A Scots hiker has captured a stunning photo of a Brocken Spectre on the Isle of Arran.
Charlotte Mann was climbing the island's famous peak Goatfell last month with two friends when she was able to capture the mysterious natural phenomenon on camera.
"The weather was rubbish really poor visibility and drizzling," explained 26 year old, who works for the island's outdoor shop Arran Active. "We were feeling pretty demotivated most of the way and then once we got over the shoulder to the last stretch, suddenly the sky cleared.
"One side was blue sky and sunny and the other side the clouds were rolling over the mountains it was amazing.
"Apparently, that's perfect conditions for a Brocken Spectre so we were lucky enough to see one really clearly."
The keen outdoors fan stated she wasn't expecting to see the spectre, which is said to have inspired the myth of the Big Grey Man of Ben Macdui, and was delighted to snap one on her trip.
She said: "I was surprised to see it. However, one of the girls I was with is a keen hill walker and she had seen one before and said conditions were perfect for one when the sky cleared."
Charlotte posted the photo on her Instagram Page (@ charmanndur ) and was happy to see other Facebook pages and groups share it too.
"The reception online has been amazing and unexpected," she said. "It was only taken on my phone but I think many people haven't either seen or heard of a Brocken spectre."
The apparition – which is also known as a Brocken bow – occurs when a halo-shaped rainbow forms (known as a 'glory') around the shadow of the person viewing it which is then projected onto clouds or banks of mist lying below the summit.
The ‘spectre’ appears when the sun shines from behind the observer, who is looking down from a ridge or peak. Many describe seeing them as a magical experience, but they have led to stories of the supernatural in the past.
Fearing that they could be giants or large ghosts following in their wake, the phenomenon inspired stories such as the Big Grey Man of Ben Macdui, which terrified experienced mountaineers in the 1920s and saw respected climber John Norman Collie fleeing from Macdui in 1890 starting the myth of the giant.
The name for the phenomenon, Brocken Spectre, is said to have originated in Germany, where the Brocken is the highest peak in the Harz Mountain range and the location of the first recorded incident of the phenomenon in the 18th century.
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