A Snowy Hike - Glen Callater

17 Apr

Cairngorm National Park, Scotland, UK

I had the opportunity to visit the Cairngorms National Park and managed to get out for a 6 mile hike in the mountains close to Breamar. This was a steady 3 miles uphill to the edges of Loch Callater where there is a hiker’s bothy and an old shooting lodge.

It was a good job the bothy was there because as soon as we reached the loch, the snow rolled in from the far end. I managed to fire off a few photographs before the views of the surrounding Cairngorm mountains were completely obscured by the weather. We hid out in the bothy and had our butties (sandwiches, for those not from Yorkshire) while the initial snow shower blew through.

The bothy itself offered a photographer’s delight. Through the small square window I framed a square crop of the birch trees outside and the candlestick holders on the sill — a simple, balanced composition that worked beautifully in monochrome and colour. Shooting through a window like that is a great technique for travel and landscape photographers: it creates a natural frame, adds depth, and gives viewers a sense of place.

After about 30 minutes the weather wasn’t easing, so we stepped back out through the tiny doorway and into the elements. Unfortunately the snow had become too heavy and all the scenery was obscured, so my hopes for a grand vista of the Cairngorms were dashed — maybe another day.