The stags blocked a single track road, with Munro Gairich looming on the horizon, and Loch Quoich in the foreground.The stags blocked a single track road, with Munro Gairich looming on the horizon, and Loch Quoich in the foreground.
The stags blocked a single track road, with Munro Gairich looming on the horizon, and Loch Quoich in the foreground.

Monarch of the Glen: These amazing pictures were taken by a lucky photographer who got up close with a group of stags

A photographer snapped stags which posed for him like Monarch of the Glen after blocking a rural Highlands road.

Dean Allan, 56, got up early to drive from his home in Tain, Easter Ross, to take landscape photographs but on the drive back spotted a herd of stags.

It was about 10am but the sun was low, with winter light making it look atmospheric in Kinloch Hourn in Wester Ross.

The stags blocked a single track road, with munro Gairich looming on the horizon, and Loch Quoich in the foreground.

Dad-of-two Dean said: "There must have been about 16 to 18 stags - they weren't phased by it at all.

"I had to stop the car because they wouldn't get out of the way, it was almost as if to say 'this is our land'.

"This is their territory, it is the wilderness.

"I wasn't too sure how they were going to be, and I took some photos from the car.

"They weren't bothered, I think they were curious, maybe they thought I had some food.

"As the sun was coming in past the mountains,some of them were in silhouette, those were the ones I was concentrating on.

"It was very low winter light, and a 30 minute private audience, they were just curious.

"I was very fortunate."

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