The Queen's View, Perthshire, Scotland

The road to Loch Tummel hangs upon the hillside like a poem upon the lip. There is the warmth of fire on the hills in autumn. Gold and orange, copper and bronze, sloping upon green cleaving deep into the blue. Here at the eastern edge of the loch, the Queen’s View, where the mind and heart exult in harmony. Lambs call the ewes by the shore while November wind pirouettes on the water and draws the eye ever westward to brooding Schiehallion, Rannoch Moor, and Glencoe. The Queen in question was not Victoria, as she had assumed, but Isabella, the wife of Robert the Bruce, who stared west in that bright age and marveled at what was possible.

Past, present, future — an illusion. There is only what is and what is becoming. We are each one of us streaks upon the æther, astral staffs, every moment a note in a spooling melody. Can you not see the music in the waves and wind? And yet I cannot help but seek fermata before the Fairy Hill of the Caledonians and wonder when Maggie Moloch and the Broonie will shy from their exile. But the greatest, last obstacle is finding peace in allowing the moment to pass, the embers to turn black, for a thing is not complete until it ends.

Article Comments

  1. Jeanette Hillis January 11, 2017 at 4:57 pm

    beautiful imagery

  2. Joanie Murray January 13, 2017 at 7:28 am

    You’ve captured perfectly the feel of this place. I felt as though I were standing in that very spot once more. In my mind I saw again the sheep grazing on the opposite shore and the mountains of Glencoe to the west. It was a clear and sunny day. My heart actually raced as I read, my senses recreating my time there. Well done. Thanks for keeping memories alive.

    1. Keith Savage January 13, 2017 at 7:59 am

      Music to my ears. Thanks for reading.

  3. Mike January 21, 2017 at 8:17 am

    Beautiful words. Love it. I’ve never been there.

    Advice: add information about the road, maybe Google link.

  4. C. Harges March 3, 2017 at 7:31 am

    You certainly have a way with words. I felt the pull at the very first. We are planning a trip to Scotland and I will definitely pass this site on to my fellow travelers to get them as inspired as I am.

    1. Keith Savage March 3, 2017 at 11:15 am

      Thanks, really appreciate that.

  5. Dan August 4, 2018 at 4:47 pm

    Your skill with words and photography is impressive. I just found your site a few days ago and am loving everything I find. Have been a Scotaphile (is that a thing?) for a while now; I am just starting to plan a trip, probably in May-June of 2020.

    1. Keith Savage August 5, 2018 at 5:23 pm

      Thanks, Dan. Scotophilia is definitely a thing! Good luck with the trip planning and let me know if you need any help.

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