Mike Clark’s wonderful writings about some of Scotland’s rich heritage
“I strolled around the shore of Lochan Hakel hoping to see something glittering in the water. Briefly, I did, but it was only the flash of a trout as it surrendered with a final flourish to a delighted angler. No sign of Prince Charlie’s gold, I’m afraid.” Mike tells of a shipwreck which may have sealed the Jacobites’ fate at Culloden.
“July 5th: We had a food fight tonight. That was great fun. The Human went out of the room, so we chucked our bowls at each other. Beefy chunks and jelly all over the walls. Like a wallaby had swallowed a hand grenade. The Human wasn’t too chuffed, though, and refused to give us more. Spoilsport.” An extract from Mike Clark’s dog Jake’s diary…
“Three days after her visit, Sis phoned. She’d seen an ad in the local paper. It was an eighteen-month-old Old English Sheepdog/Border Collie cross, free to a good home. Cross and age were right. Could it be Zsa-Zsa’s brother?” Mike tells the unlikely but true story of how his sister’s dog’s brother became his new companion!
“Of course, I’d heard about the ghost of the Bearded Sailor. And so many people had said, ‘If you’re going to the North West of Scotland, you must go to Sandwood Bay.’ I was half expecting a burger van and an ice cream stall, and ‘Coaches by Appointment’.” Mike Clark visits Sandwood Bay in search of the ghost of the Bearded Sailor.
“It’s not often I get email from a monster. And I would have ignored it, had it not contained such a heartfelt plea. But the obvious pain and suffering incurred in the arduous use of the keyboard with webbed feet, brought a tear to my eye.” Mike Clark shares an email from the Loch Ness Monster.
“The North East of Scotland is home to a veritable feast of castles, both restored and in ruins. One which has been restored to its former glory is the Castle of Fyvie.” Mike describes Fyvie Castle, owned and built by five families, including its own stately outhouse…