Following the Tay to Dunkeld

I am on the path beside the River Tay, watching that blue band of glass slide into the heart of the sunset. The ancient town of Dunkeld, standing just beyond the trees, is a quiet guardian of the sanctity that hangs in the air like dawn fog. A ghost of the in-between times. I sit in the grass overhanging the gurgling river as sticks float past, unable to think of a time when I’ve been happier doing nothing. Couples stroll by me on the path, smiles on their faces like petals on flowers. They are older than me, wiser, full of secrets that no tongue can tell.

Scotland superimposes itself over you. Every winding track, stony ridge, and forested glen takes you deep into the heartland, beyond the confines of comfiture and through the amnion. In Dunkeld there is a thousand-year-old cathedral, a wondrous bridge, a field of red deer, and forests that fall upon the shivering soul like grandma’s afghan. How have I found myself here, alone, cut from all the marionette’s strings? There is too much beauty in the world – more than I can take in. The thought blossoms like a moonflower in my breast, opens like a stent, as my reflection wavers on the water.

Article Comments

  1. Blair H May 10, 2013 at 4:58 am

    The photo is amazing!! Do you know if anybody fly fish there?
    Blair

    1. Keith Savage May 10, 2013 at 9:25 am

      All the time, Blair. Every time I walked that path there was a fisherman hip deep casting flies. The River Tay is a perfect for it.

  2. Blair H May 10, 2013 at 9:39 am

    I can only imagine 😉
    its a really great photo and captures the beauti of it all!

  3. Iulia May 11, 2013 at 12:30 pm

    “quiet guardian of the sanctity that hangs in the air like dawn fog” -simple words gathered together so well ,that pictures a feeling . My thoughts are like water : difficult to kept together , when I need to express a feeling .
    Beautiful ability to express and transfer to your readers this complicated emotions ! love it!

    1. Keith Savage May 11, 2013 at 1:12 pm

      Thank you Iulia!

  4. Gayla~ June 14, 2013 at 4:05 am

    How could one not be happy when surrounded by such beauty. Stunning scenery! And, your words are such beautiful imagery, Keith. I really like the phrase ‘ghost of the in-between times’.

    1. Keith Savage June 14, 2013 at 4:33 am

      Cheers, Gayla.

  5. Marysia @ My Travel Affairs January 2, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    Great picture indeed! Love the lines, of the path, river and the sky, come together perfectly!

  6. Cassie Tessier March 26, 2017 at 5:40 pm

    Oh. My. Gosh. I went to Scotland last year. We went to the area of Pitlochry, and what you put into words on this page is EXACTLY how I feel and what I am trying to explain to the people around me. Thank you. For this small place of peace I can go to while I look at the pictures I took and the words you wrote.

    Thank you.
    Cassie

    1. Keith Savage March 26, 2017 at 7:40 pm

      Thanks for reading, Cassie. Glad you found some communion.

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