Image Details
I was driving down to Gairloch and saw that Loch Tollaidh looked wonderful as I passed it. It was surrounded by freshly fallen snow sparkling in the bright sunshine. Frustrated that I couldn't stop I continued onto Gairloch and dropped my wife off at the Church.
I immediately drove quickly back to Loch Tollaidh hoping the sun had not started to melt the snow on the stones that I noticed in the loch as we drove past earlier.
Relief! The snow was still on the stones and I walked down to the little peninsula that juts out into the loch to get nearer to them. Another minute and I had my tripod set up, incident light readings taken (this was shot on film) and took three shots bracketing either side of the correct exposure to be sure that I retained the detail in the highlights of the snow as well as the shadows.
Having got the shot 'in the bag' I relaxed and spent some time taking other shots around Loch Tollaidh some of which will appear on this website at a later date.
Usually Loch Tollaidh is photographed looking east so that the 'Great Wilderness' mountains form a dramatic backdrop. This one of the few photographs I have taken of Loch Tollaidh looking west towards the hills Meall Airigh Mhic Criadh and Meallan Ruadh.
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.
Gairloch; Gaelic, village named after the loch of the same name, Loch Gairloch, An Gearr-loch, the short loch.
Loch Tollaidh; Gaelic; ‘loch at the place of the holes’, there are also Tollie Farm, Tollie Bay, Tollie Rock, and Tollie Burn.
Meall Airigh Mhic Criadh; Gaelic is Meall Airigh Mac-Griadh meaning the hill of the shieling of the sons of Griadh.
Meallan Ruadh; Gaelic meaning the small reddish brown hill.
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