The Blue Pools of Glen Rosa

Glen Rosa on the Isle of Arran opens gently. A narrow path follows the river into a vast, green landscape. The further you walk into the glen, the narrower it becomes. The path swings north, and rugged peaks push into view on the horizon.

Tourists are drawn to Arran by the promise of experiencing Scotland in miniature. That this applies to the weather, too, tends to go unmentioned. During my visit, a sharp westerly wind suddenly picked up and blew the summer away. Dense, heavy clouds swept across what had been a blue sky just moments before, and long shadows flickered across the hills.

This was the moment I had secretly been hoping for. While a brilliant blue sky is lovely to look at, it often lacks that certain something in photographs. Fast-moving clouds and constantly shifting light, on the other hand, add drama. Here at the Blue Pools, where the Glenrosa Water cascades over flat granite slabs, the interplay of light and landscape seemed made for a long exposure. This technique transformed the water into something fleeting, gentle, almost unreal. The great boulder beside it remained exactly what it is: motionless, grey, in the same spot since the last ice age. The same was true of the mountains behind. The shadow that wraps around them makes them look heavier, harsher, almost threatening. Whilst the water flows and the clouds drift by, the rocks and peaks stand there unmoved. Just as they always have.

It is these contrasts that shape Scotland’s landscape. Hard and soft, moving and still, fleeting and eternal. Here on the Isle of Arran, all of it was there to be captured. The Blue Pools captivated me so much that I singled them out as the very first image in my very first Scotland calendar. Honour where honour is due.