Welcome to my challenge of venturing down and around Whaligoe Steps for each and every day for an entire year. As my adventures continue, I’m accumulating quite a few photographs and also documenting a lot of activity. Therefore, I felt it only appropriate to provide you with links from my previous blogs…
Here are some links to previous blog entries showcasing my visits from May 1st, 2023, up to and including Sunday, November 12th, 2023…
The first fourteen blogs covering my daily treks down and around Whaligoe Steps since May 1st, 2023 up to and including November 12th, 2023.
I hope you find it interesting, maybe beautiful and also stimulating. To focus attention on one specific location and watch it evolve and change over the seasons thus far, has proved most intriguing.
Nature continues to share changes and new revelations. I’m currently in the process of sorting two more blogs bringing us up to speed with the calendar as I have successfully maintained my daily treks to this very point in time.
Thank you, only always for dropping by and supporting my endeavours and for being You.
Thank you for joining me for this latest blog entry which is documenting a fortnight of my daily treks down and around Whaligoe Steps. Having the luxury of living so close to such a feat of engineering where six flights zig-zag down the side of a 250 foot cliff, is something I appreciate more and more with each day thanks to such a beautiful array of natural wonders.
My intention is to venture down or/and around Whaligoe Steps each and every day for three hundred and sixty five days, gaining a better insight and flavour of the changing of seasons in this beautiful coastal location. The fortnight covered in this blog entry goes from Monday, 4th September through to and including Sunday 17th of September… It proved to be a period of time which celebrates the golden glow of sunrises.
Sept. 4th, 2023: Sunrises are interesting and unique thanks to their cloud formations which spread light in varying directions, but they also provide interesting and striking silhouettes. The moon on this particular Monday was also out to socialise with the sunrise.
Sept. 5th, 2023: Star has kept me company on many of my recent treks, and below you can witness her stretching her claws.
Despite the recent wave of Avian flu impacting the seabird population here, there are still signs of the natural cycle spreading the wings of defiance too.
Sept. 6th, 2023: The remaining boat winch reminds us all of nautical times which were rife along this rugged coastline in the past, as wildflowers even in early September provide speckled colours among the grey and green.
Sept. 7th, 2023: During my Thursday morning trek, I found myself witnessing another beautiful sunrise.
Sept. 8th, 2023: A jackdaw soaks up the rays of the distant sun, while mayweed sighs in the shade.
Sept. 9th, 2023: Sparkling liquid gold provides a home for a silhouette during another sunrise, which also provides a wild rabbit the chance to play peek-a-boo…
Sept. 10th, 2023: The great black-backed gull was seen on many treks during this time, as a pair of them regularly perch and observe their surroundings.
Some ambience captured as the wildflowers in the area are gradually transforming with Autumn approaching.
Sept. 11th, 2023: An opportunity during my Monday trek to capture some landscape. Such jagged and provocative rock shapes grace the coastline here. Beautiful skies too.
Sept. 12th, 2023: I witnessed Caithness Seacoast on this specific trek. You may recall my trip on a tour their provided down the coastline from Wick Harbour to Whaligoe Steps – See Coast – Whaligoe Eye
Also below, on this day I witnessed a stunning Red Admiral butterfly flirting with the prominent dandelions around here.
There have been several moments where the wild rabbits here at Whaligoe Steps entertain with their hopping and curiosity. To capture three of them in profile like they are below is an unusual and fascinating sight.
Sept. 14th, 2023: More sunrise themed ambience captured during a brief window on this Thursday morning trek down and around Whaligoe Steps.
Sept. 15th, 2023: During an early morning trek I get to experience a natural peace, a tranquillity where the wildlife go about their business and the skies whisper to the landscape. The two photographs below showcase the rocky coastline and the spacious North Sea on a typical September morning.
Sept. 16th, 2023: There have been sightings throughout my daily treks of many varieties of boat out to sea. Here’s an example of just such an observation.
A photograph of my view standing on top of a two hundred and fifty foot cliff looking up the coast.
Sept. 17th, 2023: A wee black wild rabbit hopes I haven’t seen it as I pan my camera over some grassland on top of the Whaligoe Steps.
Star on the hunt during a relaxing Sunday morning stroll…
I hope you enjoyed these photographs, and if you get the time and inclination there are previous blog entries covering plenty of fortnights where I am documenting my walks down and around the Whaligoe Steps.
