Loch Leven in the Highlands

A word of clarification first: there are two worthwhile Loch Levens in Scotland. The photographs here show Loch Leven in the western Highlands, which is not a freshwater lake but what is known as a sea loch, an inlet of the sea. By now the confusion should be complete.

Loch Leven in the Highlands is far less well known than its namesake in Kinross. Surprising, given that it sits on the edge of one of Scotland’s most visited regions, Glen Coe. Thousands of visitors cross it every year on the Ballachulish Bridge, which lies between Glen Coe and Fort William. Very few stop to explore it any further, which is a pity, because a circuit of Loch Leven is one of the finest detours in all of Scotland.

I visited on a still morning. That is worth noting, because wind in Scotland rarely keeps you waiting long. My visit fell during a spell of settled, sunny weather. On such days the early morning hours, just before and after sunrise, are often the calmest. The wind tends to pick up once the sun has warmed the ground. So the loch lay before me with a mirror-smooth surface, offering reflections that were at times otherworldly, at times almost fairytale-like. The low morning sun brought out the greens of the surrounding hills in particularly rich, saturated tones. It was one of those mornings where you are so caught up in simply taking it all in that you almost forget you got up to take photographs.