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SOSWF Benromach Photographic Competition 2010

The Annual Spirit of Speyside A4 Photographic Competition. There are over 140 entries this year in 3 categories: landscape, spirit and people of Speyside.The photos for the final judging will be selected by 5 judges over the next couple of months with the final judging taking place in early Jan 10. The photos are being judged on the A4 prints. The album here is just a representation of the photos, as not all have scanned perfectly and they are at a lower resolution than the prints with some loss of detail. We hope that you enjoy the album. The competition looks pretty stiff again this year with many stunning photos.

Oct 24, 2009

Photos: 144

Balloon Fiesta

Oct 3, 2009

Photos: 7

Begonias

Aug 20, 2009

Photos: 1

MacDuff Castle, National Museum Edinburgh and Natonal Library Edinburgh

The last day of the tour. After a very late night at the castle we left for MacDuff castle at around 9.30 am. It was rather overcast with some drizzle, but nothing could affect the enthusiasm for seeing the MacDuff castle. The Clan MacDuff AGM was also held here. In the afternoon we went into Edinburgh either to the Gathering, the National Museum of Scotland or over to Rosslyn Chapel. The other photos illustrate the stunning views from the top of the museum and a selection of items on view in it.

Jul 26, 2009

Photos: 94

Clan March up Royal Mile and Pageant

A really exciting evening as we the MacDuff Clan marched from Holyrood Palace up the Royal Mile in the parade of Clans to the Pageant at Edinburgh Castle.

Jul 25, 2009

Photos: 23

Melrose Abbey, The Gathering

Melrose Abbey in Melrose is a fascinating Abbey with the added interest of having Robert the Bruce's heart buried here. We had a wonderful tour of Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott, with a nice lunch in a room at the top of the building overlooking the gardens. Next stop was Rosslyn Chapel made famous by the film the Da Vinci Code. Tonight we have moved to our final hotel, the Dakota Queensferry.

Jul 24, 2009

Photos: 81

Gretna Green, Caerlaverock and Globe Inn

A short drive this morning to Gretna Green, long a place for runaway marriages over the age of 16. Our runaways were Bob & Maria. This was also a good place for shopping! Then it was a visit to Ruthwell Cross and Caerlaverock Castle before lunch at the Station Hotel, Dumfries. Visits to Burn's house and Mausoleum followed by a delightful informal Burns' Supper at the Globe Inn, hosted by Jane, the Manager.

Jul 23, 2009

Photos: 63

Globe Inn, Dumfries

Jane giving the immortal memory to Robert Burns as his wife Jean Armour Burns at the Globe Inn during the Clan MacDuff informal Burns night on 23 July 2009

Jul 23, 2009

Photos: 1

Ellisland, Kirkudbright, John Paul Jones Cottage and Sweetheart Abbey

We had a very busy and varied day as we drove over the hills in the rain from New Lanark to Dumfries. Our first visit was to Ellisland Farm where Robert Burns farmed before moving to Dumfries and becoming a customs Officer. The guides were very enthusiastic in telling us about life for Burns. He wrote some of his most famous poems here. Next stop was lunch at the Selkirk Arms hotel in Kirkcudbright. We took time to visit the Stewarty museum and then walk through town to the Maclellan tower and visit the harbour and some Art Galleries. Next visit was to John Paul Jones Cottage. He came along way from his humble origins becoming known as the Father of the American Navy. Our final visit was to Sweetheart Abbey.

Jul 22, 2009

Photos: 60

New Lanark & Glasgow

New Lanark Cotton Mill has been restored to how it was in the 1820's when Robert Owen owned the mill and introduced fair housing, free education, free medical care and better working conditions. Robert Owen was a visionary. Our afternnon trip to Glasgow offered a choice of Pollock House, the Burrell Collection and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The photos are from my trip to Kelvingrove.

Jul 21, 2009

Photos: 48

Mauchline and Alloway

After a relaxing night at New Lanark, we drove on country roads through Lanarkshire and Ayrshire stopping first in Mauchline where Robert Burns first lived when he married Jean Armour. The Burns House and museum have a Kilmarnock Edition of his poems which was published while he lived here. We saw Maucline ware,now very collectable and learnt that Curling stones are still made in Mauchline today. We saw the first National Monument to Burns and Mossgiel Farm which is still farmed today.We had a brief stop in Tarbolton where Burns had formed a Batchelor's Club. After a salad lunch, we saw the Tam O'Shanter experience and walked around Alloway visiting the Memorial garden. Brig O' Doon and Kirk Alloway before a visit to the cottage where Burns was born on 25 Jan 1759. Another lovely drive through the countryside on the way back to New Lanark.

