Loch and Light

On Saturday I crossed the Mounth hills by an old right of way called Jock's Road. Named after a Scottish climber called John Winters, it traverses the hills from the head of Glen Doll, through Glen Callater and ends in Glen Cluanie, just two miles south of the village of Braemar. Although two Munros were climbed (Tom Buidhe and Tolmount can both be climbed with a short diversion away from the top of the road) the real star of the show in my opinion is Loch Callater which is the subject of this photo.

Nestled in a narrow glen with towering Munros on three sides, the loch is a study in stark, lonely beauty. I first saw it on a late winter's day in March 2008 when I walked into Glen Callater from Braemar. That day I was stopped short of the summit of my intended mountain by near gale force winds that were picking up shards of deeply frozen snow and hurling them like daggers into my face. I could barely see and the wind chill was incredible. It wasn't a difficult decision to retreat to the shores of the loch where I sat besides its steely waters restoring myself with hot tea and malt loaf.

That day the loch held my gaze with its squally surface and the cry of a few lonely gulls. On Saturday afternoon with the sun finding the odd gap between ominous looking storm clouds, it was the light dancing on its flickering surface that brought something wonderful to the scene. I took a good many photos on the day's walk but this one, with the light catching the surface of the loch and the mountains huddled below the dark clouds, is my favourite.