Friday 21 October 2016

A Sunart stunner


After dinner at our camp on the Morvern shore of outer Loch Sunart we looked for a good spot below the tideline and got the fire lit.  As the breeze dropped the midges made their presence felt but were a minor inconvenience rather than a full-on attack.






The sun set over Ardnamurchan with a brilliant flourish and  a searing, glittering flood of light across the Sound of Mull. We'd hoped that our campsite would give us a good view of the sunset....we weren't to be disappointed!





The light show started almost as soon as the sun dipped below Ardnamurchan Point with an intense golden glow....






..which faded to a copper colour over about twenty minutes.  One of the advantages of sunsets at more northern latitudes is that they last a long time and this one was a full hour from the sun setting to the last of the light.





Once the sun was well below the horizon the cloud formations took on the brightest colours....






...in a gradually developing palette from bronze......





......through to purples and pink shades which were bright enough to reflect their clours on the water.





Almost an hour after the sun had dipped below Ardnamurchan, the sky was still glowing with colour.  The horizon itself was a smoky brown; a band of brighter light spread around the western skyline and above that the clouds took on a deep red shade.  It had been another of those west coast of Scotland sunsets during which we felt ourselves participants rather than spectators, and with some of the best seats in the house.





Minutes later the colour drained from the sky and the stars emerged.  Soon the only bright light was from our fire; we sat late into the evening chatting and reflecting on how lucky we are to have the opportunity of experiences such as these.  The darkness around us wasn't quite complete though - we were treated to the fleeting brilliance of several very bright meteors, part of the Perseid meteor shower.  What a stunner of an evening!

4 comments:

  1. A stunning and spectacular show in "slo-mo"...providing ample time to "sip" away at its beauty. Warm wishes, Ian.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was exactly that Duncan, and gave plenty time to drink a couple of toasts to the view!

      :o)

      Delete
  2. Can't beat a fire in the dark relaxing outside after a great day. Lovely photos. Fairly chilly now for sitting outside on an open beach. Minus 3 degrees a couple of nights ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One of life's small pleasures Bob, and even on a chilly night it's one of my favourite ways to spend an evening!

      Kind regards

      Delete