The Cold Glen - Glen Coe

A cold dark and moody start to the day on the side of Beinn A’Chrulaiste in the Scottish Highlands overlooking the snow covered scene of Rannoch Moor, Glen Etive and Glen Coe with the iconic Buachaille Etive Mor.

On this morning the temperature at the beginning of the day was around -15/-16 Degrees Celsius with very little wind so only really felt cold when standing still for any length of time.

But as always, while walking in the mountains in the winter its always best to be prepared and layer your protective layers according to your needs . wearing a good base layer made from Marino wool under a light breathable but windproof mid-layer is ideal for the hike up a hill or mountain. as when you exert yourself you will most likely sweat, and the less heavy and less insulated your layers are the better that’ll be when you finally stop or reach the top. if you have a heavy jacket on during the climb up it’s probably best that you have it in your pack rather than on your back as the excess sweat that will accumulate (most noticeably on your back area) it will stay there and when you stop will start to cool countering any protection that insulation layer will give you. so putting a warm dry insulating outer layer on only after the exertion of the climb will give you that extra warmth and support that you need when you need it most, when you’re on-top of a mountain standing still for a long period taking photos.

For anyone thinking of visiting this area for the purpose of landscape photography this is absolutely one location that I would recommend that you shouldn’t miss. in terms of time to reach the location, excretion levels used v exhilaration and scenery throughout the walk it’s by far my favourite place to go when I visit the area. it’s only around 50 - 80 minutes walk from the car park at the side of the A82 to this location depending on ground conditions or fitness levels and once you reach the spot that looks down over the valley you have a an amazing 190+ degree panoramic view reaching from Rannoch Moor on the left right over the iconic Buachaille Etive Mor and beginning of Glen Etive in the centre and Glen Coe to the right. (I’ll leave a list of some equipment that I used with links if anyone’s looking for inspiration or for a starting point for their own mountain photography shopping list)

For more information on the location, equipment and settings I used to capture this image, please continue reading below

Equipment, Settings and Location

Camera and Lens

Nikon D750 - (ISO100, 1s, 24mm @f/11)

Samyang 14mm f’2.8

Manfrotto 290 Dual Tripod with Manfrotto 496RC2 Compact Ball Head

Clothing and Equipment

Camera Bag - Modified North Face 35lr backpack

Walking Boots - Mammut Trovat GTX

Crampons - universal ice grips

Gloves - Black Diamond Crag

OS (Ordinance Survey) Map and Compass

Head Torch - Black Diamond Storm 400

Location

Beinn A’Churlaiste, Glen Coe, Scottish Highlands. (See Map Below)