Jul 20, 2009

Photos: 72

From Mull, Stalker Castle, Glencoe, Bannockburn

After 2 lovely days on the Isle of Mull and Iona, we set off for New Lanark where we were going to relax for 3 nights. The weather for our journey was mixed with very heavy showers this made our trip through Glencoe very atmospheric! Bob & Maria were very keen to see Stalker castle which we passed on the way to Glencoe. Our bonus at Glencoe was to meet to men dressed in plaids from the 17th century. Our trip from the beautiful waterfall to Tyndrum over rannoch Moor was spectacular. After that we drove through the quieter landscape back to Stirling and to Bannockburn scene of the famous battle in June 1314. Our hotel at New Lanark was wonderful.

Jul 19, 2009

Photos: 25

Mull and Iona

After we left Glasgow, we visited Luss on the side of Loch Lomond. A good place to buy postcards and stamps. We toured Inveraray Castle, Home of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. We took the ferry from Oban to Craignure on Mull staying at the Isle of Mull hotel for 2 nights enjoying at evening of music. We spent the Saturday enjoying a sunny morning on Iona visiting the Nunnery and the Abbey. After lunch at the Martyrs Bay Restaurant, we travelled across Mull to Duart Castle where we were met by Sir Lachlan McLean who guided us around his beautiful and fascinating family home.

Jul 17, 2009

Photos: 70

On Tour Falkirk Wheel and Stirling Castle

The start of the Clan Tour with first stop in bright sunshine at the Falkirk Wheel. Everyone enjoyed the technology and the boat ride. After lunch we spent the afternoon at Stirling castle where the rain took us all by surprise, after our sunny morning! The tour was good and the new tapestries are fascinating. It is a labour of many years for the people making them at Stirling castle and also at a place in England. The Argyll Lodgings were also enjoyed by the hardy folk who ignored the rain!

Jul 16, 2009

Photos: 68

Clan MacDuff Tour 15-27 July 2009

During 12 days our 38 strong group will travel from Glasgow north and west to Mull and Iona, east to Stirling, west and south to Aloway and Ayr and down to Dumfries and the borders before ending the tour in Edinburgh our Capital City.

Jul 14, 2009

Photos: 137

Festival Moment Winner, Runners Up and Finalists

The winner and 5 runners up are announced.The winner is Eline Duine, Netherlands with Spirit of Speyside on Ben Rinnes.The runner ups are: Heino Merten, Germany with History meets Presence; Teun Van Wel, Netherlands with Nosing Competition; James Gordon, Scotland with Video; Helen Crighton, Scotland with Rolling out Barrel and Andi Fricke, Germany with Having a Good Time..The winner and 3 runners up will be sent bottles of the Award Winning Malts. Thank you all for participating in the Festival Moment competition and we look forward to seeing your photos in 2010. Our 6 judges have enjoyed the challenge of choosing the winner and 5 runners up. The judges have had a tough job as the standard of photos has been very high and the variety of events attended and recorded immense. The winner, runners up and finalist photos are exhibited in this album and you are welcome to share the album with friends and family around the world.

Jun 9, 2009

Photos: 40

Festival Moment 2009

Festival Moment Competition 2009 has 127 entries. The entries show the variety of events during the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival which lasted from 1-10 May. The Competition is sponsored by Benromach Whisky Distillery. There will be 5 judges and there will be 2 rounds of judging. The first reducing the competition to 40 and the second choosing the 3 winners. All the photos will be exhibited in this album and you are welcome to share the album with friends and family around the world. The Winner and runners up will be announced by 24 June.

May 30, 2009

Photos: 127

Smugglers Walk in Glenlivet in Cairngorms National Park

Delightful walk on sunny day from Glenlivet distillery to Drumin Castle, the River Livet, Packhorse Bridge and finally lunch at the Croft Inn. The walk was led by David Newland and was an event on the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

May 10, 2009

Photos: 30

Cavalcade - Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

Cavalcade of people on horses carry the Whisky Festival Flag from Glenfiddich Distillery where it has been flying during the festival to Aberlour where it was handed over to David Urquart, Joint Managing Director of Gordon and MacPhail, at the end of the Musical event, for safekeeping until it is raised at Benromach distillery at the start of the 2010 Whisky Festival.

