Red Deer in Scotland.

 After leaving Loch Arklet just as Storm Babet hit the east coast was very fortunate for us as we were heading to the west coast. Not long after arriving at our next base at Loch Kishorn we had several messages from friends and relatives to make sure we were okay. As it was, the west coast was not hit too bad, although we did have some pretty strong winds whilst we were there, especially on the top of   the local mountains.

We were actually really lucky to have had our original accommodation cancelled as Lisa then found another much better self catering lodge at Ardarroch with wonderful views over the Loch. A place we would both love to return to one day.

The view from the lodge on our first evening.

Lisa had been in this area once before when she had a guide lead her on the mountain looking for hares and Ptarmigan. Our hoped for siting of both at this destination was hindered by the strong winds at the top of the mountain. However, it did appear that we stood a good chance of seeing some Red Deer. In fact we saw one that first evening when we went for a stroll along the beach below the lodge and we stumbled across a Red Deer stag on the beach. By this time it was nearly dark, so we didn't get any photos, but we did have some great views of it.

Due to the extremely strong winds that were still with us the following day, we decided to go over the Applecross Pass to the village of Applecross. At times it was quite hairy going over the single track pass in the high winds. Fortunately, there were plenty of passing places, but it was still a relief to make it to the other side without getting blown off the road. 

As we drove down the pass into Applecross we saw a small herd of deer in the field, so we stopped for a while to watch them. 

A Young Red Deer at Applecross.

Just through the other side of the village we parked the car and started to wander about. The guide had also brought Lisa here before and shown her where deer are often found, so we went to the same area, seeing several Hooded Crow, Oystercatchers and Fieldfare on the way.

We soon came to the area where the deer had been on Lisa's last visit, and once again there was a decent sized herd there. It looked as though they were encouraged to the area by some feeding from the locals, so they were a little more approachable than some.

A Young Red Deer Stag.

Red Deer Stag Resting.

After spending some time with the deer we headed back over the pass. Applecross had been quite sheltered from the wind, but as we hit the top of the pass it once again hit us as to how powerful the wind was. As we reached the bottom of the mountain and approached the tiny village a Red Deer stag was spotted in the field next to the road. We couldn't stop the car where we were, but we parked the car a little further along the road and walked back. The stag was still nearby feeding and we just about managed to get some views of it as it fed in the undergrowth. 

Red Deer Stag

Although it had been a really good day, we were both keen to get some photos of the deer high up in the mountains. However, the wind was not going to go away anytime soon!!

The following day, we once again decided to go over the pass to Applecross and perhaps carry on along the coast road for the tremendous views on offer. On the drive up we had some tantalising views of some deer on the mountain, but it wasn't easy to stop the car on the pass with a few other vehicles also using the pass. We did manage to stop briefly though for a stag that was bellowing loudly high above us. He had several hinds with him too and going by his actions there was another stag not far away. He was a little too far away for good photos, but it was still good to get some shots of him as he paraded about.

A Big Red Deer Stag.

 At the viewpoint at the top we stopped again, and was surprised to see a couple of walkers walking back down from the mast right at the top of the mountain. At that point we thought that maybe it wasn't as bad out there as we had thought. Well, either that or the 2 walkers were totally bonkers!! Lisa actually went and spoke with them to find out how they had got on up there. The girl only had normal leggings too, so we decided we were probably more equipped than they were so we may as well attempt the walk up. After all, it was our chance of perhaps seeing Mountain Hare and Ptarmigan.

On the walk up it was actually quite difficult standing upright when the biggest gusts hit us, and I was a little worried that a gust at the wrong time could lead to a leg injury. However it was also quite exciting walking around up there in the extreme wind. Of course, any sensible Ptarmigan would never venture out into the open in those conditions so it wasn't a surprise we failed on that count. as we headed back to the car, Lisa suddenly spotted a Red Deer hind and youngster. It was quite hard holding the camera steady in the wind, but we at last had some photos of the deer high up in the mountains.

 

Red Deer Hind.

As the walk had taken quite a bit of time we then decided to head back to Ardarroch instead of continuing to Applecross. Another good decision as we had 2 lovely encounters from the car on the way back down the pass. The younger one, below, was just above one of the passing places so we were lucky that we could observe the deer for a few minutes.

A Young Male Red Deer.

As we approached the bottom of the pass another car had stopped just by a slightly older stag. Thinking that the man was photographing the deer we pulled up carefully behind him. However, he seemed only interested in photographing the scenery. We couldn't work out if he had even seen the deer, but how he could have missed it? The deer here looked fabulous in the autumnal colours of the vegetation.

Young Male Red Deer.

The following day, it was time to move on to our next destination. The weather had now really deteriorated with constant rain. Although, the wind had actually dropped a tiny bit. It was also a bit colder, shown by the snow on top of many of the mountains. Once again we went over the Applecross pass and headed around the coastal route for many miles seeing some great views, as well as some Gannets over the sea.

After driving for many miles we pulled into a car park in the middle of nowhere!! There were a few other cars in the car park too, but as we drove in we couldn't believe our eyes as there was a stag standing amongst the cars. It had obviously realised that if it stayed there it would be fed by the people from the cars. At one point a lady started to stroke it. A very bizarre moment!!

Red Deer Stag.

We then continued our journey over to Boat of Garten where we were to spend the next week. On the way we managed to avoid most of the flooded roads. At one point I had a case of Deja vu as I suddenly realised I was photographing the same view as I had back a couple of years earlier when Matt and I were in the area.