going cuckoo over a sunrise inversion

[litljortindan]

I had wanted to do an early morning walk to avoid the heat but I'd had a busy time the day before so it was a struggle to get out of bed at a time to catch the early light and cooler temperatures I wanted, particularly where I'd planned to go.
Indeed, as I set off behind schedule through the pea soup fog at 30mph it dawned on me that, with the forecast inversion, maybe something local would be a better plan. But would anything local nudge above the forecast cloud top of 450m?
As I got closer to our local hill, Fourman Hill (344m), I could see hints that this might be the case but I've been in that situation before where the cloud toys with dipping below the top but never does so I was prepared to write off the walk and revert to plan A if necessary.
No need for plan A though! I broke into the cloud/fog top level just before reaching the parking spot. Wasn't entirely convinced at this point that I would get a clear top but I got a good view over to Knock Hill's top sitting proud of the fog sea.
DSC08367 by John Little, on Flickr
The sea I saw.

The way ahead was still pre-dawn murky and misty though and it wasn't yet possible to see if there would be a clear top. Didn't take long though for all the doubt to fall away as after another 100m of ascent I was standing on a seeming island with a familiar landscape now rendered other worldly with the glens flooded in cloud.
DSC08373 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08386 by John Little, on Flickr
On an island.

DSC08387 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08397c by John Little, on Flickr
I really couldn't move very much, or get my eyes away from the drama below with many differing patterns of cloud being illuminated by the pre-dawn diffracted light.

Is there any point in trying to describe such a scene? Just about every minute there was a subtle change in the view with the onslaught of the sunrise drawing closer and closer. And as an acoustic backdrop there was the usual dawn chorus dominated by what seemed a battle between two cuckoos or perhaps it was single cuckoo going cuckoo.

DSC08423 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08430 by John Little, on Flickr
The sun starts to rise.

DSC08431 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08440 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08441c by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08452 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08460c by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08479 by John Little, on Flickr

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DSC08507 by John Little, on Flickr
An image that lasts for what thirty seconds.

DSC08511 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08513 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08513c by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08514c2 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08515 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08519 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08522c by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08523c by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08524c by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08525c by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08526 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08530c by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08531 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08532 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08533 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08534 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08537c2 by John Little, on Flickr
Like a wind that blows though you, a view that passes through you.


DSC08543 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08547 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08552 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08554 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08558 by John Little, on Flickr

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I manage to tear my eyeballs away from the sunrise.

DSC08581 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08587 by John Little, on Flickr
From near the top a view to Tap o' Noth and The Buck.

DSC08588 by John Little, on Flickr
Tap o' Noth again.

DSC08591 by John Little, on Flickr
Ben Rinnes.

DSC08597 by John Little, on Flickr
On the way down the view is still mesmerising.

DSC08600 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08616 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08624 by John Little, on Flickr
Happy with the morning to say the least. Fair to say I made the right decision.

DSC08635 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08636 by John Little, on Flickr

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DSC08644 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08654 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08662 by John Little, on Flickr
Starting to look more familiar. When stripped of the inversion and sunrise this is still a very fine wee hill.

DSC08670 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08673 by John Little, on Flickr
View east.

DSC08690 by John Little, on Flickr

DSC08691 by John Little, on Flickr
More typical Fourman scenery.

DSC08693 by John Little, on Flickr
Was it all a dream? It feels that way now.

[rockhopper]

Yup, good decision right enough Great when you get such good conditions on a walk. Nice set of photos to illustrate it too - cheers

[litljortindan]

Yup, good decision right enough Great when you get such good conditions on a walk. Nice set of photos to illustrate it too - cheers

Thanks. I had the feeling that if I drove west everything would've burnt off by the time I got there and I wanted to miss the warm part of the day.

[Alteknacker]

Heck - no words adequate.

"Like a wind that blows though you, a view that passes through you." Indeed.

The reason I started doing WHRs - I suddenly realised that my memory of sunrise on the Cuillins was limited to imperfect memory, and a few very poor pics.

PS How do you know there'll be an inversion??? The best I've experienced was June 12 2014 in the Mullardochs, but had no idea it would happen; and none of the others were expected...

[litljortindan]

Heck - no words adequate.

"Like a wind that blows though you, a view that passes through you." Indeed.

The reason I started doing WHRs - I suddenly realised that my memory of sunrise on the Cuillins was limited to imperfect memory, and a few very poor pics.

PS How do you know there'll be an inversion??? The best I've experienced was June 12 2014 in the Mullardochs, but had no idea it would happen; and none of the others were expected...

Yes, it's good to write up walks I find, even if it turns out to be just for yourself. Though I've only done this for a few years now it is interesting to look back the early attempts and just a good thing for the brain to try to write stuff (no matter how bad!).
I've noticed, by virtue of others' reports, that mwis seems to be able to predict inversions or at least they point out when they think there will be cloud in the glens and at what levels. I'm never usually motivated enough to take advantage though.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/walking-above-the-clouds/0013855/

[litljortindan]

Now with cuckoos.