Walking in this landscape, you become acutely aware of water. It defines the land. Burns fill up in response to weather, becoming animate. After heavy rain, water becomes a visceral force in the landscape.
midsummer sizzles
S-T-E-A-M rises
from overnight rain
Ailnack Gorge
cavernous fast water
more than a colour
their blood flows
through the arteries
of the land
Often I would leave a hard landrover track, in favour of following a burn. It seemed the right thing to do.
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goodbye path
following Allt na Craoibhe-cuilinn
(Holly Burn), Red Sneck burn
crossing Starry Burn, Black Ditch,
Little Kymah
following Allt na Craoibhe-cuilinn
(Holly Burn), Red Sneck burn
crossing Starry Burn, Black Ditch,
Little Kymah
Looking at a detailed map, you see names for different kinds of water. There are burns, lochs and rivers, but also rills, stripes, grains, fleuchats, and more.
Alec Finlay, extract from ‘dictionary of waters’, Some Colour Trends
After which, I designed motifs for 20 different kinds of water.
A Route of Springs, celebrates water. It maps a walk from Corgarff over the Ladder pass, finishing at Highland Spring Bottling Plant in Glenlivet.
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water-lines definea confluencea bend in the riverlinear time’s one-wayspring becomes stripebecomes alltcloud becomes caochanbecomes cloudon the watersheda raindrop decideswhich way to fallcircular time recycles
Whisky and Water
uisge: water
uisge beatha: whisky, "water of life"
Whisky and water are closely connected. The Hielan’ Ways area has plenty of both. The river Fiddich shares a very defined watershed with the River Livet. It presents as a natural walk: a wander from Glenfiddich Distillery to Glenlivet Distillery. The route follows the Fiddich to the watershed and descends down the Livet. You pass the Elf House cave on the way.
Elfhouse Burn
the cave’s in a fairy hillock
where the glen narrows
take it in turn
to stand inside
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| Elf House Cave |
