The lochan

Harris, day two
We stopped for a couple of hours on the Golden Road near Scadabay, beside some lochans (apparently the correct name for a little Scottish loch, though some variations were suggested - lochlet being one). It was a very attractive spot, nestled among hills and rocks, and with several different varieties of reeds, bog bean and waterlilies to keep us photographers happy. Personally, I was happy not to fall in! The ground was boggy and peaty and several times proved not as stable as it looked!

My polarising filter got an outing here, darkening the water and reducing the reflections to provide a dramatic backdrop for the lily pads. I took quite a few photos of them, fascinated by the sinuous stems and placement of the leaves. This is one of my favourites:

The reeds made lovely squiggly patterns too. I had fun trying to find and isolate little groups of stems.

This scrubby little tree (an unusual sight in a landscape that is largely treeless) was clinging on improbably to the rock. Its few remaining leaves and berries, illuminated in the weak sunlight, transformed it into quite a thing of beauty.