counter hit xanga
suilven | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘suilven’

Canisp, NW Highlands, 3 paintings

The first image in this blog is a drawing I did a number of years ago and shows two of the most well known of the Assynt mountains…… Canisp on the left and Suilven on the right.

Drawing of Suilven & Canisp

‘Assynt sky-line’

The view point for this drawing was the high ground just to the north of the fishing village of Lochinver and reaching this point by the footpath leading over to the beautiful sandy bay of Achmelvich is a very fine walk in itself.  Anyway, as you will know if you’ve been following these blogs over the years, Nita and I have visited Assynt a good number of times since our first trip there in May 2006 I think it was.  We’ve experienced it in all sorts of weather when on a couple of occasions it’s been so hot we’ve been swimming in the sea and other times when we’ve needed our winter gear in the mountains.

abstract scottish landscape paintings

‘From the SE slopes of Canisp, NW Highlands’

On our first trip to Assynt we planned to walk Canisp but we were forced to turn back at about 650m due to very strong winds ….but had a fantastic look at this fabulous hill and its amazingly ancient surrounding landscape.  We saw enough to know that we had to go back in better weather and get to the summit.  We did this the following year in what was almost perfect weather ….blue skies, a gentle breeze and warm.  We didn’t follow the small path but took a more circuitous route over great areas of bare rock, boulder fields and areas of short grass and heather.   Despite being such a perfect day, we didn’t see another soul and we reached the summit and sat there enjoying the incredible views all around, especially those across to Suilven.

abstract scottish landscape paintings

‘Between showers, from the upper slopes of Canisp’

Last year in late May we went back to this fabulous hill, but in very different conditions.  On this occasion, just like on our first trip to the hill, there were strong winds higher up, thick cloud and very heavy rain and hail showers.  We ended up doing a very similar kind of route to that first trip, reaching the same high point and then descending down the steeper north facing slopes to reach some small lochs nestling amongst the boulders.  On my return to the studio after that holiday, I decided to try and do several paintings based on this latest walk on Canisp.  I originally thought I’d do three canvases ….and here they are.

abstract scottish landscape paintings

‘Below Canisp, passing hail shower’

But I think this walk deserves another two pieces and I’m just about to start numbers 4 and 5!  The weather that day wasn’t all rain; cloud and hail, periodically there were brief interludes of bright sunshine that illuminated the very rough landscape.   There were several moments as we made our way up the south eastern facing slopes of the hill when the thinning straw coloured grasses looked really bright against the dark skies and this is one scene I’d like to capture next.  The other, was something we saw as we picked our way through the boulder fields to the north east of the main hill…..it was a strange bit of a rainbow appearing from down in the glen but petering out in the tumble of rain and hail clouds.  It was quite impressive and quite abstract ….but most of all, out here, several kilometres from the road, it made us feel very small and insignificant.  Watch this space for the final two Canisp paintings.

Blog…no blog!

Sorry, no blog this week. We’re away up in Assynt and I’ll be writing about the trip next week. In the meantime, here are a couple of snaps taken on a wild walk on Canisp.
Suilven from the slopes of Canisp

Suilven from the slopes of Canisp

 

From Canisp, a bit of a rainbow during a hail shower

From Canisp, a bit of a rainbow during a hail shower

-o-o-o-o-o-

Where to go?

'North from the summit of Ben Hee'

'North from the summit of Ben Hee'

We still haven’t booked anywhere for our two week long holiday in May.  We’ve been more organised over the previous few years and had everything arranged by this time.  Of course, this has been quite easy as we’ve been going to the same place ….Achmelvich in Assynt.  It is very tempting to once again book one of the caravans at the little ‘Hillhead’ site there.  It is stunningly beautiful, very quiet and surrounded by amazing hills and mountains.

We have though, now walked many of these hills, Suilven, Canisp, Conival, Breabag, Sail Gharbh, Spidean Coinich, Glas Bheinn, Speicin Coinnich, Cul Mor and Cul Beag…..and have started to look further north.  We’ve done forays into Sutherland from our base in Achmelvich ….visiting Ben Hope, Ben Kilbreck, Ben Stack, Arkle and Ben Hee, but it’s a bit of a drive each time and so we’re thinking that this year we may try and find some accommodation somewhere in this most northerly part of the mainland.  I never mind revisiting hills but at the same time I get a great buzz out of walking somewhere I’ve never been before.

'Ben Hope from Arkle'

'Ben Hope from Arkle'

That said of course, we’re leaving it a bit late ….most self catering accommodation is booked quite early and so we may find it difficult to find anything in our price range that is still available for the two weeks in May.  I’m going to start searching the web and will contact the Scottish Tourist Board to get one of their brochures and then it’ll be a case of ringing around …no doubt to be told ‘fully booked, you should have booked back last autumn’!  We’ve been there before …or not ….and have ended up taking a holiday in a completely different part of Scotland!  But the thing about life is ….you have to be flexible, especially when you’re disorganised like Nita and I.  Hopefully though, we’ll see the kind of views we got last year from Ben Hee and Arkle.  But that’s the thing about Scotland…it really doesn’t matter where you go …it’s nearly all beautiful.  Any suggestions?!

