The River Spey: Photographer’s Year-Long Journey Goes on Tour
A Highland photographer spending a year documenting the life and legacy of the River Spey by bike and canoe is set to launch an immersive touring exhibition showcasing his findings.
Ed Smith has been awarded a grant by the Cairngorms Trust to curate and deliver a series of community exhibitions along the river in late summer.
The exhibitions, planned to run from mid-July to the end of October, are the second phase of a year-long, multi-stage journey that captures analogue images, video, and interviews. Ed is exploring how the river continues to shape lives, livelihoods and local culture.
Ed began the journey last summer by retracing a canoe descent he first enjoyed with his Dad when he was just 10 years old, in the exact same canoe. In autumn, he cycled an area of catchment of the Spey, followed by a winter canoe descent in January 2026. The project will conclude with a final bike ride in April, travelling from sea to source.
The grant will allow Ed to curate a touring exhibition across various venues in the Cairngorms National Park, featuring 25 professionally printed archival photographs, framed to museum-quality standards, along with audio and interviews. Launching at Ed’s Eleven41 gallery in Kingussie in mid-July, the exhibit will aim to move every three weeks through Aviemore/Glenmore, Boat of Garten, Grantown-on-Spey and Glenlivet areas. A launch event and engagement talks will be scheduled at the venues.
Ed said, “For me, this was never just a photography trip. The River Spey is a vital artery through the Highlands, rich in history, industry, and community. While it’s renowned for fishing and watersports, it has had a significant impact on our local economies and shaped generations of communities. By creating and touring an accessible and interactive exhibition around these local communities, people can experience what I have captured, through photos, sounds of the river or interviews with the amazing people I have met along the way, in all seasons. Through this artwork, they can also discover the region’s lesser-known or overlooked historical significance, helping create an archive that can be shared with future generations.
“And as well as the local communities, who are essentially the natural guardians of this river, we hope to open the eyes of the hundreds of tourists who visit this special and spectacular part of Scotland every summer. By educating and inspiring them about the river they enjoy while they’re here, we can encourage greater awareness and environmental responsibility.”
The Cairngorms Trust is an independent charity dedicated to promoting sustainable, community-led development across the Cairngorms. It provides grants and support to a wide range of local initiatives that safeguard the environment for future generations, while encouraging economic development, social enterprise and community projects for both residents and visitors to the National Park.
Rachael Dominy, Trust Manager, said, “The trustees really enjoyed the vision of Ed’s project: a true exploration and celebration of the River Spey and the communities who live and work alongside it. We all felt it would result in a high-quality exhibition and experience that would stimulate discussion and further engagement for residents of the Park as well as for visitors.”
On completion of the exhibitions, Ed plans to create a book and film, celebrating the vibrancy of the River Spey and inspiring new conversations about its role in the future of the Highlands.
To follow and support the year-long project, connect with Ed on Instagram @edsmithphoto, visit www.edsmithphotography.com, or get in touch directly at 07772 170 970.
All images above – credit – Ed Smith Photography
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NOTE TO EDITORS
As the owner of Eleven41 Gallery, 35 High Street, Kingussie, Ed has exhibited numerous documentary projects alongside fine art prints, with award-winning and shortlisted work also exhibited further afield. Ed also published his first book in 2023, a ‘personal and unique’ perspective of the Northern Cairngorms. ‘Northern Cairngorms’ captures a collection of almost 70 wilderness, mountain and environmental images depicting the six years that Ed has lived and worked in the area, many taken during the harsh yet stunning winter months.