THE BEAUTIFUL BRITISH ISLES - Having travelled extensively throughout the United Kingdom we never fail to be awestruck by the splendour and beauty of these fair isles. Here are four images taken during the month of July in praise of this - clockwise from top right: Loch Ness, Kilnsey Crag, Glen Roy and The Brecons Beacons. #landscapephotography#visitscotland#booklovers#scotland#scotland_insta#discover.scotland #wilderness#scotland#nationaltrustscotland#bbcscotland#insta_scotland#creativescots#bookgram#landscapephotography#canon_photos#publishing#magicallandscapessecretplaces#secretplaces#secretgardens#magic#creativephotography#bbcscotlandpics#welshlandscapes#wales#welshphotography#welshmagic
EXTREME SELFIES !!
EXTREME SELFIES !! Taken on a gloriously, scorching hot Sunday afternoon in the beautiful Welsh Mountains.#wilderness #scotland #landscapephotography #magicallandscapessecretplaces #secretplaces
#creativephotography #welshlandscapes #wales #welshphotography #welshmagic #gardens
Highland Skies
The wonderful sky images you see here were photographed just outside our home in Fort Augustus - literally almost above our house - on Friday 6th July, in the afternoon around 2pm.
It was very hot and sunny and these beautiful, ephemeral cloud formations only lasted a few minutes before evaporating. Fortunately Alastair had just stepped outside to stretch his legs after a rather intense 'still life' shoot and had taken his camera with him. Clever boy!
He called me and we quickly set about capturing the moment.
Enjoy.
The Secret Convent Garden
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in early June 2018 we took the cameras and went for a walk in the secret garden of the Old Convent in Fort Augustus. It was the second visit of the day for Alastair, who’d got up very early that morning and gone for a quiet stroll before anybody else was awake - 5am.
The Old Convent was originally built as a church in 1842, then converted into a convent 'St Scholastica's Priory' in 1891, the nun's took residence in 1892 until 1922 when the remaining nun's were moved to Holme Eden Abbey. Some of the nun's are buried in the graveyard at Fort Augustus Abbey, half a mile from the convent on the shores of Loch Ness.
In recent years the Old Convent has been turned into a private quest house, with only a small area from the original grounds being purchase along with the buildings. The remainder of the grounds were purchased by the Fort Augustus Community Council, to protect them from any ruinous developments and allow walkers the freedom to wander.
Although most of the original gardens and grounds have now reverted back to their natural wild state and are not specifically interesting - other than forming a part of the lovely landscape of the Great Glen - a small section has managed to retain some of the splendour of the original garden
Hidden away and over grown this beautiful secret garden is a magical joy, full of wonder and natural chaos. It is particularly magnificent when the Rhododendron bushes are in bloom. As you wander through the landscape a bank of multi coloured Rhododendron bushes appear before you, in the centre is a very old wooden cross. If you carefully navigate a path through these bushes you discover that the bank slopes down quite steeply at the rear and the trees and backs of the bushes form a canopy overhead, creating this wonderful garden. The canopy is quite dense, the sunlight can only break through in certain places with dapples of golden light splaying across the gnarled roots of the trees and ground below. Because of the overhead canopy the atmosphere underneath is damp. Many of the roots are covered in a deep green moss, with lichen growing everywhere. We also spotted some beautiful white Rhododendrons growing out of the tree trunks inside this area.
Everything feels very old and everywhere there are large tree roots, forming fantastic shapes. You have to be very careful where you place your feet, in case you trip and fall. Chaos reigns and it’s magnificent. Although not a large area, once inside the magic of the place takes over. You feel like you’ve discovered something very special, it’s a little like Alice In Wonderland, falling down the rabbit hole and landing in another world.
We photographed many images of this beautiful, mysterious place. Presented here are six of our favourites. We hope you enjoy seeing them.
Christine and Alastair
Apple News Link: https://apple.news/AA1NPQAHvRpepyoRlqDiBL
Loch Oich Icicles
Now that’s what I call Icicles.
Photo Alastair Laidlaw
Ardachy-River Tarff & Waterfall
Frozen waterfall running into The River Tarff
today. A truly wonderful Highland sight.
MAGICAL LANDSCAPES SECRET PLACES
A big thank you to everyone who has helped us so far with this beautiful book. Let's now make this fabulous project a reality! Christine & Alastair
MAGICAL LANDSCAPES SECRET PLACES
The Night Garden - A new image from our book Magical Landscapes Secret Places.