Image Details
This was taken in late January on a day of mixed fortune, with the weather gradually worsening. I stopped on the hill above Stromeferry on the southern shore of Loch Carron to watch the ever changing cloud formations and the play of light and shade on the hills to the north of Lochcarron village. Loch Carron is on the Scottish north-west coast.
I find it difficult to know in these circumstances when the 'best' formation of light and shade has occurred and generally take a sequence of photographs for evaluation later, often much later by the time I get round to editing the images. What drew me to choose this one from the sequence was the dramatic silhouette of An Ruadh Stac against the light and crowned by a dark cloud. I also liked on the right the illuminated wispy cloud contrasted with the gloom that it is set against.
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 Ruadh Stac; Gaelic; Ruadh, red, Stac, high cliff or hill, precipice.
Lochcarron; The village is named after Loch Carron, which see below.
Loch Carron; Named after the River Carron which enters this sea loch after a course through Glen-carron and Strath-carron. In Gaelic it is Loch Carrann, Carrann meaning ‘rough’. The root is kars-, rough, as seen in
Stromeferry; Professor Watson states this is a hybrid name, ‘ferry’ is English while ‘Strome’ is Norse derived from straumr meaning current or stream. The Gaelic name is Port an t-Sroim where the presence of the article with Sroim indicates it was felt to have come from a Gaelic word.
Images; Copyright © Gordon C Harrison All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.
Moral rights asserted in all countries and under any acts that may require such assertion.