Beach and burn at the site of Gavin Maxwell's "Camusfearna," in "Ring of Bright Water." Sound of Sleat, opposite the Isle of Skye.

            Commentary.

It says it all. A wonderful location. Nature at its raw, honest, pristine best.
Where river, forest and mountain meet the sea at a sandy bay, near the Sandaig Islands, at the entry to the majestic Loch Hourn and where views south down the Sound of Sleat
take in the Island of Eigg and the south-east “wing” of the Isle of Skye.
This is where Gavin Maxwell came to live with, amongst others, the wild otters, Mijbil and Edal. 
In his novel “Ring of Bright Water” and in the 1969 film version with Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, playing the key roles, ostensibly, the story appears to be a triumph of mankind over nature.
Or is it a naturalist’s dream to escape from the city to a remote, beautiful place, with his beloved otters, live amongst nature, watch it, draw it, write about it and live, self-sufficiently, a naturalists “Good Life,” but away from the pollution, noise and materialism of 21st. Century living, with all the self-imposed work restrictions, commuting and frenetic, competitive commercialisation that that brings.
In fact, when fully absorbed, the story is much more akin
to a modern Shakespearean tragedy based on a curse that kills the dream.
As is so often the case when dealing with passionate, “driven,”  slightly obsessive, creative and single-minded individuals, balancing their passion with relating to others, equably, becomes, nigh on, impossible.
When, Kathleen Raine, a local poet, falls madly in love with Maxwell, they plan to marry, but she soon realises that all her love for him is but a thimble-full of poison, compared to his love for his otters, and their doomed marriage lasts less than a year.
When Kathleen realises that Gavin has very active homosexual relationships with his young estate workers 
she curses him, “Let Gavin suffer, in this place, as I am suffering now.” 
Then, a sequence of misfortune occurred, that would be very easy to associate with the curse or affirmation.
Kathleen lets Mij escape, and, while out the otter was clubbed to death by a roadworker.
The uninsured house, “Camusfearna” burns to the ground one night and Edal is killed in his pen outside.
Gavin is destroyed by these events and his own life spirals out of control.
Fast living, heavy drinking and smoking takes its toll and he dies of lung cancer at 55 in 1969.
Times and attitudes have changed since the 1950’s.
No longer do most people see wild animals as pets for our entertainment, zoos have to adopt conservation as their main purpose.
Circuses are for clowns not shackled, “performing” animals.
But without doubt for all his own personal “conflicts”
Gavin Maxwell really did love nature and has inspired millions
of others to love and protect the natural world because of his inspirational writings  about the wild beauty and wild life in the magical West Coast of Scotland. 

   

Taken in: UK / Scotland / Glenelg (show map)

Taken on: August 9, 2007

Sets appears in: • Scotland's Landscapes and Places of Interest.

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Camera: Canon EOS 5D, f/4.0, 1/800 sec, 35mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D
Lens:	EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Focal Length:	35mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	-1/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Lightroom 7.1.2 (Windows)
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