North Scotland on Kodak Ultramax 400 - Part One

The towering peaks of Ben Loyal are a great example of why it’s good to be in North Scotland. 1/1000s 135mm F4.0 with polariser.

Ever since one of my best friends (Alex J) moved to the very north of Scotland, I’d been travelling up every single year. North Scotland is perhaps the most beautiful part of the UK, and one only needs the flimsiest of excuses to go there and explore. In previous years we’d done the NC 500, seen the Orkneys, and camped out on a beach over the Autumn equinox. Unfortunately, the pandemic brought all this to a grinding halt.

Alex T waiting at the Airport. 1/160s 58mm F1.4.

With the tunes loaded up we headed up the A9 from Inverness to Thurso. 1/250s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

Now in 2023 it’s been four years since I last went, and I hadn’t seen much of my friend in the intervening years due to distance and lockdowns. Another trip was long overdue and with a few months planning I and another friend (Another Alex! - Alex T) travelled up in March. Given the distance we flew up from Luton to Inverness, but this time took the decision to hire a car for the drive to Thurso and back. Something I’d never done before but the Hyundai i20 proved to be a competent drive for the weekend. The only slight set back was the long wait at the airport for the hire company to pick us up, having sent their driver to Inverness Library and not Inverness Airport.

Fueled by a recent surge of rain, Golspie Waterfall was at its most impressive. 1s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

But the moss and lichen covered surroundings were also a thing of a beauty. 1/80s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

Alex T at Golspie. 1/80s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

The drive from Inverness to Thurso is about two and a half hours and is very easy as it is just one road, following the A9 all the way north. To break up the journey (and allow a driver swap) we stopped off at Golspie Waterfall, a little less than halfway up. We certainly don’t have waterfalls like this down in Hertfordshire! It wasn’t just the impressive waterfall that caught my imagination, but also the moss and lichen-covered trees. The impressive green tones gave me pangs of regret over bringing Kodak Ultramax instead of Fuji Superia 400 (Fuji has better green tones). However, this was the only time over the weekend I felt that way. The rest of the trip suited Ultramax very well.

The main reason I’d come up to Thurso for this particular weekend. Photographing a modified Jaguar X-Type for Jaguar World magazine. 1/5000s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

I was very happy with this wide environmental shot I captured on film. The digital version is the opening two page spread in the Jaguar World feature. 1/2500s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

Alex T, Alex J and Clara pose at Sandside Bay in front of the areas main employer - Dounreay nuclear power station. 1/4000s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

Two boats sit aground at the small harbour at Fresgoe. 1/2000s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

Speaking of Ultramax, I had only shot this film stock once before but had really liked it. Yet with so many other things to shoot I hadn’t circled back round to it until a sale at Analogue Wonderland prompted me to do buy a triple pack. What better way to shoot it than in North Scotland, where I had roughly one roll of 36 per day. This would also be the first time I’d flown with a film stock of ISO 400. Here’s hoping there wouldn’t be issues with airport scanners.

After traversing the dirt track in the Ford Ranger, we set off on foot to stalk the deer. 1/160s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

A deer has been spotted! 1/1000s F1.4 58mm with polariser.

If you look carefully you can just about make out the stag in the distance at the centre of the frame. 1/125s 200mm F4.0.

The first full day was actually a day on the job! The main reason I came at this specific time was I had a photoshoot with a modified Jaguar X-Type for Jaguar World magazine, the car based close by in a village between Thurso and Wick. Thankfully we had good weather and after a jaunt along the north coast road we found a good spot to park the car up for a shoot. We were interrupted only by a runaway herd of cattle who promptly spooked the local deer population. To check out the full shoot please do pick up a copy of the latest issue of Jaguar World by clicking here.

The signs of the presence of deer were not hard to spot. 1/50s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

The best shot of a deer I got all day. The digital image I also captured allowed for much more cropping. I really needed my 300mm F2.8 lens. 1/160s 200mm F4.0.

In a vain attempt to see if I could see the Northern Lights, I wondered around Thurso in the evening. No aurora but I did get a couple of night time images I was happy with, including this one. 1/3s 58mm F1.4.