May 9, 2009

Photos: 61

Music Event Aberlour - Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

The Festival Flag is brought down the River Spey in a downpour while the pipers play on the Penny Bridge. It is handed over to the RAF who raise the flag over the event. We enjoy Pipe Bands, Fochabers Fiddlers, Country Dancing and Capercaillie followed by a stunning firework display put on by Walkers of Aberlour

May 9, 2009

Photos: 43

Trips out with Jennifer

Jennifer Macpherson my cousin from South Africa is visiting us at Aberlour. We had a trip out of Sunday passing the Cooperage, Huntly Castle, River Deveron, Portsoy harbour and walking and running on the beach at Cullen as well as a delicious lunch at the Cullen Bay Hotel. On Wednesday we went to Findhorn, Roseisle past the new distillery at the Maltings, to Duffus Castle and to Johnstone's of Elgin to view the Photographic Exhibition - Spirit of Speyside.

Feb 25, 2009

Photos: 38

Winners and Exhibitors Benromach Spirit of Speyside Photo Competition 2009

0ver 90 entries for the Benromach Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Photographic Competition were judged on 15 January 2009. The panel of 5 judges - Ian Urquhart, Michael Urquhart, Rene Loper and Elizabeth Oliver under the expert guidance of Allan Gawthorpe, the current President of Scottish Photographic Federation, selected 18 photographs for a travelling exhibition as well as choosing the winning photographs. Allan who has been judging photographic competitions since 1989, has an International reputation as a Competition judge. We had entries from all over the world, but the winners were all from Speyside. The travelling exhibibition will also include 2 of Heather Urquhart's iconic images and the Winner and the Runner Up from the 2007 competition. First venue was the Scottish Parliament for the Whisky Awards on 29 Jan. The Exhibition is now on show at Johnson's of Elgin.

Jan 15, 2009

Photos: 18

Holidays in Glenlivet and Speyside, Scotland

Photographs taken around the Speyside area and building over the seasons and years with day trips along the Moray Firth coast and inland to the Cairngorms National Park.

Jan 5, 2009

Photos: 129

River Livet in Cairngorms National Park

The River Livet runs through Glenlivet and joins the River Avon before the Avon flows into the River Spey. There is a lovely footpath beside the River Livet which takes you to Drumin Castle and back to the car park.

Jan 1, 2009

Photos: 5

Benromach Spirit of Speyside Whisky Photo Competition 2009

21 photos have been chosen in the Spirit Category and 20 in the landscape to go forward to the final on the 15th of Jan 09. They are shown as the first 41 photos of the album. The 94 photos in this album have been entered by people from all around the world who have an interest in whisky, landscape and photography. The first round of the Competition has been judged and the 41 photos that will be mounted and displayed on 15 Jan chosen in the 2 catergories: Spirit of Speyside and Landscape of Speyside.

Dec 22, 2008

Photos: 94

Bettys Bay Penguins, Stoney Point

African penguins at this wonderful place called Betty's Bay between Hermanus and Capetown

Nov 29, 2008

Photos: 38

Kleinbaai, Whales, Sharks,Seals, Pearly Bay

The coastal region from Hermanus to Gansbai and Kleinbai and then the beach at Pearly Bay were all stunning. I still can't quite believe that the Souther Right Whales come so close into shore along the whole of this coast. It was a surreal experience to be looking out my bedroom window in Hermanus and to see a whale out there in the bay! Our boat trip for close up of Great White Shark, Southern Right Whale, Fur Seals (Seen previously in South Georgia) and African penguins was awesome. Standing on Pearly beach with no one but the whales was a magical experience as well.

Nov 28, 2008

Photos: 52

Fernkloof

Fascinating Garden and Park in Hermanus. We took time to walk up a hill in the hot sunshine to view all these wonderful wild flowers; the fact that the bird stayed on the flowers (proteas) to be photographed was a real bonus.

Nov 27, 2008

Photos: 22

Hermanus & Gansbai

Hermanus is a magical place. From the town seafront you can see the Southern Right Whales in the Harbour during October and November while they have their calves and while the calves are getting strong enough for the journey back to Antartica.We took the scenic drive above Hermanus and enjoyed spectacular wild flowers as well as stunning views. Later we headed to Gansbaai for more Whale watching and see wonderful beaches and craggy rocks.

