Image of the Week

Faskally Forest, nr. Killiecrankie, Perth & Kinross, Scotland

Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM lens. Handheld.

ISO 400. 1/160 sec @ f/11.  Exposure set manually.

We have just returned from a trip to the UK during which we spent two weeks in the Perth & Kinross area of Scotland. The scenery was magnificent and I will shortly do a separate blog on our stay. The autumn colours were just starting to appear and one can just imagine what it will be like in a few weeks time. I walked through the Enchanted Forest in the Faskally Forest area and came across the signpost to nearby Killiecrankie. This immediately brought the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to mind  where there is a wilderness camp of the same name (slightly different spelling with only one “l” and a “k” instead of a “c”). However the two places could not be more different. Killiecrankie is verdant with magnificent giant trees, ponds and lakes in contrast to the stark and dry landscape of the Kgalagadi. However, each has its own beauty.  There is a good story behind the name given to the camp in the Kgalagadi. A Scotsman by the name of Roger Jackson was doing the surveying of the area and he named a number of boreholes like Monro, Dalkeith and Craig Lockhart after places in Scotland. Likewise with Kiliekrankie (Killiecrankie).

The famous battle of Killiecrankie took place in 1689 not far from where this photograph was captured.

The light during this particular morning was phenomenal with patchy clouds creating areas of brighter light which accentuated the turning autumn colours. It truly looked like an Enchanted Forest.