The Ochil hills, Stirling

Two stops in one night... I made a mad dash up from Doune to Sheriffmuir and the Ochil hills behind Stirling to try and make the most of the pristine light and dramatic sunset to come. The orange glow as the sun skimmed the horizon was glorious, although it was a shame there were no clouds to catch the light and add some interest to the sky.

Sir David Stirling Monument, near Doune

Just outside of Doune, Stirlingshire stands the Sir David Stirling Monument. Sir David Stirling founded the Special Air Service (SAS) at the height of World War II. The monument is quite impressive but no real match for the view north-west towards the highlands which is beautiful.

Ben Nevis

It's well overdue but I finally got around to ascending Britain's highest mountain at the weekend. Ben Nevis stands at 1,344 metres (4,409 ft) and attracts thousands of climbers and hillwalkers every year. There are two main routes up the mountain; the 'tourist route' or the 'north face route' which involves some scrambling or climbing depending on how you tackle it.

Climbing in Cambusbarron

I've wanted to get out for some rock climbing for ages but just haven't had the chance. Well, today the chance came up and I grabbed it. My good friend Dereck offered to take me out to a local quarry which is full of climbs of various difficulty. Luckily there were some nice and easy spots to get me into the swing of things.

Bannockburn Heritage Centre

I've decided to focus on local history and places of interest for the time being, which brought me to the Bannockburn Heritage Centre to photograph the King Robert the Bruce statue. The heritage centre is located on the site of the famous Battle of Bannockburn where the Scots defeated the English in 1314. It has to be said the large bronze statue of Bruce on horseback is rather impressive. Surrounded by undulating countryside the site provides an ideal opportunity to reflect on times past and sees a steady flow of tourists and school outings. 

Grangemouth Oil Refinery

The Grangemouth Oil Refinery is a sprawling mass of cooling towers, chimneys and burning flares. I made a brief visit this evening for some photography of the site but had to battle with the weather. A fierce wind meant that even on a hefty tripod my camera was prone to shake, producing less than sharp images. This was the best of a bad bunch. Better luck next time as they say.