Nature Photography of Scotland - Nature paints the landscape around the small crofting community of Elphin in Assynt Sutherland.The nearby Inverpolly Nature reserve is a great area for photography which shows Scotland at it's wildest. Photographing the Scottish landscape can be such a frustrating experience, you know what you want, but mother nature refuses to co-operate. I had visualised this scene many times before as I drove northward on the A835, but the conditions were never right. It had to be in the morning, it had to be cloudy, it had to be windy, the sun had to shine to give me the pools of light and pick out the houses and I had to have patience and press the button at the right time. One morning I got lucky and this is the result. Elphin and nearby Inchnadamph are two of the very few inland settlements in the parish of Assynt and are both situated in areas of limestone offering the crofter a more fertile soil than the acidic peat which covers most of the area.

Assynt is a mecca for the geologist both amateur and professional and it is not at all unusual to see the moors covered by tiny figures scurrying from one outcrop of rocks to another. Visitors from around the world come to study its complex geology. The results of a survey by the British Geological Society in the early 1900's proved to be of immense importance in the world of geology. A memorial near Inchnadamph recognises the work of two men Ben Peach and John Horne, who were responsible for the survey. An excellent visitor attraction is the geological trail at Knockan Cliff where you can identify the different rock types of the area and learn of its importance in the world of geology. The centre lies above the A835 just before the village of Elphin and is run by the Nature Conservancy Council a walk along the nature trail gives outstanding views across to Stac Pollaidh and Cul Mor and a visit will help you understand the landscape which surrounds you.

Caving is another draw for the visitor to Assynt and here you can find the longest cave in Scotland. I'm afraid I prefer the open spaces and the only caves I have visited in the area are the Bone Caves, where as you would expect from the name human and animal bones were found and so the caves are now a protected area.