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Loch Tay | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘Loch Tay’

Getting high, (on a hill)….. the easy way!

On Meall Corranaich ...the first signs of brightness in the sky

On Meall Corranaich …the first signs of brightness in the sky

When we were on Harris earlier this month, the combination of wild weather, very rough terrain and my very poor sight, meant that I found the walking there very difficult.  As I’ve said before, when you walk in the hills with a visual impairment, the mental effort is almost as tiring as the physical exertion and so for our first walk since returning from the holiday, I was looking for something during which I could to some extent, relax a little.  The obvious choice would have been to head back to the Luss Hills, but I had a fancy to get up high and with a bit of luck, get some big extensive views.

The perfect lunch spot near the summit of Meaall Corranaich

The perfect lunch spot near the summit of Meaall Corranaich

After trawling through my memories of walks in the Southern Highlands, I remembered a walk I had done probably 8 or 9 years ago with a group from our local club Air na Creagan.  On a fine summer day we’d done a relatively easy circuit over two Munros that lie close to Ben Lawers, Meall Corranaich and Meall a’ Choire Leith.   The first of these, Meall Corranaich, is quite high, its summit cairn perched on a flat grassy top at 1069 m ….it would offer the big views I was looking for and both are almost completely grass covered …giving easy and therefore for me, fairly stress free walking.  The final thing going for these two hills was their location.  They can easily be reached from the high point on the single track road that leads past the site of the old Ben Lawers visitor centre and on over into Glen Lyon.  As the high point is around 500 m, even the walk to the top of Meall Corranaich doesn’t involve vast amounts of ascent …..as I say, getting high without all the effort!

Guy at the summit of Meall Corranaich

Guy at the summit of Meall Corranaich

So then, that was our plan for Tuesday and all we needed was for the better of the two weather forecasts we seen, to be right.  One of them had predicted cloud on the tops much of the day, the other …from the MWIS, had predicted that any low cloud would lift and break with an eighty per cent chance of a cloud free top…..we went with this one!!

We asked our friend Guy if he’d like to join us and as he’d been doing quite a lot of low level walks recently, (checking out a route for some cadets he works with) he jumped at a chance to get up on the tops again and was waiting to be picked up at Kilwinning station almost as soon as we’d asked him!

On top of the world... ..well, almost!

On top of the world… ..well, almost!

It was, quite simply, a perfect little day.  The MWIS forecast proved correct and although when we’d started walking there were dark clouds covering all the main summits in the area, within an hour this had lifted and we could see our route ahead.  The air was very clear and the views even to me were extensive.  Needless to say, we took our time …stopping occasionally to sit and look and enjoy this spectacular scenery.  The mountains still had patches of snow on them and this added to the grandeur of the scene.  As we reached the main ridge leading up to the summit of Meall Corranaich, the views became even bigger, looking out over Loch Tay and nearer to hand, across a high bealach to Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers …the latter being just a few feet short of the 4000 foot mark.  We avoided the path leading directly up to the top of Meall Corranaich and instead headed for it via a very steep slope of grass and stones, but one that was sheltered from the wind and was therefore much more pleasant.  As I neared the top, puffing and sweating ….I glanced behind me to see Guy stomping up the slope ….and I suddenly remembered that he is now 80 …and still has more ‘umph and go’ on the hills than I do!  As my friend Norma always says about Guy…. ‘what a man’!  I hope I’m still climbing hills with as much energy and enthusiasm as he has, when I’m 80.

Descending from Meall Corranaich

Descending from Meall Corranaich

Our efforts were rewarded at the top by the sun coming out and big patches of blue sky emerging all around …it was spectacular.  We had another long break sat out of the wind just enjoying the place.  After a bit, we decided that this top was enough and instead of carrying on to the second hill, we’d just have a relaxed walk back.  This was just the kind of day I’d wanted.

‘LochTay from Beinn Ghlas’

135-loch-tay-from-beinn-ghlas-acrylic-pastel-2009-76-x-23-cm

'Loch Tay from Beinn Ghlas'

 

‘Loch Tay from Beinn Ghlas’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2009, 76 x 23 cm

The walk to the summit of Ben Lawers via Beinn Ghlas is a very popular one and as such, the paths on the hill are large and well used.   That said however, the views from these hills are extensive owing to their height ….Ben Lawers being just a few feet short of the 4000 foot contour.  We often do this walk in the autumn when for one thing it’s a little less busy and also because of the fact that its National Trust land and so not restricted at this time of year by stalking.  On the day this painting was based on, we’d walked to the summit of Ben Lawers in rain and cloud, but as we returned back along the ridge towards Beinn Ghlas, drier, brighter weather moved in and we had some wonderful views down to Loch Tay far below.

A somewhat uneventful week!

'Working drawing - on Braebag'

'Working drawing - on Braebag'

It’s amazing to think that this is the eighty second blog …and there may have been a couple that never got a number.  Whatever number it is …it’s quite a lot.  Number eighty two though, isn’t I’m afraid, going to be a classic …just a short ramble about not very much!

It’s just over a week since we were out on the hill near Loch Tay and apart from yesterday (Thursday) I’ve spent nearly all my time either doing work on the computer or painting down the studio.  We had hoped to get out onto a hill again this week, but the weather has, like in most of Scotland and Northern Ireland it seems, been pretty horrendous.  My sister living down in Shropshire is complaining about how dry it is there and how she’s watering the garden with the washing up water.  No such problems here this last week – I think it rained most days.   Add to this a very strong wind including a real gale on Monday and well it doesn’t do much for passing trade at the studio.  Surprisingly though I did have one couple visit at the height of the gale on Monday.  Donned in waterproofs, they’d made the walk up the harbour side to the sea and I think may have come into the studio to get a break from the wind more than for the art!  However, I am doing them an injustice, as it turned out they were sailors and were indeed sheltering from the storm …so, no doubt used to wet and windy weather.  Compared with many folk across Scotland and Northern Ireland, we were I guess, quite lucky that day.  We retained our power supply and train services and there seemed to be very little damage done …with the exception of a beautiful cherry blossom tree on Bank Street that was split in two during the storm.

'Working drawing - Quinag'

'Working drawing - Quinag'

I had planned to go and collect ten framed pictures from the Waverley Gallery on the Monday but decided this might be a little foolish …get caught carrying and 80 x 80cm painting by and 80 mph gust of wind and I’d probably have ended up in Kilmarnock!  We picked the work up the next day instead and I’m very pleased with the way it looks.  I still have one painting to complete and about five others to go into empty frames ready for the show at Blairmore Gallery.  While I’m doing the painting, Nita has kindly agreed to put the other pieces into their frames …so we should have everything ready in time.   We’re delivering the work on Thursday 9th June ready for opening on the Friday 10th.  I haven’t quite yet decided the exact number and selection to go up but it will probably be around 18 – 20 paintings and drawings.

Last week I said I was hoping to get some ideas worked out for new paintings and I spent one of my days last week playing around with some drawings.  I am keen to try and get some paintings done based on both Quinag and Braebag in Assynt.  They are very different hills, the former being steep sided and quite complex, the latter just a simple quartz covered whale back ……but both quite magnificent in their own ways.  Here are two of the working drawings I did the other day.

Back to the studio now and back to the painting.  I have I admit been struggling somewhat with one of my paintings.  I think I really ought to leave it sit for a while and get on with new work …but, I may just have to have another go when I get down there in an hour or so!  We’re hoping to get out for another walk on Sunday so long as conditions aren’t too bad, so maybe next week I’ll have a little more to report on.