Gavin Maxwell, author of Ring of Bright Water, died in September 1969. Eighteen months earlier his house, which he called Camusfearna and had been home to the writer and his otters for so long, was destroyed by fire. Now, more than three decades later, Mike Clark tells how the Bright Water landscape has dramatically altered.
“One of Aberdeenshire’s finest, Drum Castle was bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland in 1975, by Henry Irvine, 24th Laird of Drum. That’s a whole lotta Lairds.” Mike looks back at the long and proud history of one of Aberdeenshire’s finest castles.
“The previous evening, the lugger Crooked Mary had landed her cargo of contraband. Now, under cover of darkness, the fisherwomen of Collieston put their creels to good use and began the trek to Ward, laden with gin.” Part Two – the sequel: the villagers of Collieston attempt to spirit away their booty.
“The year is 1798. The date, December the eighteenth. The notorious lugger Crooked Mary is sighted in the afternoon, and the message quickly carried from door to door. A run will take place after dark. All other activity stops. The run is the ultimate priority.” Part One – a story of smugglers off Scotland’s north-eastern coast.
“Wick is like a mirage, when you’ve been driving up the A9 for ever and ever. Just as you think maybe you’ll reach the end of the world and drop off the edge before you see civilisation again, the road straightens, and falls away slightly in front of you. And in the distance you see roofs and spires and towers floating on clouds.” Mike visits the Far North of the Scottish mainland to see the amazing floating town of Wick.
“I know rhododendrons are only the tip of the iceberg at Inverewe. But I have seen some wonderful gardens in my time – and if anything out there compares with Inverewe at rhododendron time, I have yet to find it.” Would you believe that Britain’s best rhododendron garden is to be found further north than Inverness?