A Highland Photo Trip: Part 4 Bealach na Ba to Applecross

Frozen water - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/13 @ f8 ISO800 (zoom 10mm)

Bealach na Ba is Gaelic for Pass of the Cattle and is a road that is reminiscent of Alpine roads with tight and twisty bends as the single track road twists it was from sea level to 626 metres (2054ft).

We had packed away our camera gear into the car at the bottom of the pass and as we headed up the weather had taken a turn for the worse, with rain swiftly turning to flurries of snow as we headed up.  This made the climb seem even more dramatic as the dark layer of cloud was lit from underneath by the sunlight down on Loch Kishorn.

Bealach na Ba - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/100 @ f4 ISO800 (zoom 10mm)

When we reached the top we stopped to climb out of the car to taken some images.  The twisting road provided a great lead in line for the resulting image

At the top of the ridge the large pools of water were frozen over with snow flakes being blown across the surface.  The X-T2 with the XF10-24mm fitted was placed low down to capture some images.

Frozen water - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/100 @ f4 ISO800 (zoom 10mm)

Quickly retiring to the warm car we headed north west to the village of Applecross.  With the dark clouds piling in from the Atlantic it looked like the sunset we had hoped for was going to be a non starter so we resigned ourselves to finding something else to shoot as we dropped down towards the village on the edge of the sea.

Applecross - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/200 @ f5.6 ISO400 (zoom 24mm)

The light was starting to appear through the clouds on the far horizon so we stopped on the side of the road above the bay.  We then headed down to the front but the light, which had shown promise on the top of the hill had faded.

I did take one shot on the edge of the beach looking back towards the houses.  I switched the camera to ACROS (R) film simulation and this was the result.

Applecross - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF50-140mm f2.8 - 1/60 @ f2.8 ISO200 (zoom 100mm)

We decided to head up to Ullapool where we had booked a hotel for the night but as we were heading out of Applecross more opportunities presented themselves.

On the other side of a wall bordering the Applecross Estate was a herd of Highland Cattle and we duly stopped to take a look and take a few pictures of these gentle beasts.

Highland Cow - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF50-140mm f2.8 - 1/180 @ f2.8 ISO3200 (zoom 80mm)

Highland Cow - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF50-140mm f2.8 - 1/80 @ f2.8 ISO3200 (zoom 140mm)

Highland Cow - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF50-140mm f2.8 - 1/80 @ f2.8 ISO3200 (zoom 140mm)

Highland Cow - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF50-140mm f2.8 - 1/80 @ f2.8 ISO3200 (zoom 140mm)

We hadn't gone a mile up the road when I spotted a stag on the road side eating some of the bracken.  We pulled over expecting the stag to bolt but he stayed put long enough for us to get some shots.  We thought we were extremely lucky to get a close up shot of this wild deer but little did we know what day 2 would have in store for us!

Young Stag on the Roadside - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF50-140mm f2.8 - 1/110 @ f2.8 ISO6400 (zoom 140mm)

The final image was taken on the road heading north away from Applecross Bay.  Once again the final light of the day was trying to make a break through the dense cloud cover and we were presented with this scene of a house on the headland with the northern tip of the island of Raasay in the distance.

Across the Sound to Raasay - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF50-140mm f2.8 - 1/70 @ f2.8 ISO800 (zoom 50mm)

After that the light faded completely and we headed the 75 miles up to Ullapool for a beer and a plate of fish and chips before heading off to bed.  A 6:30am start the next morning would given us two hours to get to our next location before sunrise on day two of the Highland Photo Tour.

Ullapool Harbour at Night - iPhone 6S Plus

Part 5 on the ruins of Ardvreck Castle of will be posted tomorrow morning.  

CLICK HERE for more information on Bealach na Ba and the Applecross Peninsula on the Undiscovered Scotland website

Other features from this trip
A Highland Photo Trip: Part 8 Sunset at Altandhu - CLICK HERE
A Highland Photo Trip: Part 7 Clashnessie Beach to the River Polly - CLICK HERE
A Highland Photo Trip: Part 6 Kylesku to Drumbeg - CLICK HERE
A Highland Photo Trip: Part 5 Ardvreck Castle - CLICK HERE
A Highland Photo Trip: Part 3 Lochcarron to Loch Kishorn - CLICK HERE
A Highland Photo Trip: Part 2 Inverness - CLICK HERE
A Highland Photo Trip: Part 1 Ruthven Barracks - CLICK HERE

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Jeff Carter is an Official Fujifilm X Photographer and was named as a Fujifilm brand ambassador in June 2015. In 2016 he worked with the company on the launches of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 in Tokyo and the Fujifilm X-T2 in Paris in July 2016.  You can view his profile and gallery on the Fujifilm website HERE

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