Relative
A hazy Ardentinny
Our perception of distance depends on where we live. The usual commute or visit to the shops tends to calibrate a ‘normal’ unit of travel for us. Public transport, especially rail, is only partially effective, somewhat unreliable, and unreasonably extortionate (shareholders being the first to feed of course). On the tiny, crowded island that is the UK, journey times are determined as much by traffic conditions as distance travelled. Not so much in the Highlands of Scotland though; as-the-crow-flies distances are dramatically different here to the actual, convoluted routes around peninsulas at sea level, or winding, single track passes over mountains. Food shop? Haircut? Car service? All in the 50 to 100+ mile bracket.
Every journey here takes at least an hour, which is why they become logistically deliberate, multi-purpose trips. It’s probably the same in other mountainous regions or countries with vast landscapes. For this ex-townie, a longer journey is no longer a big deal; a 100 mile airport pickup feels like a trip around the block. I find myself equally bemused both by visitors who consider a few hundred miles to be a major expedition, but also the (usually American) tourists who think they can see it all in a weekend. It’s all relative I guess…
Following a happy, boozy summer visit from my son, where we played with all the toys: kayaks, e-bikes, fishing rods, even a 3-in-a-slightly-overloaded-wobbly-canoe paddle on the loch, it was time to re-ground myself and get some photos in the bag. The weather here in late July has been strange: high pressure, hazy days. Low contrast, yet too windy for creative long exposures. A local-ish photography trip, picnic, and food shop combo trip (see!), took us over the hills to pretty Ardentinny, around the peninsula, into Glen Massan for Eagles and Coos, and into Dunoon for provisions. Back home 100 miles later. No particular keepers to speak of, but it’s always good to get out shooting.
Oh - in other news, I’ve succumbed to opening an Etsy shop in order to extend my reach from this relatively remote wee corner of the world. I’ve integrated it with the same print partner as this website. The images and prices are all the same, it just costs me a little more to sell from there. Do let me know what you think.
