Photography With Colin Prior View Trip Dates Skye & the West Highlands Book Now Trip Grade: Green Skye & the West Highlands This photography holiday explores one of the most spectacular regions of the Scottish Highlands – Skye and the West Highlands of Kintail, Applecross and Torridon. Skye without doubt offers some of the most varied and dramatic landscapes in Scotland. Renowned for the Cuillin Mountains, which are in a league of their own, the island features many other unique features including the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing on the Trotternish Ridge. Its coastal scenery is no less dramatic with superb views towards the Cuillin, especially at dusk and dawn. Our accommodation is perfectly positioned for exploring both Skye and the western end of Glen Sheil where the mountain scenery is also spectacular. Here, the Five Sisters of Kintail can be seen from Loch Duich and from elevated points on the Mam Ratagan. Our itinerary is arranged to offer a wide variety of photographic locations both on the mainland and on Skye for a rewarding five days. Highlights • Visit the Isle of Skye – the location for some of Colin Prior’s signature images • Photograph a variety of coastal, mountain and moorland landscapes • Spend five days in the Highlands developing your photography with Colin Prior Book with confidence • We guarantee this trip will run as soon as 2 people have booked • Maximum of 10 places available per departure PLEASE NOTE – The itinerary may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wilderness Scotland Guide with regard to weather conditions and other factors. Planned Itinerary Day 1 | Travel to Skye Day 2 | Ord and The Old Man of Storr Day 3 | Elgol and the Quiraing Day 4 | Torridon and Loch Maree Day 5 | Kintail and Glen Shiel Arrival Info • You will be met by Colin Prior on the main platform at Inverness Railway Station 8.30am on Day 1 of your trip • The London Sleeper arrives at 8:30am, if you are on this please let us know in advance. Inverness is a small railway station so it will be easy to identify Colin. Departure Info • You will be returned to Inverness Railway Station 3:00pm on the final day of your trip PLEASE NOTE – The itinerary may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wilderness Scotland Guide with regard to weather conditions and other factors. Day 1 | Travel to Skye Colin will meet you underneath the main display board in the arrival hall at Inverness Railway Station at 0830 on Wednesday. Inverness is a small station so it will be easy to identify Colin. On the final day of the workshop, we will return you to Inverness Railway Station at 1500, allowing clients to connect with the evening services south. After the group has assembled, we will drive to the Eilein Iarmain Hotel where we check in and head out to Tokavaig and Dunscaith Castle. Dinner at Eilean Iarmin (D) Day 2 | Ord and The Old Man of Storr A 0500 rise to shoot sunrise on the Cuillin. The full ridge, including Blaven, rise in a panorama above Loch Eishort which creates great opportunities for capturing the dawn colours. We return for breakfast, after which our journey takes us northwards, to the Old Man of Storr, where we follow the path to the basalt pinnacles – a rise of 675m which overlooks Raasay and Torridon beyond. We descend and for an early dinner at Portree’s best fish restaurant, Sea Breezes, to allow us to be in position for a sunset. (B, L, D) Day 3 | Elgol and the Quiraing Another 0500 start to capture the sunrise from Elgol. The headland and beach area offers endless photographic possibilities with views across Loch Scavaig towards the Cuillin ridge and Blaven. We return for breakfast and following a tutorial session, depart for the Quiraing in north Skye stopping at a variety of locations en route. Early dinner at Sea Breezes restaurant, which will allow us to position again for sunset. (B, L, D) Day 4 | Torridon and Loch Maree Following breakfast, we will depart for Torridon where we will have the opportunity to photograph some of the most spectacular mountains in Scotland, including Beinn Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe. In the afternoon, we will drive to a location where Slioch rises from the north shore of Loch Maree, behind stands of ancient Scots pine. Dinner at Eilean Iarmin (B, L, D) Day 5 | Kintail and Glen Shiel After checking out, we will drive to Kintail to photograph a wild and spectacular series of waterfalls on the River Shiel. The river, at this location, drops around thirty metres and has created deep pools overhung by rowan, hazel and willow trees. After lunch, we will depart for Inverness at 1300 to facilitate arrival at Inverness Station at 1500 where the workshop will conclude. (B, L) Trip Grading | Green 3 | Our Green graded photography trips are suitable for people who enjoy outdoor photography and easy hiking, and have a reasonable level of fitness. We will be accessing wild locations to photograph so you should be comfortable hiking for up to 3 hours at a time. Our Knoydart trip utilises a private launch and dinghy to access some remote locations so for this trip you must be also be comfortable getting in and out of the dinghy. The terrain will be mostly good paths and hill trails but these can still be muddy and rough in places. Some hikes may involve an ascent up to a max of approx 1,500 feet / 450m. The days are fairly leisurely and we spend about 6-8 hours outdoors. Out timetable will be flexible however, so we may head out early for a few hours before taking a break and going out again in the evening to take advantage of the best light. Our photography trips are not graded by your degree of photography skill - a small group size means you will have lots of time for one-to-one tuition regardless of your starting level. The weather in Scotland can be unpredictable and at times can make activities more challenging. Please do bear this in mind when thinking about what trip to join. If our guides feel that you are not able to complete a scheduled hike they may ask you not to join in that day. If you have any questions about the grading, then please do give our Adventure Consultants a call to chat through your experience and suitability for this trip. It is your responsibility to ensure you are appropriately fit and capable of doing the described hikes in the expected times. Please refer to the grading section on our website for more details. If you are unsure we encourage you to speak to us first. Your photography coach Colin Prior is one of Britain's leading landscape photographers. His spectacular panoramic images capture the beauty and eternal quality of the world's wild places, especially those of his own native Scotland. He brings to his work a strong personal vision combined with supreme technical mastery of his chosen medium. Each photograph uniquely captures fleeting moments of nature that will never repeat themselves. Colin is also a patient and skilled photography coach and enjoys helping clients improve their skills on these trips. Accommodation and Meals We are delighted to base this photography trip at a wonderful guest house which is located on the waterfront close to the village of Balmacara in Kintail. It is less than 5 mins drive from the Skye Bridge and also offers enticing panoramas from the lounge. It is ideally situated for trips to Kintail and Applecross as well as Skye. The emphasis is very much on dawn photography and with suitable weather, we will typically depart at 5.00 a.m. for locations in south Skye, returning for a full breakfast at 8.30 a.m. All meals are included and we can look forward to the evenings as the chef is well known as one of the best in the region. Naturally, any special dietary requirements can be catered for. Single Rooms Accommodation comprises of double and twin rooms, all of which are en-suite. Solo travellers will be accommodated in a room to themselves. All Inclusive Inclusions This trip includes the following: • 4 nights accommodation in a single room within a stylish guest house, situated on the shore of Loch Alsh near the village of Balmacara. • All meals during the trip (Meals included indicated as B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner) • All transport throughout the trip, in a spacious people carrier, starting and finishing in Inverness • The services of Colin Prior, who will work closely with each group member throughout the holiday, helping you develop your photographic skills. Our all inclusive trips include all accommodation, meals, guiding and travel during the trip. We do not include drinks or any gratuities you may choose to leave. Our holidays reviewed in your words… The trip was just a dream. The beauty that is Scotland is just hard to beat. From the Fairy Pools to Cuillin Mountains - it was all just glorious. One of my “ favorite parts of the trip was leaving at 5am to try to photograph the sunrise at Elgol. It was peaceful, quiet, and a little suspenseful to see if the clouds would break for the sun. Lots of fun! My trip was guided by Mr. Colin Prior who was just outstanding and a huge reason why I chose this particular trip. He's so well known yet no question was too basic for him to answer - so patient and kind.