayrshire,framed by its gateway.It is a spot wherecountless tourists andphotographers have stoodto capture this classicview over the years.

Glamis Castle in Angusappears on the photo onthe right as well as theon the title page of thischapter. Glamis was thechildhood home ofQueen Elizabeth, theQueen Mother.

Glasgow Green. Due to itsclose proximity to the RiverClyde, the women of thecity’s East End historicallyused the area for washingand bleaching linen.

In September 1570, DunureCastle was the scene of agruesome event during whichGilbert Kennedy, the Earl ofCassillis, roasted alive theCommendator of CrossraguelAbbey, in order to force himto transfer to him some ofthe lands belonging to theAbbey. The Commendatoryielded after two turns of thespit and survived his injuriesto a ripe old age.

The late afternoon light gives aneerie appearance to MontgreenanMansion in Ayrshire.

Clava Cairns near Inverness is oneof the best preserved Bronze Ageburial sites in Scotland. There arethree cairns here, two of whichhave passageways aligned to theMidwinter sunset.

A dozen traditional cottage knownas "The Twelve Apostles", sit just afew yards from the beach in the tinyvillage of Catacol, on the Isle ofArran. Each of these cottages has adifferently designed upper windowso that when the men were fishing inthe Firth of Clyde, their wives wouldlight a candle in the window and,from the shape of the window, thefishermen would know which housewas signalling to them.

The statue of Robert the Bruce atBannockburn Heritage Centre.The head was modelled usingmeasurements from Bruce's skullfollowing the re-discovery of hisskeletal remains in DunfermlineAbbey in 1821. In the background,Stirling Castle sits on its hill toplocation three miles away.

Ayrshire &The Isle of Arran

This statue of Ayrshire’s best-known son, the ploughman poetRabbie Burns which stands onIrvine Moor, is said to hop off itsplinth in the middle of the nightwhen no one is about and go fora walk around to stretch its legs.

Seen on the skyline of this photoof Irvine Harbour is the sorry sightof HMS Carrick, originally launchedin Sunderland in 1864 as The Cityof Adelaide. As the vessel slipsfurther into disrepair, variousschemes to save it have, so far,come to nothing.

Previous page: Fergushill Churchdominates the skyline above thesmall community of Benslie inNorth Ayrshire. The church,whichwas consecrated in 1879 closed itsdoors for the final time in 2009and is now a private dwelling.

Croy Brae, or 'The Electric Brae' inSouth Ayrshire. The configuration ofthe land on either side of the roadprovides an optical illusion making itlook as if the slope is going the otherway. Therefore, a stationary car on theroad with the brakes off will appear tomove slowly uphill. Similarly, a footballwill appear to roll uphill. The term'Electric Brae' dates from a time whenit was incorrectly thought to be aphenomenon caused by electric ormagnetic attraction within the Brae.

The mountains in the north of Arran asseen from Glenrickard Forest.

The sun shines on a flower border in thecourtyard of Eglinton Country Park in NorthAyrshire, whilst the shadows amongst the treesgive a marked contrast to the colours of theflower bed.

Also taken at Eglinton Country Park, an almostperfect reflection of the Tournament Bridgeshows in the River Lugton. The bridge wasnamed after a medieval style ‘joust and revel’that was held here in 1839.

Lochranza on the Isle of Arran.In the background is LochranzaCastle. Once a hunting lodgeused by the Scottish Kings, this14th Century castle is now inruins, but is nonethelesspicturesque.

Kilwinning Abbey Tower, builtbetween 1812 and 1816, nowhouses the town’s HeritageCentre.

Pladda lies off the south coastof Arran. It is a small, flat,teardrop-shaped island, lessthan a kilometre in length andrising to just 27 metres (89 ft)above sea level. Unusually forsuch a small island it has itsown source of fresh water.A lighthouse has stood onPladda since 1790.

Loch Doon near Dalmellington,a popular haunt with anglers,artists and photographers andthe ideal place for a picnic on awarm summer day.

Mother Natureand the weather

Winter sunrise overCorsehillmuir Wood,Kilwinning.

On the day that this photowas taken from Saltcoats,the air was so clear thatthe island of Ailsa Craig -some 28 miles away asthe crow flies - couldclearly be seen.

Previous page: Snowfall inNorth Ayrshire.

A dusting of snow covers the ruins ofEglinton Castle.

A rainbow marks the end of a summerthunderstorm in Kilwinning, NorthAyrshire.

The seafront at Saltcoats isbattered by heavy tidesduring a spring storm.

Early morning frost coversthe ground as the sun risesover Corsehillmuir Woodin Kilwinning.

Herald of the spring:Daffodils in bloom atKilwinning, NorthAyrshire.

This publication and the collection of photographs in it are copyright ©2011 Nick Smalley.

This publication, its contents, or any part thereof, must not be used or reproduced without the expresswritten permission of the author.

If you would like to use or obtain any of the images in this book, please contact the author directly byphoning 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