Three Peaks Enduro

Johny Cook February 22, 2016

I found out about the Three Peaks Enduro after meeting Kashi (from Bike Otago) while riding in Rotorua. I was sold on coming down to Dunedin to see what was so good about this city and of course to shoot the race.

The race was held over two days with various stages including a section with some pretty steep steps. Through the weekend the weather held off for the most part with a few of us getting caught in the rain and hail.

This was a pretty exciting race to shoot for my first in New Zealand with the riders getting loose and wild. At one point I almost got in the way of Jimmy Pollard (4th picture down) who had chosen a line I was standing on which to be honest I thought wasn't really possible.

http://www.bikeotago.co.nz/

http://www.insidersdunedin.co.nz/active-insider/2015/12/1/downhill-chainsaws-solid-runs

Scenic: The Old Man of Storr

Johny Cook September 9, 2015

Nipper and I wanted to get one more munro ridden before I head off but instead decided to bike around the very scenic Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye. The view is well known with the huge pinnacle of rock sitting at 165ft overlooking the Sound of Raasay.

We learnt pretty quickly that everything there seems steeper than it looks but the riding was great as you can just pick a line anywhere and head off, just need to watch out for visitors and some hidden holes.

Endurance: Mark Beaumont and the North Coast 500

Johny Cook August 12, 2015

A lot of people will know Mark Beaumont for his epic round the world bike ride of 18,000 miles in which he broke the world record by 82 days back in 2008. Riding his bike for long periods of time is obviously something Mark does extremely well and his latest challenge lay on the North Coast 500. This route is Scotland's answer to Route 66 starting and is a 500 mile journey which takes you through beautiful areas of Scotland. Mark's plan was to cycle non stop the route in under 40 hours leaving Inverness at 0600 on Monday morning.

Heading out the Beauly road after leaving from Inverness Castle at 0600

Cycling over 500 miles yourself must get quite lonely and it was great seeing different people grab their bikes and cycle with Mark. Various riders showed up along the route, from his friend Alex Glasgow, local cycle club riders, people inspired by his rides and those who were encouraged to join in by the crowd.

A support vehicle, drone team and motorbike followed throughout the trip — A support vehicle, drone team and motorbike followed throughout the trip

The Bealach na Bà on the Applecross peninsula would seem challenging but once he had reached the top of the windy roads he was chatting easily to his friend Alex Glasgow (currently holds the record on the Bealach Mor and previously won the Celtman).

Tom Campbell supporting on the motorbike

Alex left Mark at Kinlochewe, great to see the support from him and the crowd

The good weather didn't last all day and Mark powered on through the rain. Being on the West of Scotland we were all greeted by waves of midges and no wind to blow them away.

With his ride being non stop, Mark rode though the night and the weather didn't hold off. Dark, wet and windy he powered through making it look easy. I stopped in a lay by just after Inchnadamph, and while asleep in the back of my car he had made it up to Tongue by the time I caught up with him in the morning.

Catching up with him he was still all smiles and at a good pace

A quick change and back on the road full pedal

This was a historic spot for Mark to get to. When he was 15 years old he did a solo ride from Lands End to John O' Groats. Thankfully the sun came out and stayed with us until the finish.

More support, this time from Mark Canning

Arriving in Wick was a great milestone of the journey and thankfully the crew were met by the staff from the North Coast 500 with bacon rolls.

A team stop for a change before getting back on the road

After meeting a couple of fans on a bridge over the A9 I headed straight to Inchmore to catch Mark during his last few miles. It was amazing to see him still pushing hard with smile on his face.

After reading about Mark and hearing all about his adventures around the world it was brilliant to see him actually doing one. It was great getting the opportunity to follow this journey and see first hand the endurance that he has. His time was 37 hours and 58 minutes and at the finish looked and sounded as if he could go for another ride.

http://markbeaumontonline.com

http://www.northcoast500.com

An Teallach Ride

Johny Cook July 14, 2015

Last year I climbed An Teallach and after seeing the views thought it would be good to ride down and document it all. Searching online I couldn't find anything saying anybody had ridden down this before which made it more appealing (Edit: I was informed that in the 90s Paul Tatersall completed all munros by bike). After convincing Nipper to do the munro with bikes we did minimal planning and hoped the weather forecast was true.

