A Riot of Heather and Bracken

There are days on Arran when the landscape just grabs you by the collar and demands your attention, today was one of them.

I took a walk up near Coire Fhionn Lochan, that lovely high corrie tucked into the hills above Thundergay. I’ve been up here plenty of times before, but there’s something about catching it in early August that makes it feel like a different place entirely. The heather is hitting its stride now – a deep, saturated purple that rolls across the hills in great swathes, broken up by vivid green bracken and those warm, golden grasses that mark the shift from high summer to the first hints of autumn.

The colours today were just... incredible. It's that unmistakable Arran palette – not pastel or shy, but bold and brash in the best possible way. Purples that lean pink in the sun, greens so fresh they feel almost unreal, and those little patches of gold and rust creeping in, reminding you that nothing stays the same for long up here.

As I wandered further, the path skirted a small burn tumbling down the hillside, its course weaving through banks of flowering heather and tangled ferns. That sound of water over stone – always a favourite of mine – felt especially calming today. There’s something about following a stream uphill that slows your pace and pulls your eyes to the details: the curve of a leaf, the glint of light off wet moss, the perfect purple bell of a single heather bloom.

I stopped often. Not because I had to – the climb isn’t too steep – but because I wanted to. These are the kinds of moments that photography was made for: the light soft but still directional, the textures rich, and the contrasts between colour and form just asking to be captured.

I know I say this a lot, but it really is a privilege to live and work somewhere like this. To be able to head out on a weekday with a camera, follow a trail with no expectations, and come back with memory cards full of scenes like these? That never gets old. There’s always a fresh surprise waiting out there, even on the routes I know well.

If you're on the island over the next couple of weeks, now’s the time to head for the hills. The heather won’t last long – it never does – but while it’s here, it’s putting on a proper show.

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