8 April 2018 @ 22h16 (UK time)
Today was a day of stories. Not the kind of story perpetuated by the history books of centuries, but by the happenings of our modern world. I didn't plan these stories, nor are they ones I sought out. They happened on our journey today, and while what I saw where purely the observations of evidence that crossed my path today.
While we stopped on the side of the road to take photographs of a waterfall (and the surrounding landscape), I noticed a lock (a padlock) hanging from the side of the metal barrier at the edge of the road. The barrier had holes in its structure (not unusual) in some places for positioning or mounting, and the lock was locked into position in one of these unused holes. It was not holding anything closed or in position, so I took a closer look.
It had two names, Graeme and Gareth, written on it along with a date, 29-08-17. Two lovers committing themselves to each other? Two friends traveling together and stopping here to take a break? Who knows the real story behind this oddly placed lock on the side of the road between Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye?
The second story is one of tragedy and it too happened in this exact same place. While I walked back to the car, after noticing the lock, I happened to look down towards the river below. I spotted something that looked out of place: a piece of blue-gray plastic. A rather large item that took a moment to register, especially since I saw a second piece a few meters away. It suddenly explained the reason for the metal barrier next to the road, something we hadn't seen many of in Scotland. They were pieces of a car that went down that very steep embankment to the rocks and river below. Did the occupants survive the accident? Was that the reason for the lock I had seen earlier? No answers at the site, but somehow I sensed a story here too.
A third story came to mind as we drove off, away from the waterfall, onwards to our destination. A young man was sitting at the edge of the cliffs playing a beautiful copper red guitar. Was he composing a song, inspired by the loch in the distance? Did he know the people in the car that went over the edge? Was he Graeme or Gareth, returning to relive a memory with a friend?
We went from Tomintoul to see Urquhart castle a the shore of Loch Ness. After the encounter with the waterfall mentioned above, our next stop was Eilean Donan castle, and then on to our destination in Portree, on the Isle of Skye. We will explore the surrounds tomorrow, and who knows how many stories we will encounter?
PS: Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter today, since I will be running a competition about my Scotland experiences in the second half of April. There are Amazon giftcards to win, but only if you subscribe.
Until tomorrow!
Today was a day of stories. Not the kind of story perpetuated by the history books of centuries, but by the happenings of our modern world. I didn't plan these stories, nor are they ones I sought out. They happened on our journey today, and while what I saw where purely the observations of evidence that crossed my path today.
While we stopped on the side of the road to take photographs of a waterfall (and the surrounding landscape), I noticed a lock (a padlock) hanging from the side of the metal barrier at the edge of the road. The barrier had holes in its structure (not unusual) in some places for positioning or mounting, and the lock was locked into position in one of these unused holes. It was not holding anything closed or in position, so I took a closer look.
It had two names, Graeme and Gareth, written on it along with a date, 29-08-17. Two lovers committing themselves to each other? Two friends traveling together and stopping here to take a break? Who knows the real story behind this oddly placed lock on the side of the road between Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye?
The second story is one of tragedy and it too happened in this exact same place. While I walked back to the car, after noticing the lock, I happened to look down towards the river below. I spotted something that looked out of place: a piece of blue-gray plastic. A rather large item that took a moment to register, especially since I saw a second piece a few meters away. It suddenly explained the reason for the metal barrier next to the road, something we hadn't seen many of in Scotland. They were pieces of a car that went down that very steep embankment to the rocks and river below. Did the occupants survive the accident? Was that the reason for the lock I had seen earlier? No answers at the site, but somehow I sensed a story here too.
A third story came to mind as we drove off, away from the waterfall, onwards to our destination. A young man was sitting at the edge of the cliffs playing a beautiful copper red guitar. Was he composing a song, inspired by the loch in the distance? Did he know the people in the car that went over the edge? Was he Graeme or Gareth, returning to relive a memory with a friend?
We went from Tomintoul to see Urquhart castle a the shore of Loch Ness. After the encounter with the waterfall mentioned above, our next stop was Eilean Donan castle, and then on to our destination in Portree, on the Isle of Skye. We will explore the surrounds tomorrow, and who knows how many stories we will encounter?
PS: Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter today, since I will be running a competition about my Scotland experiences in the second half of April. There are Amazon giftcards to win, but only if you subscribe.
Until tomorrow!
Find more pictures of our journey through Scotland @ Instagram
💜 Linzé
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