Bite-Size Blog Post #63 - Glen Orchy Waterfall

17 Apr

Danger! Danger!‍ ‍

In my previous blog post, I wrote about the difficulty I had photographing a waterfall close to where I was staying in Scotland, and how that experience inspired me to start a mini project capturing high-contrast images of other waterfalls in the area. With a few locations already in mind, I wasted no time getting back out there.

The Glen Orchy road, which runs from Dalmally to Bridge of Orchy, is a lovely drive. If you’re heading for Glen Coe, it’s quicker to take the route via Tyndrum, but if you’ve got time on your hands, this quieter road is well worth it. It’s scenic, peaceful and, importantly for this story, home to a number of waterfalls.

Glen Orchy is home to the stretch of the River Orchy that flows from Bridge of Orchy down to Loch Awe, famous for Kilchurn Castle. In winter, and especially after heavy rainfall, the river transforms into a powerful torrent, and the waterfalls truly come alive. The most striking of these is also, perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the most dangerous.

As you can see in the image below, this particular waterfall is made up of multiple streams and smaller cascades, offering a wealth of compositional options. The challenge, however, lies in getting into position. The rocks you need to traverse are treacherous when wet. It’s not just a case of slipping and landing on your backside, the real danger is being swept into the fast-flowing river below. It’s certainly not for the faint-hearted, and for me, pushing into a slightly better position simply wasn’t worth the risk.

That said, it was a rewarding location to photograph, and one I’ll definitely return to. Perhaps in spring or summer a wider composition might work better, but on this occasion, I found the tighter scenes far more compelling. Ideally, I’ll catch it again when there’s still plenty of water flowing, but the rocks are a little less unforgiving underfoot.

As for the next waterfall on the list? I’ve got a few in mind, so stay tuned.