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The edges of thawed patches of ice gleam at sunrise on Sgurr na Stri on the Isle of Skye.

Golden daggers

Location Sgurr na Stri, Scotland

An early start allowed me to get to the top of Sgurr na Stri just in time for sunrise (helped by the shorter November days of course). It was about 2°C at sea level, where I was camping by the edge of Loch Coruisk, so I didn't have to go far before it started to get icy. Luckily there was enough grass and heather to avoid having to walk on too much slippery rock. At the start of my descent I stopped for a second time by this frozen pool. It had looked quite promising when I spotted it on the way up, but it was too dark to photograph then. By this time the low sun gave a nice golden edge to the thawed patches in the ice.

It's quite a feeling to have such surroundings nearly all to yourself. The boats stop going to Loch Coruisk at the end of October, and I just saw one other person over the two days.

More details
  • Location Sgurr na Stri, Scotland
  • Date taken 14th November, 2025
  • Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark III
  • Lens EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM at 80.0mm
  • Exposure details 1.6s at f/14, ISO 100
  • Keywords
    • Blue
    • Frozen
    • Grass
    • Ice
    • Inner Hebrides
    • Mountain
    • Plant
    • Pool
    • Reflection
    • Scotland
    • Sgurr na Stri
    • Skye
    • Sunrise
    • UK
    • United Kingdom
    • Water
    • Winter