Rannoch Moor, Scotland.

The Moor of Rannoch is as wild and sombre a stretch of country as any in Scotland, especially when shrouded in mist or lashed by driving rain or snow, a terrifying wilderness for the lonely walker. In good weather, however, the Moor is a world of shining lochs with treeclad islets and sandy bays, the way clothed with waving grass and purple heather, with unique views to delight the adventurous walker. It covers some 20 square miles at a height of over a 1000 feet of peat and bog for the most part, laid on granite. It is the Watershed of Central Scotland where rivers start their journeys towards the Atlantic in the west and to the North Sea in the east. Over this area are scattered thousands or enormous rocks which have been torn from the sides of the hills and corries by a giant glacier moving eastwards 20,000 years ago. 

The top image is one of Scotland's most photographed houses, Black Rock Cottage. I took the photograph as a simple record shot during a four day holiday to the area, the weather for the entire period was WET, with very low cloud. On our last day as we headed back home we drove one last time onto Rannoch Moor and for a brief moment the cloud broke and a glimmer of blue sky came into view, however it didn't last and we drove off in the rain once more. 

The bottom photograph is of Buachaille Etive Mor, a triangular mountain bordering Rannoch Moor and Glencoe. I took the image using a nearby stream as foreground interest and to take the viewers eye away from a washed out and very low grey cloud. I introduced a graduate grey fill on a separate layer to the image in photoshop to try and balance the clouds to the rest of the image, however even with this the sky still looks grey.