Skye suggestions?

[PBC]

I have a week on Skye at the end of this month.  I would like to focus on two locations for the week, so any suggestions for a couple of good sunrise and a couple of good sunset locations at this time of year?

Thanks

Phil

[john beardsworth]

I've just never made that return visit I was going to make, but I always intended to try sunset at a lovely spot called Ardmore Point on the Waternish peninsula. It looked like a sunset location, but the "spit" curls nicely and my favourite shots there were mornings with still waters. Nearby was the Trumpan Church with its interesting trial stone, and there's plenty of other typical Skye stuff around Waternish.

By the way, I enjoyed your posts on your switch to Pentax. Brewing a third one on the Z?

John

[PBC]

Thanks John  Yes a 645Z post is in the works :-)

[john beardsworth]

Good!

I recall liking the Uig Hotel and particularly the Red Cuillin ale they got from the Isle of Skye brewery by the pier. The Old Inn at Carbost was also convenient for the Talisker Distillery - but only, of course, if the rain looks too much for your camera's weather sealing.

[PhotoEcosse]

Have you already taken a look at this site, Phil?

http://www.skye.co.uk/top-tips.php?id=19

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

We have our very own resident expert on the subject, here on LuLa:

Dave (Isle of Skye)

Try PM him, if he doesn't see this post.

[Wim van Velzen]

Just south of Ardmore, views to the Uists at sunset...


For Sunrise at this time of year I would go for the Trotternish area: the Quirang, Kilt rock etc.

[jjj]

Phil, Dave is the chap you need to speak to on LuLa about the Isle of Skye. As not only is he a contributor on here but offers holidays and photography tuition on Skye

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... offers holidays and photography tuition on Skye

Unfortunately, not anymore.  

EDIT: Just heard from Dave, he is still offering daily tuition:

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

Unfortunately, not anymore.  

Thanks Slobodan, but not quite true thankfully, as that was just a temporary glitch to my site, but I do still provide Day Courses and of course you can book several days together if you wish  

Easy sunset/sunrise location, Skye bridge, dawn looking over the Kyle of Lochalsh, sunset looking over Broadford bay.

Places you should investigate and in no particular order:

Gillean Beach, Tarskavaig, Ord, Elgol and all the way to Elgol and onto Loch Coruisk (boat ride, so you might need to book and you will need a wide angle lens), Neast Point (sunset), Quiriang (dawn), Trotternish, Waternish (sunset), Sligachan (old bridge set against the Black Cuillins), Fairy Pools and Glen Brittle, Fairy Glen and whole lot more, in fact anywhere really, get up early and out before 7 for the dawns and sunset currently is around 6.

Off Skye if you get a moment to spare:

Plockton and Plockton view point, Mam Ratagan, Glenelg and the Brochs, Bealach na Bar and Applecross, Torridon, Eilean Donan Castle (Dawn or Sunset - but go when there is a full tide) and as I said before and a whole lot more, bring plenty of image storage with you and spare batteries, buy food at the Local Co-op stores whenever you are lucky enough to see one and do not expect any facilities at all out in the more remote areas and believe me, most of it out here is very remote indeed. You will need wellies however dry you think it is, as most of the land that looks easy to walk upon, is in fact peat bog sitting over rock, so it never drains how ever dry it looks, so if you can't bring any with you, buy a cheap pair just for the holiday.

Oh and the midges have completely gone and the trees are just coming into full autumn colour - you will have a great time, but it is best to assume you will be photographing all day long and every day non stop, so be prepared.

Best lens range to cover if you can, is between 16mm and 200mm and always use a tripod for the best results.

Have a great time, as I am sure you will  

Dave

[PBC]

Thanks guys and thanks Dave for a very detailed answer. Yep prepared for shooting all day and hoping for lots a changeable weather

Dave - as it such a wee island, I will keep my eye out for you :-)

Phil

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

Thanks guys and thanks Dave for a very detailed answer. Yep prepared for shooting all day and hoping for lots a changeable weather

Dave - as it such a wee island, I will keep my eye out for you :-)

Phil

Hi Phil,

No problem and believe me, I could go on much longer.

The island isn’t actually that small, it is approximately 50 miles long and around 20 miles wide, so 1,000 square miles to play with, although there aren’t that many roads to most of it and most of the roads that there are, are single track with passing places, so progress is going to be slow but not painful, as the scenery is mostly jaw dropping, but if you imagine the island is sort of shaped like a right handed four fingered glove, but with only three fingers and a thumb, so for instance from the Skye bridge to Trotternish, (North tip of the right most finger), will take you at least two hours of none stop driving, but when you throw in all the scenic places to stop on the way, then it will probably take you all day long. To then go to somewhere like Neast Point on the middle finger from Trotternish, means about a 60 mile round trip down one finger and then back up the next one, again on single track roads with passing places, so about another 2.5 hour solid driving, that is assuming you want to drive by all the great locations you will pass along the way. And similarly for the next finger to Waternish and the same again for the thumb at Elgol etc.

I live just over the Skye bridge and on Skye proper at Kyleakin (another great dawn location when the lobster fisherman go out in their small boats in the early dawn mist, with the ruins of Moil Castle in the background..) and if you put a pin in a map of North West Scotland at Kyleakin and with a pencil on the end of a piece of string, drew a circle representing a 50 miles radius around this point, then mostly anywhere and everywhere in that area is pretty much stunning, of course stunning does carry on much further afield than this, but for me it means I can go out in any direction and find something relatively close by.

You also need to drive carefully, as gawping tourists will stop their cars without indication in the middle of the road to take pictures, you will see them drive around a bend and slam on the anchors to stop and gawp open mouthed at the scenery. Also the fact that they have been driving on single track roads for a while, means they tend to forget that we in the UK drive on the left when they next meet a road wide enough to accommodate two vehicles, so they will drive at you head on but on their right side of the road, waving or shaking their fists at you and wondering why the hell you and everyone else is (to their mind) driving on the wrong side of the road, so be careful.

Dave