Am Beanaidh, Rothiemurchus, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland

Am Beanaidh is not always as placid as it appears in this photo. Go into Gleann Eanaich after a storm, and you might find your path blocked by its upper reaches, as I found near the end of 2023 after Storm Gerrit. This image comes from the end of the preceding May near the end of a day hiking from Nethy Bridge to Aviemore. Though distracted by an earlier stumble and reproaching myself for it, there were occasions when I did stop to take in the peace that surrounded me. Sometimes, the turbulence is within and not outwith oneself, and this may have been one of those. All of that has flowed away by the time that I am writing these words, much like the water in the river as it happens.