Nov 19, 2008

Photos: 35

Madiwke Game Drive 2

The game drives left at 0530 just after the sun rose and at 1630 in the afternoon. Each drive normally lasted 3 hours. The evening drive carried on after dark giving us an opportunity to see animals and birds that only appeared after dark. I loved all the big animals including the lions, zebra, giraffe, but also loved the birds especially the masked weaver bird who in 24 hours built his lady love a beautiful, all mod cons home!

Nov 18, 2008

Photos: 30

Madikwe Game Reserve 17-20 Nov 2008

Madikwe Game Reserve is home to 66 large mammal species including the Big Five and approximately 300 resident and migrant bird species. It is one of South Africa's largest game reserves. Madikwe has the distinction of being one of the few game reserves in the world to be proclaimed purely on the grounds of being the most appropriate and sustainable land use for an area.

Nov 17, 2008

Photos: 32

Jo'burg Botanical Gardens 1

The botanical gardens in Johannesburg have ahuge range of plants and is a wonderful place to enjoy a picnic or have a lovely lunch in one of the restaurants.

Nov 16, 2008

Photos: 11

Glen Rinnes to Dufftown

A flora and fauna walk during the autumn Speyside Whisky Festival from Glen Rinnes to Dufftown. There was a group of 21 led by wildlife expert David Newland. We were lucky to also see a Roe Deer, but I did not get a photo of it - too slow!

Sep 28, 2008

Photos: 15

Carr

Sep 27, 2008

Photos: 17

Glenlivet in early autumn

The light in Glenlivet in September is extraordinary making it easy to take interesting photos at different times of day. The Rivers Livet and Avon have many lovely walks beside them with the hills in the background.

Sep 19, 2008

Photos: 25

Summer Aug 08

Glenlivet is a beautiful area in summer with Highland Games in many of the local towns including Dufftown, Tomintoul and Aberlour. Ben Rinnes our local Corbett on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park can be viewed from many roads as you travel between Dufftown and Tomintoul and Ballindalloch and Aberlour. It can even be seen from Spey Bay on the Moray Firth coast.

Aug 11, 2008

Photos: 30

Dufftown Pipe Bands

The Highland Games take place in Dufftown every year on the last Saturday in July. After the Games the Massed Pipe Bands play in the High Street from 6.30 to 7 p.m. This year it was warm and sunny and wonderful to watch and listen to the bands. The colourful tartans look stunning as well.

Jul 26, 2008

Photos: 8

Moray Firth Coast at MacDuff & Troup Head

Cliff views and rock formations along the Moray Firth Coast from MacDuff to Troup Head. Troup Head is an RSPB site and has a car park about 1/4 mile from the cliffs. The variety of seabirds include gannets, razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins.

Jul 2, 2008

Photos: 34

St Kilda

The islands of the St Kilda archipelago. Hirta was the only island lived on. The island was evacuated in 1930 and is now owned by the National Trust For Scotland. These are truly remarkable islands and I have waited over 20 years to visit them. They far exceeded my expectations.

Jun 23, 2008

Photos: 25

Isle of May 2008

The Island of May is a National Nature Reserve (NNR) and is the home of incredible wildlife which include eiders, puffins, guillemots and razorbills but also the breeding colony of grey seals, the offshore reefs and small fishes surviving on them and the plants that grow on the cliffs. Well known for visiting migrant birds and the island is the best Puffin site in the UK.

Jun 2, 2008

Photos: 36

Clan MacDuff Tour 2009

The Clan MacDuff of America are planning to visit Scotland during 2009 for the year of Homecoming. This album gives a flavour of the places in Scotland to be visited during the tour. The tour is planned for 12 days and will start in Glasgow head north to Mull and Iona and south to Dumfries. 2009 is also the 250th Anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns and we will visit Alloway as well.

Mar 5, 2008

Photos: 91

Isle of May, Anstruther and Fife Coast

The Isle of May is truly a beautiful Island, peaceful with stunning views everywhere, from the high cliffs and rock formations to the remains of a 12 th century monastery, built in memory of Saint Adrian martyred on the Island by Norsemen in the year 875 and three light houses including the oldest light house in Scotland, dated 1636. he Island is a National Nature Reserve (NNR) and is the home of incredible wildlife which include eiders, puffins, guillemots and razorbills but also the breeding colony of grey seals, the offshore reefs and small fishes surviving on them and the plants that grow on the cliffs. Well known for visiting migrant birds and the island is the best Puffin site in the UK.