Hillside Durness Co / Photo Spots
I picked the Croick sea stack for a reason: it’s one of those places that looks impossible until you find the quiet path that makes it all feel intimate. Golden hour there can turn the sandstone and waves into molten copper, and if you time it right and keep to respectful, little-used routes, you...
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I love coastal light and quiet lanes as much as anyone who lives for the camera’s next good frame. When I’m based near Durness I’m often plotting far-off escapes, but some of my favourite days come from short drives and salty air — which is why I’m excited to share a personal guide to...
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I love starting a day on the water in the far north — dawn light, glassy sea, and the quiet company of seals slipping between the kelp beds. One of my favourite early-morning outings is a short sea-kayak from Balnakeil across to Enamel Bay to photograph grey seals and the coastline’s dramatic...
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The first time I tried a cliff-to-beach panorama at Camel Haugh I realized there’s a sweet spot between ambition and chaos: I wanted the whole sweep — towering cliffs, the curl of the beach, the sweep of the bay — in a single frame, but my phone’s default panorama kept warping the horizon...
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I know the draw of a lone sea stack at first light—the way the water steals the colours from the sky and the cliffs hold their breath. One of my favourite quiet sunrise sessions near Durness is at the Croick sea stack (local crofting name: "Croick" rather than the Croick near Inverness), a...
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I’ve spent more than a few chilly dawns perched on clifftops in Sutherland watching otters work their way through rock pools and seaweed beds below. Photographing them from above—ideally from a discreet clifftop hide—lets you capture intimate behaviours and dramatic seascapes without...
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I still remember the first time I saw the shore at Balnakeil light up like someone had spilled stars across the sand. It was one of those quiet, salt-wind nights when the headland felt completely remote, and the bioluminescent tide made every footstep glow for a heartbeat. Photographing this...
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I’ve spent more than one cold, star-splattered night on the cliffs around Durness testing how far a phone camera can go when the Milky Way arcs over the North Atlantic. The good news: you don’t need a full-frame mirrorless camera to capture something memorable. With the right preparation, a...
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I spend countless mornings in the Durness viewing hides watching puffins hop, bob and preen in the Atlantic light, and over the years I’ve learned that the right lens makes the difference between a snapshot and a portrait that feels intimate and natural. Below I’ll walk you through which focal...
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I’m drawn to Croick for the way the sea stack holds the light at dawn—those first rays carve the rock into layers and the whole headland feels hushed. Over the years I’ve chased many sunrises here and learned the practical bits that make or break a shoot: where to park before it’s busy,...
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