A Highland Photo Trip: Part 5 Ardvreck Castle

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Ardvreck Castle - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 4s @ f22 ISO200 (zoom 10mm)
After a good night's sleep in a hotel in Ullapool we headed north at 6:30am to hopefully catch the sunrise over the mountains.  However a fairly steady rainfall meant we were not going to be lucky in that respect.  But as anyone who has traveled in Scotland knows, you just have to make the best of the Scottish weather because it rains a lot here!

 We decided to head to Loch Assynt to photograph the ruins of Ardvreck Castle which stand on a small outcrop of land surrounded by water.
Ardvreck Castle - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF90mm f2 - 1/500 @ f2 ISO400
Ardvreck Castle was built by the MacLeods of Assynt at the end of the 15th Century and stood until 1795 until it was struck by lightning and largely destroyed.

 The castle now stands as a ruin on the shores of the loch, surrounded by the Scottish mountains on all sides.

 As the light started to gather the rain eased off, but didn't stop entirely which was a frustration for us as we were using filters on the front of the lens and had to wipe the rain drops off at regular intervals.
Ardvreck Castle - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 2.5s @ f22 ISO100 (zoom 10mm)
While I shot all of the images in colour, the subdued light and low clouds meant that a moody monochrome conversion in post production using NIK Silver EFEX Pro 2 was a good choice.
The remains of the curtain wall at Ardvreck Castle - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 0.5s @ f22 ISO100 (zoom 10mm)

Further down the north bank of the loch lies the ruins of Calda House, the home of the MacKenzies of Assynt which was built in 1730.

 Back at the car park there are four or five information boards which include one on the history of Ardvreck Castle and one on Calda House (see below).
The Ruins of Calda House - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF90mm f2 - 1/320 @ f3.6 ISO400
We then headed north of Loch Assynt to Kylesku for our next stop on day 2 of our Winter Photo Tour of the Highlands.

 CLICK HERE for more information on Ardvreck Castle 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 4 Bealach na Ba to Applecross - 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

The 25 mile trip from Ullapool to Loch Assynt
Looking east along Loch Assynt with Calda House on left - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 3s @ f22 ISO200 (zoom 10mm)

Ardvreck Castle - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/160 @ f4 ISO400 (zoom 10mm)
Ardvreck Castle - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/80 @ f5.6 ISO400 (zoom 10mm)
Looking North West along Loch Assynt - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/80 @ f5.6 ISO400 (zoom 10mm)
The information board for Ardvreck Castle 
The information board for Calda House
Ardvreck Castle - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF50-140mm f2.8 - 1/45 @ f2.8 ISO4000 (zoom 50mm)
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ALL IMAGES (UNLESS INDICATED) ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION

MacLean Photographic run Tours and Workshops in East Lothian and the Borders of Scotland.  CLICK HERE for more details and availability

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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Location: Loch Assynt, Lairg IV27, UK

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