Hebridean Journey

There is no good reason. I don't have one. Do you have a good reason why you fall in love? There may be a thousand reasons. Or none. Reasons do not explain love. And I fell in love with the Outer Hebrides when I first came.

It must have been almost 40 years ago. In fact, I can't remember which year it was. But I remember the night I took the boat from Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Castlebay on the Isle of Barra.

In the port of Oban it felt a little windy. Once the boat had passed the Isle of Mull and entered the open sea between Mull and the Outer Isles, the crossing got rough. The boat fought it's way against the wind and the waves coming in from the North Atlantic.

I was terribly seasick. But in good company. Most people made their way to the railing, even though the wind blew rain and waves right up from the sea. I was really glad when the boat reached Castlebay, late at night.

The next morning greeted me with a clear sky, crisp air and endless tranquility.

I knew I had arrived in the right place.

Falling in love is always about two. Falling in love with a landscape, a place, is not only about the place. It is just as much about you. Your experiences, your wishes, the traces life has left in your mind and soul.

Each place means something different to each of us. Each of us sees and feels something different in a place.

What is the project Hebridean Journey about?

What attracts you to someone you fall in love with?

It is all the little things you discover that make your heart sing.

I don't have a good reason.

But, I have come back many times since.

When I first visited, in the early 1980s, you could still see and feel the traditional rural way of life based on crofting (small scale food production) and fishing, as it is portrayed in Paul Strand's classic photo book “Tir A Mhurain - The Outer Hebrides of Scotland” (1962).

Since the 1980s, life has begun to change, with improved ferry communications, tourists discovering the isles and people moving to the Western Isles from the mainland of Scotland, England and Europe.

The landscape reflects these ongoing changes. Many traditional houses have been refurbished. New ones have been built, equally for local people as for visitors. The face of townships and ports is changing.

While life is changing, the character of these remote islands in the North Atlantic has remarkably withstood the tides of change. The harsh climate, the remote location and the welcoming culture of local communities have allowed the islands to integrate new influences without losing their character.

The project Hebridean Journey captures the character of the landscape; a snapshot in time, a document of what I perceive as a timeless landscape.