Herdman's detailed description of the riverbank, with a glimpse of a distant mountain slope, captures the varied colours and textures of the vegetation, rocky terrain and the sparkling reflections of the water. He seems aware of the influential critic and artist John Ruskin's work and his insistence on the importance of close observation and truth to nature. His friend Joseph Noel Paton, a close associate of the pre-Raphaelite painter Millais, may have encouraged this. The island of Arran with its magnificent scenery and fascinating geology inspired many artists and Corrie was a favourite base for Herdman's family holidays.