On looking at the River

(This was written on 12^th May 2012, in scribble on a notepad, but for various reasons didn’t get typed and uploaded until now. It’s short, and a couple more will follow. These were from a trip north.)

Ah, the river, the river, the Firth!

I’m sitting outside the Ship Inn in Broughty Ferry, right down by the water, near the lifeboat-house and close to the castle. The sun is bright and glorious, though there’s a nip in the wind. From here across to Tayport – Ferryport-on-Craig – is but a step, or so it looks. There are a few people rowing in dinghies; a mass of wheeling seagulls in the air beyond the castle, and if I look to the right, a view clear to the Law and Balgay hill.

There must have been a wedding nearby, possibly with the reception in the restaurant above this pub. There are men with buttonholes, men in kilts, little girls in fancy dresses, all looking as if they’ve had a good time. And for me, there is the water, and the view across to the hills of Fife.

The swift-flowing water is not blue or green, but a mix of browns and greys, with a few white flashes further out into the middle waters of the estuary. Light clouds have gathered above the water, though the sky in the east is a delicate pale blue and towards the west – towards the Law – there is the brightness of the evening sun. But the brown is good, part cloud-shade, part rich silt brought down by the great river.

But, dinner (fish pie) is ready, and I will go inside with my pint of Deuchars. It’s a bit too breezy to be eating out here…

…and, the fish pie was excellent. I recommend this inn as a place to eat. A walk around part of the Ferry now, and back to my B&B, to give a small offering to the gods of this place.