Lock 24, Maryhill, Glasgow

Today I awakened very early to a perfect morning and decided to drive the couple of miles to the Maryhill Locks. This is near to Temple where I photographed the canal last month. The Maryhill section is a flight of five locks on the Forth & Clyde Canal, which drops the waterway from Lock 21 at the west end of the canal's summit stretch to Lock 25, 12.2m below. This was the first flight on the canal to be restored to working order around 1990 after long years of decay.

There was not a breath of wind and the surface in the broad basin of Lock 24 was like a mirror when an early morning cyclist appeared. She called out a cheery comment about the gorgeous day as she wheeked past. I caught her on camera as she headed for the gangway across the canal to the cycle path. Her reflection in the water adds to the scene, along with the reflected trees which are at last bursting into leaf. Of the three dozen shots I took before returning home for breakfast, this was the one that captured for me the glory of the early morning on a perfect spring day ( especially if viewed large).