We were completely drawn in by Diana Thomson’s arresting photograph. The locality may not be as renowned as some parts of our area, but it is an area of great interest and beauty, in its own way. This area of the North East of Scotland has been inhabited since the earliest times and there is ample evidence of Pictish habitation. 

The photograph includes Dunnydeer Hill, surmounted by the ruins of Dunnydeer Castle, in stark silhouette in Diana’s picture. Before the Castle, a Pictish Hill Fort is believed to have existed on the summit. Not far away to the South East stands Bennachie, on which stand the ruins of an iron age fort. Our ancestors were inhabiting this land, since time immemorial.

While Dunnydeer Hill is modest in dimension, on a clear day the view from the top can stand comparison with many other locations.

There is something elemental in this photograph. The sun is shining, but the sky is a confused spectacle with threatening clouds lowering across the landscape. The straw bales are evidence that the harvest is in, so we can glean that this is, probably, late summer or early autumn. The overall effect is very indicative of a change in the seasons starting.

If you’re interested in learning more about each one of our images as part of our photography competition, then why not take a look at one of our previous submissions, here.