Apparently the most impressive mountain in Britain with the highest munro, Bidein a'Ghlas Thuill, sitting at 3,484ft. We were greeted with spectacular views and a few lines to ride. We knew that the descent wouldn't provide us with trail all the way down and the bogs certainly proved it. Despite having to get off and walk we rode some fast single track and rock gardens.

Sea Cliff Climbing

Johny Cook June 11, 2015

Yesterday I made a last minute decision to head to the east coast of Scotland and shoot Davy and Mark climbing. I met them at Souter Head which is a popular spot for climbers. Most of the shooting involved me shooting over the cliff edge which just adds to the excitement.

Dam Release Day

Johny Cook June 3, 2015

Rain the night before and with it being damn release day on the river Moriston I met up with Leslie, Roddy, Calum and Ciaran to shoot. Navigating along the river and on rock edges was a task itself but provided excellent positions for shooting.

This spot is part of a race that is said to be the UK's most extreme kayaking race. They put on different events every year with 2015 dates still waiting to be confirmed.

http://www.moristonriverrace.com

Camping in Skye

Johny Cook May 31, 2015

The most common used app on my phone is definitely Instagram as it gives me ideas for trips and inspiration to shoot. Looking through all the photos I see stunning places thousands of miles away and feel like thats where I should be shooting. But really, Scotland has some wild places that people thousands of miles away probably want to be.

My attempt at camping in Skye finally happened this weekend when I picked up Kirsty from her office on Friday. The plan was to head to the Fairy Pools, camp, hike and then swim. We set up camp beneath the Black Cuillins after trekking through the river and bogs and had an ideal view from the tent. With sunrise being at about 0440 it didn't take long before we were up and hiking towards the Cuillins for a better view.

The main reason for camping in Skye was to swim in the Fairy Pools which would have benefitted from being warmer. Jumping from the rocks straight in was my idea of getting over the cold fast, that only worked for a minute or two until I couldn't quite get my words out and was shaking uncontrollably. Worth it for the adventure and thankfully Kirsty was on hand with towels and soup.

Our journey back home was a little longer than usual as we took the backroad to Achnasheen but cut off towards Applecross and then Torridon. With no low cloud and pleasant Scottish weather we were greeted with stunning sights.

http://ridgemontoutfitters.com/

http://cupsco.com/

Invergarry Kayaking

Johny Cook May 15, 2015

This week I met up with Ted, Scott and Astrid. After discussing shooting with Ted he told me about the different dams that are opened every week providing guaranteed kayaking even when there has been no rain.

Invergarry was the choice of river for shooting and although apparently tame it was impressive to watch. Keep checking the blog for more kayaking updates.

Film Log: Iceland

Johny Cook May 10, 2015

Took the 35mm camera along on the trip in Iceland and here are some of the results. These were all mostly taken while on the road going from the west of Iceland to east and back.

Carn Mor Dearg Arête and Ben Nevis Summit

Johny Cook April 19, 2015

Paul got in touch with me this week about going for Ben Nevis which didn't seem quite as exciting as our last climb. I was glad to find out we were going to do the route via a ridge then a steep climb up to the summit of Nevis. We also had Seb join us on this long day.

Throughout our nine hour day we experienced stunning views of the north face with long shadows casting down the valley. As we left later in the day to catch the evening light we could see a few other groups silhouetted in the distance, showing off the size of what we had ahead of us. Once we had completed the ridge and made our way to the summit of Ben Nevis it was steep and icy. I had my moment slipping and sliding until my axe did its job. Below is a photo of Paul after he slipped and went past me towards the cornice. Thankfully those were our only moments but were enough for us to stop for a minute.

Spring Ride

Johny Cook April 10, 2015

With the weather being so good lately Nipper and I headed up to the mast for a spring shoot. Unfortunately the high winds we have been having caused the tracks to have fallen trees everywhere. Not everything was ridable but here is an afternoon on what we could ride and shoot until the chainsaws arrive.

