Jake Bowden

Passing Place (2022)

In July, I turned 25, I wanted to do something big that I would remember that point in my life by. I had never been to Scotland before and I had some time where I had no plans and I was left with little work to do after finishing university for the summer break. I knew in August I would be moving out from the quiet, slow suburb of Bramhall, and into Withington where I’d be a lot closer to university and Manchester in general. Because of this, I would be getting rid of my car I’d had for 7 years and opting for a bike, bus pass and my two feet as a means of getting about. With this in mind I thought one last big road trip would be the best way of seeing off the car which had been a big part of my life for the past 7 years, and having never been to Scotland, it seemed the perfect place for such an adventure. I had also been wanting to travel and explore somewhere new by myself for a long time, I’ve always enjoyed solo rambles in the Peak District, the solitude is welcome, it gives me a lot of time to think, to connect with the world around me whilst simultaneously disconnecting and taking a break from the busyness of daily life.

The trip began later in the day than I planned, I had to make a stop off in the Lake District for a night. I took one picture whilst passing though the Lakes, it turned out to be one of my favourites I had taken for quite some time. I find myself looking for human interaction within the landscape, to include in the frame; this photograph captures the interruption we can make in an otherwise beautiful corner of the earth, this has happened over time to all areas urban and rural on different scales, it will continue to happen and I suppose my intention is therefore to encourage us to appreciate what we have and to consider our relationship with the natural world.

My road trip would take me to Loch Lomond, Oban, Glencoe and Skye, stopping at each for the night. Being on my own allowed me to stop and explore at my own leisure, I kept in mind however that the point of the trip was to be on the road and explore that way, I was in a new country where everything was new to me and I could have taken multiple different approaches, so to keep my mind at rest of worrying that I was missing out on anything, I promised myself I'd have to come and re-visit Scotland when I get the opportunity and go on some rambles.