The Rocks of Solitude
The Rocks of Solitude
15th October 2019
I visited the Rocks of Solitude near Edzell in Angus last year in early September. It is a beautiful spot with mixed woodland and of course the spectacular gorge with the River North Esk running through it. At the time it had been fairly chilly, but a reasonably bright and sunny day. The leaves on the trees were still green and offered plenty of cover from the sun. It is about an hours drive from my home and even though I planned to go back around a month later to catch the autumn leaves I didn't manage to get there again.
A wild place, hidden amongst the farmland.
A year later and autumn is upon us again. I was not going to miss it a second time. So, I got up fairly early on Sunday morning and managed to arrive at the Rocks by around 9am. I had hoped for some mist, but the cloud cover and the fact that I arrived around and hour and a half after sunrise left me with a clear atmosphere.
I have read that photographing woodland and waterfalls is best done under a cloudy sky, so I seemed to have the ideal conditions (although mist would have been nice). As you walk down through the woods you can hear the roar of water and you soon start to get glimpses through the trees. The water is far below you, the rocks/cliffs on either side are rough and near vertical in places.
Autumn colours.
I seemed to have caught the autumn colours just right this year, there was a good mix of brown, yellow and green in the leaves. I had the place to myself so I could set up my tripod on the path without fear of annoying other walkers, one advantage of getting there reasonably early on a Sunday morning.
A tricky waterfall to capture.
On the other side of the river there is a waterfall that flows into the North Esk. There was more water flowing through it this year, which was a bonus. However, due to the rocks on my side of the river, it is tricking to get a good angle on the waterfall. This probably will need another visit and a bit of investigation to see if I can find a better angle.
As you continue southward along the edge of the gorge it slowly levels out and you get nearer to the waterside. The river calms somewhat and starts to flow more gently though the landscape. If you vear away from the riverside and into woods you find the Doulie Tower, a folly built a couple of hundred years ago by Lord Adam Gordon, as a picnic spot.
Doulie Tower, from the back.
There are lots of trees around the tower, which does not make it particularly easy to get a good photograph of. I am reasonably pleased with these though...
Doulie Tower.