Ulster Landscapes

Meadowbridge Collection

A collection of pictures for the Meadowbridge Surgery in Whitehead which goes up this week - 25th November 2009.

The Ailsa Craig

 

A little lump of rock that sits half way between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

From Wikipedia: Ailsa Craig (Scottish Gaelic: Creag Ealasaid) is an island in the outer Firth of Clyde, Scotland where granite was quarried to make curling stones. "Ailsa" is pronounced "ale-sa", with the first syllable stressed. The now uninhabited island is formed from the volcanic plug of an extinct volcano.

The island was a haven for Catholics during the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, but is today a bird sanctuary, providing a home for huge numbers of gannets and an increasing number of puffins.

Gulls on the rocks

 

Gulls sat on the rocks along the promenade in Whitehead. It was a pretty foggy day and I liked the way the horizon just disappeared leaving the rocks and gulls as the only elements in the picture.

The Copelands

Just happened to be driving past this one and managed to stop without causing to many accidents  :-$

Lough McNean

Shot on the way home from a wedding, this is a location I've been dying to shoot for years but have never managed to get it in the right light. I still don't think I have with this shot but it will suffice until I get the one I'm after :-)

Ketch off the coast

I've been out playing with my new 400mm lens and was lucky enough to come across this tidy picture when walking round Blackhead, County Antrim.  I could have lightened the clouds a little but after a bit of messing around, thought better of it and left it as it was.

Yellow seaweed on the Antrim coast

I thought the contrast of the two elements was quite striking and also really like the colour palette. It makes a change from the usual brightly coloured photographs I'm producing.

Rathlin view

The distant Scottish hills of Islay as viewed from Rathlin Island.

I must admit I was amazed at just how close Scotland appears to be when viewed from Rathlin Island. There were a number of small sailing boats scooting up and down between the two countries on this beautiful summers day although there aren't any in the picture. With temperatures in the late twenties and a gentle breeze it was truly a day to remember for Northern Ireland.

Rathlin Sound

Rathlin Sound viewed from the Island

You can see Rue Light on the southern tip of Rathlin Island and Fair Head on the right of the picture. I guess this is an unusually calm day on Rathlin Sound.

Stone Cairns at Loughareema

Stone Cairns at the Vanishing Lake

Another image from Loughareema. This one's from the island at the centre of the lake where visitors have built cairns.