#32 – Road Trip / Helensburgh + Sea Cliff Bridge.

Memories in film: a road trip last Christmas.

I went on a little road trip with Jenny, Alex and Jane last year on Christmas day. We headed down south to explore Helensburgh and Sea Cliff Bridge – taking snaps along the way.

Our first stop was Helensburgh: a popular place known for an abandoned train tunnel.

It had rained on Christmas Eve, and so when we arrived (some of us wearing white shoes – clearly not the best idea), we were welcomed with muddy tracks and murky puddles that we cautiously and carefully tried to avoid by balancing on the railway tracks. Let’s just say not all of us were spared

This was my first time visiting Helensburgh and the train tunnel, and I immersed myself in deep exploration – literally wandering deep into the pitch-black tunnel. I was told that the tunnel was home to glowworms - but I must have not been paying much attention (and paying too much attention to puddles in the tunnel) because I unfortunately didn’t see any. That just means I’ll definitely be going back to visit – this time with shoes more suited for the occasion.

About an hour’s drive from Helensburgh brought us to Sea Cliff Bridge.

I know a lot of people photograph Sea Cliff Bridge from atop a cliff – a higher vantage point that we didn’t know how to get up to (but which I did visit two weeks ago – a post for that coming soon after I get all this backlog out of the way). So instead, we parked at one end of the bridge and proceeded to walk along it.

We didn’t go up, but we did find a way down – and luckily so. We were able to get close to the crashing waves without the crowd and see a different perspective of the curving bridge. There were also a lot of interesting textures and surfaces that caught my detail-oriented eye, which compelled me to capture their found and fleeting beauty.

And now I’ll leave you with six lines I wrote and call a poem – one that I keep coming back to because of it’s enduring relevance to events; incidents that remind you to be less trusting and less sentimental (which is really depressing in my opinion - why live in a world like that?). I guess lower expectations = less disappointment, but that would also imply that disappointment is inevitable.

#261 – There’s no point maintaining a one-sided friendship.

If someone doesn’t value your relationship enough to be honest, truthful and considerate; if it’s come to a point where you’re the only one that’s giving, and receiving reluctance in return; and if you’re hurting because of it, darling it’s time for you to get out. Your thoughts and effort – your heart – are much better placed somewhere else.

Honesty

Honestly,

Honesty is a sought-after commodity

That you can give but never get back;

Rather, if I told you everything’s a lie,

Would I then be lying – or have you lost track?

Anything you say to this is a lie you must retract.

Honesty is honestly always the best policy xx.

With love, Emily.