INVERSION ENDORPHINS
‘The mist rolled in off the sea, creeping over the lower ridges like dry ice.’
Arran-based photographer Kirstie Smith gets high on a spectacular nighttime cloud inversion
It’s safe to say that, for me, one of the most beautiful mountain experiences is that of the temperature inversion. Combine that with a summit bivvy and a sunrise and I’m convinced that heaven really does exist.
One of my most memorable inversions happened in August 2020 whilst on a solo bivvy just below Caisteal Abhail summit on the Isle of Arran.
If you have never been to this magical place, it is a spot that takes your breath away, nestled in the heart of the Arran mountains looking across to the dramatic northern flanks of Cir Mhor and down onto the beautifully carved-out corries and sweeping granite ridges. I’m very lucky to call Arran home, and spending a night up high with only my dog and my camera for company is a never-ending source of inspiration for me.
I had dreamt about this particular bivvy for some time, and eager to catch a glimpse of the Perseid meteor shower I had been watching the weather closely for the chance of clear skies. I gathered my gear and set off after work from North Glen Sannox to reach my spot for the night. Once settled, I set up my camera and wrapped myself up in my duvet jacket and sleeping bag.
As the sun set and the light faded from the sky, stars and planets slowly emerged and the mist rolled in off the sea, filling the cold glens below and creeping over the lower ridges like dry ice. The amazing thing about an inversion is that the higher you are the warmer it is, so I barely needed a sleeping bag that night. I eventually slept for a few hours before awakening to an incredible sunrise spilling over the inversion and setting the Arran mountains alight.
I did only get a glimpse of a few meteors in the end; but watching that inversion unfold under the stars and seeing the soft, misty layers lit up at dawn was a special treat that I’ll never forget.