Incredible summit view from Sgurr Alasdair, highest point on the 6,000 offshore islands of Britain. Left to right, Isles of Eigg, Soay, Rum, Sanday, Canna and Outer Hebrides. Glenbrittle and beach, bottom right. Isle of Skye, Scotland.

                                                Commentary.                

08:00, my son, James, and I left base-camp at Glen Brittle beach.
Ninety minutes in and the gentle foothills are behind us.
As we stare into Coire Lagan, Sgurr Alasdair looks awesome, impenetrable, and unclimbable.
As we summit the corrie’s smooth-rocked, ice-scoured lip to the corrie lake the basalt and gabbro wall of rock shows a thin grey streak of ice-shattered scree.
The two thousand foot, “Great Stone Shoot,” gives a narrow but climbable rocky desert.
Three hours in and we reach the col at the base of the summit.
One final scramble and this view south welcomes us at 11:22.


On top of the world, level with powder-puff clouds we peer down on a balmy Hebridean Sea, Rum, Soay, Rubha an Dunain peninsula, Loch Brittle and the beach campsite.
Further on the horizon the southern end of the Outer Hebrides, as far as Barra, can be seen, over eighty miles distant.
How this feels like a God-like throne –
Shared by us 
– mere mortals.


Panorama from Sgurr Alasdair, 993 m. (3,258 feet), Isle of Skye.

Poem.

A seat with the Gods.
Brush the clouds.
Touch the sky.
Nigh on one thousand metres up on precipitous ridges of gabbro, basalt and bands of quartz.
On the serrated, pinnacled, fragmented remnant ridge
of a long-time extinct and exploded super-volcano.
Having clambered past the Fairy Pools,
The Cioch, Coire Lagan, the Inaccessible Pinnacle and two thousand foot of sharp, shattered scree making up the Great Stone Chute and the final summit arête, this is the view southwards.
To stand here.
And see this.
It is surreal.
Spiritual.
An honour. 
A privilege.
A sight that relatively few have seen.
But those that have seen it, will not forget.
To see for 80-100 miles in all directions.
To see Ben Nevis, An Teallach,
Ben More on Mull,
Canna, Rum, Eigg, Muck and Soay.
And to see a large part of the incredible Isle of Skye, itself,
and the Outer Hebrides.
It is too much to take in, too much to believe.
I shall have to return and confirm that it was real,
not, merely, a wonderful dream! 


   

Taken in: UK / Scotland / Bualintur (show map)

Taken on: May 27, 2007

Sets appears in: • Scotland's Landscapes and Places of Interest.

Groups appears in: • United Kingdom • islands more » • havens & harbours • Scottish Mountains • Isle of Skye • Coastal UK • Inner Hebrides • Munros • Beautiful Britain • Cliffs • scottish scenery • The Flikr Group • Wild Scotland • Rocky Coastlines and Shores • Geotagged : Scotland • Landscapes of Scotland • Hills and Mountains • Scottish Coastline • Scottish Beaches • DSLR Scotland • UK Panoramics • Canon DSLR users UK • Landscape: The best Group on Flickr • Scottish Panoramas • Digital Scotland • An t-Eilean Sgitheanach (Isle of Skye) • Scotland- The Beautiful Landscapes • Smaller Scottish islands • Scotland's Scenery • Great British Landscapes (No buildings, boats, people or animals • Scotland in May • Canon DSLR • UK Coast and Harbour • The SEA, COASTLINES and BEACHES. • British beaches • I Love Scotland • Scotland in Picture • Caledonian Landscape • Colourful Scotland • This is Scotland • Landmarks in the UK • Scenes from the British Isles • Highlands and Islands of Scotland • Scotland on the map • Scotlands Beauty Spots • Breathtaking-Highlands • Coastal Imagery • Britain at its Best • The Scottish Highlands & Beyond • Islands of Scotland • Sky Scapes in The Highlands & Islands of Scotland • Canon SLR Photography • Beaches of Scotland • Scenic Scotland • Photography of Scotland • Light Of Scotland • Awesome Scotland • Scotland Photographers • Digital SLR Life • Scotland in Pictures • Your Scotland • UK Mountains • British Landscapes • Scottish Landscape Photographers • A TARTAN COUNTRY. • (A) WORLD HERITAGE TRAIL « less

Camera: Canon EOS 5D, f/11.0, 1/250 sec, 24mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D
Lens:	EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	24mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	-1/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.14 (Windows)
Show full info

Stats: 1,073 views / 4 comments