Glen Etive

A Photobook by Davie h Hudson

Why do a book about a road? That's a good question, after all it'snot Route 66 or the Trans-Siberian Highway it's a small 12 mile long dead end inthe Scottish Highlands, but is it as important? For me yes it is....

I have been traveling to, and photographing this road and its sights for around 5years now for one main reason, it makes me happy and I feel at ease and peacefulwhen driving it and I personally feel we all need something like that in life...thisroad is my Prozac!

Maybe it's a stage a person reaches in life when they start to seek out more peacefulthings to help them forget 'life' I don't know, but this road does exactly that.

So then, with that in mind, what does this road have? The easy answer to thisquestion is, everything good about Scottish scenery is contained in the 12 miles ittakes to reach the end of the road. Let me clarify what I mean when I say‘everything’. If you were to ask a tourist what they would liketo see when in Scotland, what would they tell you? ..... Mountains,Rivers, Waterfalls, Lochs, Forests and men in kilts? Glen Etive has all these and thensome and this is the reason I have driven along this road upwards of 100 times nowforgoing a lot of other places in favour of it.

I'm almost embarrassed at this stage to say that for about a year Itook photographs of Buachaille Etive Mor and surroundingmountains without driving down the road at all. Even when I did drive it the firstfew times I only got as far as Dalness House about 5 miles in, though I have to saythat if the road had stopped there it would still be the best road I have ever been on.Driving this road is a life changing experience every time I do it,whether it's bright sunshine or pouring rain. A bad day here is stillbetter than a good day at work and the photographs cover a lot ofweather conditions.

I hope you enjoy the photographs you are about to see. They mean a lot to me.

Davie Hudsonwww.daviehudsonphotography.biz

'Little Ugly One' is the literal translation of the name Etive. The namerefers to the Celtic Goddess associatedwith the Glen and over the next few pages of photographs I will do mybest to prove that the name is utterly wrong.

Situated along the A82 and lying between Glencoe Village and the GlenCoe Ski Centre is an unassuming turn off marked as 'Glen Etive'. I'msure if you have driven the area before you have likely passed it withouta second glance.... at the road anyway. Now I say 'at the road anyway'because if you have driven past the iconic and amazing Buachaille EtiveMor and not noticed it then really I suggest a trip to an Optometristimmediately because you have just missed one of the most famous andperfectly shaped mountains anywhere !!

Buachaille Etive Mor

The name Buachaille Etive Mor translates into English as ‘TheGreat Herdsman of Etive’. Standing at an impressive 1,022m andformed in an almost perfect pyramidal shape it is the first sight youget of the area as you drive down the A82. And what a sight it is!( see previous page)

As you will see I have included a few pictures of Buachaille EtiveMor at various points before we reach the main part of the roaditself. This particular mountain is like a magnet to me and I neverwant that feeling to ever go away... to a point the picture of thisroad will be with me forever through the tattoo on my chest!

On The RoadThe first 5 or so miles of The Glen Etive Road are landscape photographyheaven. On this stretch you have a raging river, at least 5 waterfalls andmountains-a-plenty and to be honest if this doesn't excite you then you are inthe wrong place.You can't help but to become philosophical when you're onthis section ... whatever you are worrying about you can bet the waterfallshave seen it before, and that realisation brings you to the conclusion thatyour troubles are relative. That thought alone allows you to relax and easeyourself into the feeling of being one with this amazing area.

When we reach the road itself I almost felt like Dorothy in The Wizard ofOz at the moment she opens her door and suddenly everything is in colour.That's the feeling I got and still get whenever I reach this stage of the road.

The 'tightness' of the preceding mountains opens up to a glorious sightdominated by both the road and the River Etive as it makes it's way home toLoch Etive at the end of our journey.

As a photographer my life revolvesaround light and making the mostof it and I haven't been anywherethat gives so much of this gift thanthis road.

Maybe it's the mountain ranges thatcreate such delicious shadows butwhatever it is it makes my heartsoar when I look back on thepictures I have taken.

I'm guessing James Bondfans may recognise thisview from the movieSkyfall. In reality this isDalness House located atthe end of the 'first' sectionof the Glen Etive Road.

I can't see the woodfor the treesAs you drive round the perimeter of Dalness House you enter the EtiveForest, which unfortunately isn't as dense and lush as it was due to loggingwork, logging work I imagine is purely finanacial and that is upsetting.What is left though is still amazing and a walk through it is a veryworthwhile experience if only for the reason it leads you to the fabulousLochan Urr.

Look at this view and tell me.... Where would yourather be? The thing I can't portray in this format isthe silence. When standing here there is no trafficnoise, no electricity buzz...nothing . A friend ofmine described it as being able to hear the earth andshe is right, this level of silence can be off-puttingbut it only lasts until you give yourself to it.

Take Me To The River

As I have pointed out (probably on numerous occasions ) The River Etivewinds it's way, often violently towards Loch Etive at the end of thismagnificent road. What is surprising though is when you are in the forestsection the river does something magnificent ..... It slows to a beautifullysedate and relaxing speed that allows you to completely relax and take inall around you. In the height of summer there are also two flora relatedgifts presented to you .....that of Bluebells and Rhododendron, and these 2gifts bring such a vibrant colour to the area.

End Of The Road

In most cases the End of the Road would be a bad thing .... not here,The end merely means the end of the outward journey. When standingat the shore of Loch Etive you have probably the best 180 degreeanywhere on God's green earth, so good i have shown it on the next 2pages. As well as reaching the great Loch Etive you have the glory ofturning round and going back and it's the going back that maysurprise you as it appears like a new road with different views and adifferent feeling.

Some of the sunsets I haveexperienced at Loch Etivehave made me a little mistyeyed. Obviously I can't placeyou in these pictures but Ihope they speak forthemselves.

I hope you have enjoyed thejourney along what I think ofas my spiritual home, it's avery special place with a veryspecial feeling that i hopeyou will someday enjoy foryourself.

Davie Hudson