St Marys Winter

Pines in the Little Yarrow Valley with Paper Hill as background The last two pages have shown something of the lochs in the upper Yarrow Valley - St Mary's Loch and the Loch of the Lowes. Many of those photos were taken when colour is at its maximum during October and early November. In the winter the colour is gone. The scene is of white and grey, with just a hint of the past glory in the yellow of the grass. That said the colour differences are considerable as the sky varies from dark grey to bright blue. Winter view of the Loch.

From Riskinhope Rig: Loch of the Lowes, Glen Cafe, Tibbie Shiels and St Mary's Loch Near Cappercleuch.

A deciduous tree, standing by the fields at Cappercleuch, enjoying a cloudless sky Loch of the Lowes and Herman Law.

Looking up the Loch of the Lowes towards Herman Law Loch of the Lowes and Peat Hill.

Ice on the Loch of the Lowes; Peat Hill is to the right Panarama of the south end of the Loch of the Lowes.

The south end of the Loch of the Lowes with Herman Law in the centre Ice on the loch.

Surface of the loch with the ice on the verge of melting Waterfall with snow.

A waterfall near the lochs with remnants of snow and ice Icicles by burn.

Icicles along a burn in the hills above Little Yarrow Pines at East Muchra.

A stand of pines at East Muchra. Trees in such enclosures were protected from grazing and so could grow to provide firewood. Here the hillside shades from blue in the lower shadows to the yellow of the grass catching the light above Tibbie Shiels Bridge in winter.

Tibbie Shiels' Bridge in Winter Pines at West Muchra.

Stand of pines at West Muchra Glen Cafe and Loch of the Lowes.

Camouflaged below the clump of trees is the famous Glen Cafe. Not much more than a hut, it has been the focus of visitors to the loch for generations. This photographer has fond memories of feeding the sheep by it over 60 years ago - it seems little changed Glen Cafe in its trees.

A closer view of the Glen Cafe Loch of the Lowes and surrounding hills.

Winter at the Loch of the Lowes After this white and cold the next page goes to Hoàn Kiếm Lake in central Hà Nội at night - both hot and dark. A place where frost has never been known.

The Yarrow Lochs in Winter