The Quiraing and Trotternish is undoubtedly one of the most photogenic landscape locations in the world.

The Quiraing is part of the 19-mile long Trotternish Ridge, a huge, natural landslip which is the largest in Scotland.

Quiraing takes its name from the Scottish Gaelic Cuith Raing which itself is derived from the Old Norse Kví Rand, meaning “round fold/enclosure”, a safe place for livestock.

Trotternish comes from Tròndairnis, nish as a placename ending means ness, or headland and so Thrond’s Headland is the translation.

The landscape as seen here features basalt that has slipped or moved in landslides, in the North Atlantic Tertiary Volcanic Province (Southern Extension), a large igneous area formed around 60 to 50 million years ago during the Paleogene.

It was an early start, here on location already at 05:05 on 06/06. A still morning, high on the Quiraing, a landslip ridge on the north end of the famously beautiful Scottish Isle of Skye. Awaiting the sunrise

I was in Scotland to photograph puffins and landscapes and on this morning I photographed in the blue hour light, a stormy purple at this moment, rather than the classic view of this location as I wanted to save that for the golden hour

Imagine my surprise when a ship should enter view out on the Atlantic, I recognised her shape and sure enough, after a quick Google search I found that Swan Hellenic's SH Vega was indeed in Skye at that time.

I had been on board the small polar class cruise ship last year when she made her first visit to Dublin and Ireland. At that time I said "I hope to see her again soon." And here, now in Skye photographing in the most scenic of scenes.

The view along the ridge was spectacular, I can only imagine how this scene looked from one of the 76 staterooms on board the ship; seeing the Quiraing slowly lighting up with the clearing sky and shadows across the rocky ridge.