Menootandaboot - Views From The Bus

The brow of the hill leading up to the vista of the Clyde.
The heart thumps a bit stronger at this point.

The trip from West to East and back again was always quite fun when I had Li'l Ren. Driving, however, isn't all that conducive to the art of photography and on that run, in particular, stopping was never really an option.

Now that I am on the buses, though, there should definitely be photo-ops. That said, there are challenges.

ONE - remember to pack the camera where it can be easily accessed. All photographic attempts require photographic equipment.
TWO - the driver will not stop on-demand (unless at a scheduled drop). All photographic attempts must, therefore, be made whilst on the move.

Then, tipping over that brow, the vista brings the grin. Dumbarton Rock and castle over the water.

THREE - the bus will be moving at some speed. All photographic attempts must, therefore, be made at 70mph. Focusing will be very hit and miss. Blur can be an artistic device - but not smudge.

A closer look. (Next time I have to try and get a more panoramic view -
looking along the Clyde is really quite something.

FOUR - the bus will be moving at speed over not particularly smooth roads. All photographic attempts will have to be made with lumps and bumps factored in. Hit and miss become very real...

The only fully functioning shipyard still open on the lower Clyde - and even that is debatable, as the
government has recently taken over operations due to lack of progress on the two new
ferries for Caledonian MacBrayne. This one has been in the dock for four years...
That's Greenock you see behind.

I need a LOT of practice. On the last trip back to the Hutch, though, as we came to the part of the road which marks the shift from 'over there' to 'this is home', I whisked out the handily-packed camera (#one, tick). Having ensured that I got the very front seat, I was able to view through the main windscreen and therefore could be ready for all subjects (#two and #three, tick). Of the nearly twenty shots taken, these four were the only ones remotely worth presenting to you, (#four... could do better).

When the sun is shining - or at least when it is not raining - the ride is very scenic, even though it is a motorway (for the most part). At this end, though, the old roads return and one meanders through Port Glasgow (where Ferguson Marine and Newark Castle are to be found), and then into Greenock (the main terminal for larger shipping, home of tugs and port for Floating Hotels...err, liners). Greenock than morphs into Gourock, which is where we connect with the ferry over the water to Dunoon.

In the future, I am aiming to get a lot more of these places in detail to share with you!