Heading into the afternoon and reunited with my friends, we whisked off to have a look at Dounreay nuclear power station from Sandside Bay before being taken on an afternoon of deer stalking by Stuart, Clara’s (Alex J’s girlfriend) father. Readers can rest easy knowing that today the only shooting was done with cameras, although deer culling is an important part of habitat management. Driving into the area down a rough track in a 4x4, we got out and carefully made our way through the area, keeping our eyes peeled for movement. All in all, we came across three stags, who at this time of year are grazing separately to the does. For the final deer Stuart and I went off without the others in an attempt to get a bit closer for me to get a better photo. Operating two cameras (film and digital) whilst walking in bog was a bit ambitious, but it was just a shame I didn’t have my 300mm F2.8 lens with me to really get the money shot.

An unusually low tide at Strathy Beach allowed Alex J to stand somewhere that’s normally inaccessible. 1/400s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

The weather quickly took a turn for the worst. The clouds rolled in and the hail came firing down. 1/6400s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

The hail was so hard that small drifts were forming in our footprints. Not exactly ideal beach weather! 1/3200s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

The next day I and the two Alexs headed out West along the north coast road to Strathy Beach and then Strathy Point. Here we experienced the most confusing weather of the whole trip. As we were coming up the beach the dark clouds had rolled in and Strathy Point itself was completely invisible and enveloped in thick cloud. Not long after we were barraged by strong winds and hail that even created little hail drifts in our footprints. Not exactly ideal beach weather. But the strong winds proved to be a boon and they made quick work of the thick coastal fog. Half an hour later Strathy Point had returned.

Soon the bad weather blew through and we were left with sunshine and blue skies at Strathy Point. 1/8000s 58mnm F1.4 with polariser.

With good visibility out to sea… 1/2000s 200mm F4.0 with polariser.

…there was a lot to see! Unfortunately this image appears to be suffering from a bit of X-ray damage (blackened corners). 1/2000s 200mm F4.0 with polariser.

Furthermore, when we reached it, the sun was shining and the skies were blue! Quite the turnaround. Good job we hadn’t gone here first. In fact, the visibility was now so good we could see miles out to sea, not just along the mainland coast but also out to Hoy on the Orkney Islands. We then continued along the coast to Castle Varrich at Tongue. Having found the one pub selling food, we ate a hearty pizza before walking up to the ruins themself. On this clear day we also had the most amazing views of Ben Loyal, both as we were driving to Tongue and also when we were walking around from the pub. The top of the ruins was windy, but it provided yet another great viewpoint for the surrounding area.

After making Alex J stop the car on the road, I marched over bog for ten minutes to try and get a good shot of Ben Loyal. 1/2000s 200mm F4.0 with polariser.

Castle Varrich atop the hill. 1/640s 150mm F4.0 with polariser.

The Alexs atop Castle Varrich. 1/1000s 200mm F4.0 with polariser.

For our return journey we decided to take the scenic route back to the main road via in a loop around Loch Loyal and Loch Naver. Apart from allowing the group of cars headed by the Ferrari 458 past, we had the narrow single-track road largely to ourselves and it made for a great bit of driving. The surroundings so open and empty of people, with the exception of a few scattered farmhouses and a very remote B&B at Altnaharra. The mountain views of Ben Loyal and Ben Hope were spectacular, and the drives along the lochs no less impressive. This is the Scotland we’d come to see.

On the way back down I spotted this Ferrari 458, which would soon be leading a group of cars to overtake us on the scenic route home. 1/1000s 135mm F4.0 with polariser.

This road was well worth the detour for the great driving and amazing mountain views. 1/1250s 150mm F4.0 with polariser.

The day had been a long one though and we capped it off with a relaxing evening of board games, something that we are all very fond of. Thankfully there were no seven-hour games of Risk. It had certainly been a jam-packed couple of days but there was still a little bit more to go. To see how we got on, on our final full day, you’ll have to tune into next week’s blog. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the images and please leave any comments you have down below.

Alex J & Clara consult the rule book during our evening of board games. 1/30s 35mm F1.4.

Richard & Alex T midway through our game. 1/30s 35mm F1.4.

Comet the cat watches on bemused. 1/30s 35mm F1.4.

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