“What do the adjacent castles of Sinclair and Girnigoe, on the outskirts of Wick, Caithness, have in common with The Valley of the Kings and the Great Wall of China?” How the World Monuments Fund is drawing attention to the imminent collapse of two historic Caithness castles.
“In my new garden, which is in fact a piece of wasteland with a fence round it, I have no trees. I possess only a few stunted and windswept hawthorn and elder. Barely half a mile from the Pentland Firth, whence the north wind blows uninterrupted straight from the Arctic Circle, this is not exactly a horticultural paradise.” Mike tells us about one of Scotland’s most distinctive trees – the Scots Pine – and some of its cousins.
“Juniper berries have long been the traditional base for flavouring gin, as you are no doubt already aware. But the connection with whisky… Patience. Let me talk about the plants first.” As the Northern Hemisphere summer draws to a close, Mike mulls over the juniper – a plant with strong associations with log fires and the dram…
“Droves of cattle once made the strength-sapping journey from the Highlands of Scotland over the Eastern Cairngorms to the markets of Crieff and Falkirk. The Highland weather was just too severe for over-wintering cattle.” Mike takes a hike along the old drovers’ paths around Loch Muick in the Eastern Cairngorms.
“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.