Exploring the hidden beauty of Dumfries and Galloway with my camera. In this post I introduce you to the coast line.
Scotland; a land of deep wide lochs, majestic mountains and a feeling of being somewhere in the sky. Well that I think is the perception of most regarding this wonderful area of the UK, and also my experience to date. However, my recent trip to Dumfries and Galloway has opened my eyes to a very beautiful alternative landscape in Scotland. This is one of rolling green hills, forgotten ancient woodlands, castles and deserted beaches and of course the belted Galloway cows (that we eventually hunted down on our last day but one!
I have recently returned from ten wonderful days basing myself around Newton Stewart and Kirkcudbright (pronounced Kurcuubrie… forget the ‘d’) and I wanted to share a few of my experiences and photos. However, to be honest, no photos can replace the experience of being there its self. However, I’d like to try.
You might wonder how I ended up in this apparently hidden secret of Scotland?
Well, during last year’s creative retreat with Ania Rolinska, she gave me a tip off that I should visit, because she loved the area. Well, what better than a recommendation to pique the interest. I was absolutely not disappointed. Ten days seemed like ages to explore an area before I got there. I left feeling as though I could have explored for weeks, and it is definitely on my list of places I’d love to return to.
I was also lucky enough to share this visit with six wonderful ladies who have become a big part of my life in the last three years. My project group class of 2023. When I created a new year long course to encourage working on and understanding the concept of projects within photography, for sign up late 2022, I could have never foreseen or expected that nearly three years after first meeting online, the group would all be together in Scotland. It would be pretty cool if everyone had been UK based, but the most amazing thing is; that Margaret from Australia and Scottee from America joined us too, such was the bond that this group has developed.
I alluded to woodlands, deserted beaches and rolling hills. I’d planned on this being one blog post, but I’m thinking there may be multiple, having just tried to narrow down my images enough to share briefly with you. I’m going to start the set off with an explore of my coastline experience. Now I have so many images, even for this one subject, but I’m going to do my best not to bore you! However, I would like to share a wide variety of locations and ways I interpreted each.
Just for info in case any one is interested, I flew into Glasgow International airport to start my journey. From there, you find my first stop of the trip. The beautiful Dunure castle. It's claim to fame is featuring in Outlander (apparently as i've never watched it). The castle is a striking medieval ruin perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the Firth of Clyde. Dating back to the 13th century, it served as the ancestral seat of the powerful Kennedy family, the Earls of Cassilis, who expanded the fortress over the centuries to include a great hall, kitchens, private chambers, and a chapel.
On arrival I was struck most by its setting right on the edge of the beautiful craggy grey coastline. Viewed from atop the cliffs, my foreground comprised of vibrant yellow gorse and tiny bluebells. I was already itching to get down onto the beach and see what possibilities there were looking back up. Luckily the tide was out, and so I found my way across the slippery seaweed to a rock pool I had spotted, that I hoped would offer the opportunity to capture a reflection of the tower. Getting low down and using the flip screen of my camera, I was able to capture the reflection, rockpools and the castle. I decided on black and white to accentuate the wonderful textures of the rocks. Looking at the image, I love how the castle seems to become one with its landscape. Two very different images of the same subject, by exploring from different angles.
A big shout out to the most wonderful little cafe situated just behind the beach - The Harbourside cafe, Dunure They make the most wonderful fish finger sandwiches!
My next stop on the same morning was a rather unassuming pull in on the side of the road. Before the trip, I had done a lot of exploring on Googlemaps to find possible locations to photograph, and this next one had posed its self as a possible beach location. I could not have predicted how beautiful it was, or the photographic opportunities it offered. A jumble of rocks backed by a busy road, I was delighted by the bluebells that I was able to include in the image (who knew bluebells grew by the beach?) Then I noticed a ramshackled shed that offered super foreground interest for my first image. Combining these points of foreground interest with the sweeping moon of sand beach behind, and the green rock outcrop into the sea in the distance, I was back in traditional landscape mode, but it was so beautiful, thats the way I decided to make the first photo.