'From Ben Hee, a little bit of weather!'

'From Ben Hee, a little bit of weather!'

-0-0-0-0-0-

‘Below Canisp, Assynt’

below-canisp-assynt-acrylic-pastel-2011-30-x-30-cm

'Below Canisp, Assynt'

‘Below Canisp, Assynt’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 30 x 30 cm

I started this little painting around a year ago but in the rush to get everything together for my trip to Speyer I must have put it to one side and forgot all about it.  I found it a short while ago along with some blank primed painting boards ….and decided to have a crack at finishing it.

It’s based on the wild spot immediately below Canisp in Assynt.  Set below the northern flanks of the hill (as I remember it) are a couple of beautiful wee lochs.  If you follow the route described in the books, the path avoids these lochs, climbing above them.  However it is much better in my opinion to avoid the path and make across the open and very stony ground to reach these lochs and then clamber more steeply uphill to gain the path higher up.  We sat by one of the lochs both on our way up and on our descent.  It really is a wild and remote spot …incredibly quiet and stunningly beautiful.  On the two occasions we’ve walked this hill, both times in May, we’ve seen no other walkers.  The viewpoint from the summit of Canisp is special as your eye is caught by the magnificent outline of Suilven just to the south west.  This is definitely a hill to take your time on …in May there’s no shortage of daylight and in good weather you can just wonder across this ancient and awe inspiring landscape.

Holiday booking – May 2011

On Cul Mor, Assynt

On Cul Mor, Assynt

I was talking with my partner yesterday evening about the various commitments I have for 2011. Despite it being some time away I already have a number of things lined up. In February I have a solo show of work at the Strathearn Gallery in Creiff …it’s a big space and will take a lot of filling – around 45 pieces of work apparently. Later, in the autumn, I’ve been invited to show work as part of the 2011 Dundee Mountain Film Festival. This runs for one weekend but each year they invite one artist and one photographer to show a selection of their work as part of the festival. At some stage next year, possibly in August, I’ve been invited to show work in a group exhibition at the Queens Gallery in Dundee. So then, as I say, I have a few things lined up ….and no holiday booked! As I’ve said in past blogs, we normally go away for the first two weeks in May and so, not as to miss out, we decided to book a place well ahead ….otherwise I’ll agree to something and we’ll miss our spring trip to the Highlands!

´From the summit, Ben Stack'

´From the summit, Ben Stack'

I think I must be getting old because in the past we always used to go somewhere different each year. Back in 2006 however we ventured north to Assynt for the first time ….and fell in love with the place. We went back the following year and then again last year. Guess what? We’re booking again for 2011! The thing is, it’s not just the stunning landscape, the beautiful spring colours, the magnificent wildlife and the friendly welcome everywhere, it’s also that we’ve found the most idyllic little place in which to stay. Being walkers, we like to get out early and arrive back late …and so we’re not really hotel or B&B people ….we like to self cater and then we can do exactly what we want to do at the time we want to do it. In 2006 we were looking for just such a place, either a cottage or static caravan ….and while Nita was trawling through the web pages she came across one advertising ‘Hill head Caravans’ in Achmelvich on the coast just north of Lochinver. It sounded perfect – a small group of vans set just back from a beautiful sandy beach …and just four miles from Lochinver. Well to call it perfect is an understatement. When we arrived that first holiday we couldn’t really believe quite what we’d found. You get to Achmelvich on a small single track road with stunning views down to a little sea loch below and bigger views across to the Assynt peaks. The wee road winds its way down to the community of Achmelvich. Maysie and Durrant MacLeod, the owners of the small site, were so friendly on our arrival and the vans were spotless, set just five minutes from the beach. In early May it was fairly quite here and when we set eyes on the beautiful curving white sands of the beach …there was hardly anyone else on it …just numerous birds and an odd seal bobbing about in the bay …wow, what a place to stay for two weeks.

'Suilven from Canisp, Assynt'

'Suilven from Canisp, Assynt'

We were lucky the first year there, the weather was very kind to us, it being hot and sunny and dry most of the time. We had wonderful days walking and exploring some of the famous Assynt hills, Canisp, Suilven, Conival and Quinag and spent less active days wandering along the rocky coastline or just sitting enjoying the peace and quiet of Achmelvich.

In the end then, it’s hardly surprising that we went back two more times …there’s hills a plenty and peace and quiet enough to un-wrangle the most stressed out brain. Here is to May 2011 and another bit of pure Scottish magic.

For more information click Hillhead in Achmelcich, Assynt.