Autumn arrived with a bang about two weeks ago, ushered in by a dark, overcast week of drizzle; The lower light levels seem to cue the trees to start withdrawing chlorophyll from their leaves, setting off the season’s transformation. If you’d like to know more about why trees change colour, we covered it back in issue 83.

As I’ve mentioned before, without an organised trip, or friends to photograph with, I’m terrible at motivating myself to get out. But the amazing conditions finally pushed me to pack a bag and spend a day wandering the Glen, and I’m so glad I did. The walk beneath the Three Sisters and into the Lost Valley was beautiful, and reminded me how much I enjoy a really slow, aimless wander, so different from my usual climbing or hiking days of recent years.

Not only did I capture a few pictures of the Aspen I’ve been monitoring, I also explored parts of the River Coe I hadn’t visited before. The Aspen in the image below grow about halfway up the bank towards the Aonach Eagach, close to one of the routes the mountain rescue teams use to reach sections of the ridge. There are quite a few Aspens scattered along there - possibly members of the same plant?

I’m looking forward to watching the colour change over the next week, though the familiar Highland mist has settled in again, making motivation that bit harder to find. Still, with conditions like this around, I’d kick myself if I stayed inside.

Click here to download issue 338 (high quality, 100Mb)

Click here to download issue 338 (smaller download, 55Mb)