Never one to make a photo in one location, and with no time constraints other than a rumbling tummy, I explored onto the beach beyond the shed. Standing on the rocks, next to the shed, looking down over the bay, I got a whole other view on this location. Once again, choosing black and white to simplify the scene and draw attention to the big sky, and curve of the coastline.
Noticing what was at my feet
Down on the beach, (shoes off and toes sinking into the cool sand) I found my gaze pulled to the patterns left by the receding tide at by feet. They looked to me like the outline of little flowers or plants in a row. Certainly not the grandeur of the location, but a tiny detail that I managed to notice because I was just wandering, and open to photographing absolutely anything that caught my eye.
On the subject of details to be found at your feet, the following images are further examples of the most simple subjects that caught my eye as I explored the various beaches during my stay. I just loved the colours, patterns, shapes and textures of the pebbles, seaweed and sand. Embracing whatever technique I felt matched the subject matter I aimed to capture the elements that drew me to pick up my camera. See if you can recognise if it was lines, shape or colour (or a combination) that drew me to make these images.
During my time in the area, I found some wonderful beaches. Each offered a unique experience. The next one was Monreith bay. This little gem is actually to be found over the golf course, rather on the main long stretch of beach. Again, the research for 'hidden gems' paid off and this one was no disappointment. Rockpools and soft powdery white sand, what I absolutely loved about this location was the green weed covered smooth boulders and rocks, exposed as the tide went out on the beach at the bottom of the cliff. On my first visit alone I spend a happy hour photographing the colour and shapes of these rocks that seemed to have been smoothed by the tide, then draped with an almost luminous green velvet covering.
A second visit to a location offers even more inspiration
Interestingly, on my second visit with the group I saw a completely alternative possibility with my camera! I was enthralled by all the lines and shapes I could find on the rocks. As I started to see the possibilities, I popped my camera into black and white and square setting, and aimed to create a cohesive set from my exploration. These are just a few of the images I made, I just love the simplicity. However, what you can't see from the images (or maybe you can tell) I was completely lost to my immersion on the beach. Time passed at an immeasurable pace and the only sounds I heard were the seagulls above and the waves lapping gently just a few meters away. Loosing myself to something so simple felt wonderful, and I just loved looking, seeing and then collecting in my camera.
Another other thing that caught my eye on my on all my beach visits was the proliferation of wildflowers at all locations. Whether nestled, protected in rock crevices, or perched precariously waving in the wind, the colour and beauty of these small flowers was undeniable. I don't do that much flower photography, and am not a macro lens owner, so I tried with the following images to show both the flowers and their setting.
All of these images above of the flowers were taken on a very beautiful walk along the cliff top from Porthpatrick to Sandeel Bay beach. The 20 minute wander from the small fishing village, offered beautiful views, culminated in the arrival above Sandeel Bay beach. I was lucky that the tide was out, and I had the beach almost to myself. I nestled my back against the rocks and did some journalling and then enjoyed the most yummy sandwich from The Port Pantry.
My own personal deserted beach - I found heaven
Last but not least, I had to share with you a very special place that I found. My own personal deserted beach. I don't think i've found a place like this anywhere other than NewZealand, and so I found myself quite emotional as I sat there. I closed my eyes and counted my blessings; the sun on my shoulders , warming my face. The peace and serenity. The chance to spend some time completely alone, with just myself for company. The chance to wiggle my toes in the cool wet sand and offer the soles of my feet a massage as I walked the beach in amazement and awe. I almost didn't even take my camera out on the beach. Because I just wanted to soak the experience in and slow down and loose all the weight of the world off my shoulders. This image I made as I dragged myself off the beach, wishing I could stay so much longer.
I hope you have enjoyed this, my exploration of the coastline of Dumfries and Galloway. Absolutely in no way have I exhausted or even scratched the surface of its beauty and possibility, but hopefully it has given you a feel for the location and how and why I made the images I have shared with you.
If you have enjoyed this location based photographic foray, you might like another that I wrote when I visited Provence in France last year and photographed the lavender fields. https://charlottebellamy.com/lavender-fields-of-provence/
