Only mountains can be better than mountains
Description:
When I explored this route in the Northwestern Highlands, lines from Vysotsky’s song “Only mountains can be better than mountains, on which I have not yet been ...” were constantly spinning in my head.
Having spent my childhood and youth in the mountains of Karachay-Cherkessia, from the age of five climbing the glaciers of Dombay, I could not even imagine that I would take my breath away from the sight of these snow-covered mountains in general not so high.
But when it is winter, and there is not even a hint of snow around, the snow massifs that appear completely unexpectedly against the bright blue sky take you by surprise! It seems that the kingdom of the Snow Queen is literally at hand.
I constantly jumped out of the car to take another picture, although in the summer I was on the initial section of this route with tourists. However, in winter, the same landscapes looked completely different.
Apparently, my geological past was revived, and I just needed to get to the oldest Muen shales, paradoxically overlapping much younger limestone rocks. That time of intensive mountain formation 500 million years ago received in world geology the name of Caledonian folding from the Latin name of Scotland - Caledonia.
Almost at the very entrance to Nokan Craig on the left of the highway opened a stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean with many islands in the distance, it was a pity the road went uphill and there was no opportunity to stop. But I could not even imagine that there would be even more stunning landscapes ahead!
My fellow Scots have always talked a lot about this place, but it was hard to imagine that Scottish enthusiastic geologists could literally draw a rock poem in a billion-year-old rock!
If someone is suddenly not interested in geology, he will find on this hour and a half climb stunning views of bright blue mountain lakes with many snowy peaks on the horizon.
They say that noble deer and eagles live here. But for the whole hour and a half of the round trip I met only four people, being one on one with the relic nature among the mighty rocks and blessed heathlands.
I agree with local Scots guides that Nocan Craig should one day be as recognizable a visiting card of Scotland as the Old Man of Storra on the Isle of Skye or Loch Ness. In any case, I will try to do all my best:
All those who follow the snow are in the mountains!
P.S. Please do not judge the quality of the photos taken on your mobile. You can imagine what it would look like on a professional camera.