From the off-shore wind farm called Beatrice to the beautiful sunrises I have recently witnessed, know that I’m sending you positive wishes and I’m grateful for your support and interest. It really means a lot.
Stay safe, take care and I hope to bring you another instalment from my daily adventures exploring down and around Whaligoe Steps as a third of my challenge is already completed.
It’s remarkable how time can seem to be passing slowly, but all of a sudden you realise that it’s been going much quicker. My challenge to go down and around the Whaligoe Steps each and every day from May the 1st, 2023, through to May the 1st, 2024 is still going strong.
This blog entry celebrates a third of my overall challenge (a full three hundred and sixty five days of taking photos down and around Whaligoe Steps) successfully achieved, as four months of consecutive exploring and documenting are now under my proverbial belt.
Within this blog entry, I share with you some highlights from the days covering August 21st, 2023 to the 3rd of September, 2023…
August 21st, 2023: Around this time of year, getting up early and tackling the descent down Whaligoe Steps can provide beautiful sunrise experiences. There are plenty of those which I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph and will be sharing with you. On this Monday, I came across Star roaming around in search of rodents and rabbits.
August 22nd, 2023: Wildflowers are getting a little scarce compared to earlier months around here, but I couldn’t help but capture a flurry of colour near the top of the Whaligoe Steps. In the other photograph below, the zig-zagging Whaligoe Steps eventually settle down on the Bink (grassy platform) where the old salt house still has a presence.
August 23rd, 2023: Wednesday morning had a complimentary sunrise glow. Wild rabbits hopped about and shadows lurked on the third flight of Whaligoe Steps.
August 24th, 2023: Mild and drizzly morning trek revealed the great black-backed gull and hints of wildflower presence amongst the grey.
August 25th, 2023: Liquid diamonds glint in and amongst the grass verges and foliage, whilst the curve from the second flight into the third of Whaligoe Steps shows off great stonemasonry from Charlie Juhlenski.
August 26th, 2023: Due to steady drizzle over the preceding days, the local waterfall here at Whaligoe Steps was generous indeed…
August 27th, 2023: I noticed a few boats out on the North Sea in late August, here’s an example as I witnessed a sailing boat majestically glide through the tides. On land, some rosebay willowherb dances in the breeze to a backdrop of yellow wildflowers.
August 28th, 2023: Rugged landscape captured by my camera during this Monday morning trek…
August 29th, 2023: An obligatory wild bunny skips as the cloud wraps a potential sunrise in a duvet cloud.
August 30th, 2023: Stunning sunrise was witnessed on this particular day. Had to include a photograph taken on the pebble shoreline of the broken anchor too. One of several signatures of a trade which used this wee bit of coastline as a port in previous times.
August 31st, 2023: Silhouettes softly swayed to the coastal winds as a sunrise lit up the surface of the North Sea in a glittering gold backdrop.
This photograph of the moon was taken in the morning of this day and was cause for excitement as there were two full moons in August, 2023. The first one arrived on August the 1st.
September 1st, 2023: Despite the savage wave of Avian flu which struck the seagull population badly at Whaligoe Steps, it’s been a treat to see seabirds still going about their daily business.
Another first for Whaligoe Eye, a sighting of a stoat along the jagged rock coastline was a real bonus. It moved very close to me as it explored amongst the scenery, but I was able to snap a photograph before it darted out of sight shortly afterwards.
September 2nd, 2023: From Whaligoe Steps, you can get a positive view of the North Sea. Occasionally, that means just over eight miles from the mainland you can see Beatrice off-shore wind farm. During my Saturday afternoon trek I witnessed more boat-themed activity as you can see below.
Looking south from the Whaligoe Steps area, curves and contours of the rugged coastline share an ambience.
September 3rd, 2023: Noticed a sensational sky around Whaligoe Steps during this specific Sunday afternoon trek. I was hoping to catch a sight of another stoat, but the skies can offer such beauty at times that I returned home still appreciating what nature offers.
So, another fortnight captured for posterity in my challenge to witness what Whaligoe Steps has to offer each and every day over three hundred and sixty five days. Beginning from May 1st, 2023 and hoping to reach May 1st, 2024, I hope to share another blog entry once my next fortnight is up.
As always, thank you for your kindness and generosity of time. Sharing these images and observations with you has been a revelation.
Take care, be safe and know I’m sending you positive wishes.