Iceland

Johny Cook April 2, 2015

Instagram is great, it shows you so many places throughout the world with a few clicks and makes you want to get on a plane. One place that I noticed a lot of was Iceland and seeing all these pictures made me fall in love with it. My phone was cluttered with screenshots of places to visit and we didn't even manage to see half of them. I look forward to returning here in the summer to see the north and highlands.

Below is images from our journey through Iceland leaving from Reykjavik heading to Höfn via the South and back again. The shots are in no particular order but hopefully will inspire you to make the trip!

Go through the tunnel at the Vestrahorn to take you North and you are greeted greatly

Waking up in a wooden cabin to the sunrise and snow drift

The lights showing up while having tea just before we headed out for a night adventure

Only getting so far before you get stuck out here

Scrambling to get better views for the sunset

The United States Navy DC plane crash site

Snow drift at sunrise in Hörgsland — Snow drift at sunrise in **Hörgsland**

Built in 1923, Seljavallalaug — Built in 1923, Seljavallalaug

Exploring Svínafellsjökull glacier — Exploring **Svínafellsjökull** glacier

North Coast Camp

Johny Cook March 15, 2015

The North Coast 500 has been getting a great response in the media and with a high chance of seeing the northern lights we headed towards Durness. We pitched in the dark but were greeted with stunning stars and the lights dancing. This was the first time I had seen the green with my eye rather than the camera.

Our first night was good until the early hours of the morning when it became extremely cold and the small rock under the tent proved not to be the pillow of choice. My morning wander before sunrise was bitter but provided stunning colours and some scrambling up rocks. Thankfully it all adds to the experience of star filled nights, open fires and cider.

My Abode #1

Johny Cook March 10, 2015

I have taken a little bit of a fascination with buildings in stunning landscapes. Driving around Scotland has let me see some beautiful scenes and quite often I will find a house, holiday home, hut or community hall nestled in the view.

Skye

Johny Cook December 31, 2014

Recently I watched Bear Grylls and his new TV program which takes celebrities to remote places in the world and shows them how to survive. This particular episode was shot in Skye, which just didn't seem as remote as he made it out to be, considering we live 2 hours away and go there for day trips.

Richie walking up the ridge toward the Old Man of Storr

Richie (http://www.richiemaciver.com) was visiting from London and is usually surrounded by high rise buildings so getting to photograph in Skye was a visually stunning opportunity. After the 6am start we made it to the Old Man of Storr. This area was created long ago after a landslide happened and is a recognisable place around the world.

Coming here in winter rather than summer gave us some stormy weather and the place to ourselves. Usually a busy hub full of visitors it was left empty, giving a surreal feeling.

Looking up at the Old Man of Storr as you hike is impressive but once you see beyond that you are met by massive cliffs.

We made a quick stop by Kilt Rock - with the heavy rainfall we would hopefully see the thundering Mealt Waterfall. The fall is 60 metres into the Sound of Raasay which boasts a lovely view of never ending water.

After walking through a bog we finally came to Abhainn An Lethuillt which can be accessed via a rope that has definitely seen better days. Given the amount of rainfall we were hoping not to get swept away by any flood. I hadn't seen the fall so heavy before but it was spectacular being underneath, hearing it pound against the rocks.

The entry and exit to the falls via rope, rock and roots

Over the day we had encountered wind, rain, snow and hailstones. I really enjoy the sun and warm weather but the exciting thing about Skye is whatever the weather it still looks magnificent and adds to the experience.

The hailstones came when we stopped by the Quiraing, We walked backwards to the car as the hailstones were pelting off of our faces and hands. Like I said before, the weather stills creates beautiful scenery.

Maui, Hawaii

Johny Cook December 3, 2014

Earlier this year we took a family trip over to Hawaii. The place is absolutely stunning with postcard perfect scenes everywhere you look. My camera was never really in the bag so I do have quite a lot of images I could share but instead I have selected a few of my favourites.

Film Log