Alva Glen: Braving a 25m fall for some photos
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- In this video I visit Alva Glen in the Ochil Hills of Scotland on a misty morning to shoot some waterfall images. I also brave a 25m drop into the river in the process...
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Ohhh that’s a rather special set of falls John. Some lovely shots. Thanks for sharing 🙏
@@louisewelcomephotography thank you! Its a great location that i'll be back to very soom!
Great video, John! The shot of the cascades by the stony path was lovely. I like the way the path on the right counter-balanced the stream and cascades on the left. The shot that really took my breath away was the first one at the dam (0.3s). The balance of the motion from the water, the details in the water, and the stillness of the single boulder at the base was, for my tastes, perfect. In combination with the foreground tree and the way you pulled out the richness of the color conveyed the moodiness (at least to me) that you said you were looking for. I also loved the longer exposure when you zeroed in on the boulder and the movement of the water. Love it! Thanks again for a wonderful enhancement to my Sunday. Peace, Jim.
thanks Jim! Glad you liked the photos. Got a short bonus video coming out on Tuesday evening from Glencoe. Experimenting with different posting days / times...
@@JohnMcKennaPhotography I'll be watching for it! Thanks for the heads up!
That waterfall is awesome. ❤ thanks for your effort 👌
@@AboveandbeyondDRONEscotland thanks! Yeh its a cracker!
Hi John, lovely spot for a wee shot or two. I dont know that area, i bet its really pretty in the Spring. I do love being out in the Winter though. No visitors and quietness, bliss. Your photos are lovely.....thank you Alioban 💖
Thanks! Its lovely, definitely worth a visit if youre in the area!
Thanks, John. The stony path image was really nice.
@@davidletz9123 thanks! I really liked that one too!
Great video John!. Amazing how you can spot the beauty hidden in those places. I really enjoyes this adventure and thank god the bear statue was just for decoration 😂.
@@quietset7639 haha! Yes! Thanks, glad you enjoyed!
The tree and water fall contrast shot is special John 👍
thanks! Yeh, I liked that. It's like someone planted that tree there just for future photographers!
Brilliant video John another location on the map to visit, so many great shots there and liked the darker moody style.
thanks! Just take care on that lower section where the landslip has happened. There is an another path which goes up the opposite side, higher up, which loops back to all of the spots I shot.
magnificent work
thanks!
Wow nice shots.. Coming from Alva now living in Dundee for many years. I use to play in Alva Glen as a young boy.
Thanks Gordon! Thats a lovely place to grow up! A lot of my family history is from around Alva, Dollar, Clackmannan and Coalsnaughton so it always feels like coming home when im in the area.
@@JohnMcKennaPhotography I know what you mean.. I visit family in Sauchie these days.. Have you visited Sauchie Gartmorn Dam?
@@gordonbaird1949 no, ive never been there. I'll add it to my to-do list! I went up Tillicoultry Glen on Tuesday but the weather wasnt great, but another gem that i'll definitely be back to
@@JohnMcKennaPhotography Great stuff I will look forward to it.. Keep up the great work..
Another great video John.The last shot of the waterfall and the foreground tree [horizontal shot] is my favourite. I especially love the contrasting colours of the waterfall,the foreground tree and the green hues of the grass and mosses on the rocks. Looking forward to next week's video. 👍👍
@@tomdickson-m6l thanks Tom! You dont have long to wait - theres a bonus video out on Tuesday evening!
Lovely photo walk! I got really inspired to do some more of those myself :)
thanks! Hope you get some great light when you're out!
When there's good visibility there's a shot from the path at the Cloves looking south that's quite unique with the steep slopes of the hills either side opening out on to the totally flat lowlands beneath. Worth the climb up on a good day.
There's supposed to be quite a big cascade falling through the rock that I've seen on video that I've failed to find myself.
The car park waterfall also looks good if you go over the fence and look up stream at it, waterfall coming in from above left, but better with a good flow happening and wellies of course.
is that Cloves in Menstrie? I've not shot that but it sounds exactly what I'm after. I need a shot looking along the line of the hills with the Devon floodplain for contrast, it's for a commission.
As I was editing this video it struck me that I could have gone over the fence and shot that waterfall differently. Maybe one for the next visit!
@JohnMcKennaPhotography Nope, if you check OS or Canmore Maps it's towards the top of Alva Glen where there's a switchback on the path. You don't get much of a river as both burns feed in to create it just there. It looks like an inverted capital A if you stand in the right place,, you can see for twenty miles. I'd send you a photo but I've got hard drive and computer problems this end, which are still lower on the life priorities list than other matters.
@iainmc9859 i'll have a look online when i get back later!
I found it on an old map. Looks like quite a spot!
Nice one, Alva Glen is grand. The Smugglers Cave is a good spot for shutter speed stuff but not the best idea when the rocks are slippy/camera equipment etc
Thanks! Thats where i'd planned to stop but the fog was a bit too thick that high up! Maybe next time...!
@@JohnMcKennaPhotography Take a good few cloths/micro fibre etc if you do, I underestimated just how much moisture was bouncing around in there
@@johnaghydon1 will do, thanks!
Is parking easy to find when visiting this area?
yes, there's a free car park at the start of the walk. Google map search for "Alva Glen, Brook Street"
@JohnMcKennaPhotography thanks much appreciated 👍
No one shot in particular for me. It’s and always will be the person behind the camera that it all boils down to. Thank you for sharing these beautiful images with us all Sir.
Top Drawer
thanks!
If you carry on up the hill, you come to the best waterfall of them all - it's not big, but it's dramatic. It's a place called Smugglers Cave - the waterfall scooshes out through a hole in the rock. Best of all is that you can get down to water level - there is a path, even if it is quite steep in places. I've shot it, but I want to go back with a wide angle lens, because you can only step so far back from it.
The thing with the Ochils is that their huge, steep escarpment, which runs all the way from Stirling to Perth, is the result of a geological fault which is still active. They suffer from regular earthquakes as a result, and the paths up the various glens need to be rebuilt frequently.
@@dougiemilnephotography756 that was where i was heading but the fog was so thick i knew i wouldnt get a shot. Id only ever shot the cave from above but i found a few videos where people had gone down into the cave so that was where i planned to finish the video. Got a reason to head back now!
What?! Please be careful on your walks! We truly appreciate all of your gorgeous content, photos and video…but it’s not good if you put yourself in peril or harm. Beautiful place and photos! ❤
thank you!