Rain

“We're now beginning our descent into Edinburgh. You’ve probably picked the worst place to land in the UK at the moment; the weather on the ground is rainy with gusty winds.”

I smiled as the plane moved through bulky, glowering clouds. I had just spent three days being thoroughly toasted in London and Cambridge, and now it seemed Scotland was welcoming me back with a dramatic display of cool relief.

There was no rain when I stepped out of the airport, but by the time the airport bus dropped me at Haymarket, the black clouds heaving into view were so large it made me mumble aloud: “uh oh.”

As I was walking home, it hit. It was like the whole sky was being wrung out and thrown at the earth. For as long as I could stand it I walked on, feeling my jeans and shirt soak through and the drops build up on my face. For some time now I have been welcoming the rain without an umbrella, find it an easy way to experience nature in the city.

When I could stand the onslaught no longer I ducked into a bus shelter, along with a young couple who where heaving with laughter and dripping wet. When it eased slightly they made a run for it and I watched them go, their feet splashing through the massive puddle that the pavement had become.

Aye, it rains in Scotland. The drizzle gives us atmospheric gloom and the storms make it feel like the landscape is rising up to tell its story. Glencoe is stunning on a bright day, but on a grey one, with the low cloud slinking over the ridges of the mountains and the burns pushing their banks, it is even more wondrous.

I have hauled out some of my favourite rain photos that I have taken over the past couple of years. I hope you enjoy them.