Otter Spotting in Knoydart

I hitch-hiked in Knoydart. No car, no bike, but I wanted to explore the end of the only road, about ten miles long, north of Inverie, where there's a settlement called Airor. I walked an hour before any car came. But eventually one did. I enjoyed tea and cake at the Road's End Cafe, pottering on the beaches with spectacular views of Skye, and wondering whether to cross a raging river at Invergusseran. I didn't. But the quietest time in Knoydart was one evening, when I walked west from Inverie towards Long Beach on Loch Nevis.

Loch Nevis smooth and sultry
at the corner of the otter river
where the collapsed bank's mirror image
is reflected in the water.
And silence save for a squirt
and plop of a leaping fish.

I come across a hide called 'Duck'
and round the side you really have to
duck, that is. Crawl would be a better word-
and lie on your front for several hours
to watch for otters, unwatched by otters.