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This rapidly changing vista of light and shade presented itself to me on returning from a trip to Sutherland. I turned off the Ullapool Road at Braemore passing Loch a' Bhraoin on my left and as I climbed the hill up towards the plateau known as the Fain I came across this scene.
There was dramatic lighting wherever I looked, before me towards the gloom at An Teallach, or behind me looking towards the Fannich Hills. I spent some time here watching the changing light on the scenes all around me, a dilemma not often faced by the landscape photographer!
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.
An Teallach; Gaelic, ‘The Forge’, according to Wikipedia from its colour in certain lighting rather than its shape. From personal experience I can agree with this explanation. In the summer, during a good sunset, and when looking east over Gruinard Bay An Teallach can appear bright red with the reflected light from the sunset in the west. However Professor Watson says that the being called the forge is due either to its smoke like mists or from supposed resemblance to a forge.
Braemore; Gaelic am Bràigh’ Mór, ‘the big upper part’.
Fain; Gaelic na Fèithean meaning ‘the bog channels’.
Fannich; Fannich Hills, named from the loch of that name. Gaelic Fainich the meaning of which is uncertain. Watson has this to say:- In spite of its Gaelic ring Fainaich is rather an obscure and difficult word. Assuming that the ‘f’ is radical and does not represent an aspirated ‘p’ we may compare it with Welsh gwaneg a surge, gwanegu, to rise in waves, Welsh gw corresponding to Gaelic f, as in Welsh gwern, Gaelic fearn, alder. Another step backward would lead us to an early Celtic van- or ven-, which suggests a comparison with the Gaulish Lacus Ven-etus, now Lake of Constance, and the two Gaulish tribes of Veneti, both maritime. But the name is one in which it is unsafe to be positive.
Loch a’ Bhraoin; means a 'drop of water or rain' and also gives its nameto the river that flows from Loch a' Bhraoin high in the Braemore (Am Braigh Mor).
Sutherland; From the Norse Suðerland, that is ‘South Land’. It may seem odd that the far north of Scotland should have a name which means ‘South Land’, but if you were on Viking raiding party from Norway it would have been an obvious name to choose.
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