Image Details
Taken on a bright winters day in January I found this scene very appealing; I was thinking how pleasant it would be to live in such a place. This is Callert Cottage (or is it Callert House?) by the banks of Loch Leven and the hill rising above the house is Mam nan Gualainn.
Little did I know then that just over a year later we would have relocated to live in the North-west Highlands. This shot was taken on a weekend escape from my stressful work-life and the winter light at the time this shot was taken was clear and bright. Later that day the light would take on an entirely different character leading to very different photographs.
North-west Highland Place Names
The landscape of the North-west Highlands and the Gaelic language are intimately connected. Other languages have contributed to the richness of our place names, notably Norse, but the North-west Highlands have for centuries been a Gaelic landscape. In listing the meanings of place names I have relied on authoritative sources wherever possible. For further information about sources please refer to North-west Highland Place Names in the main menu.
Loch Leven; According to one source it is written in Gaelic as Loch Lìobhann but so far I have been unable to determine the meaning of Lìobhann with certainty. Another source states that Leven is the anglicized version of the Gaelic word leamham meaning elm.
Màm na Gualainn; The round hill of the shoulder.
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