“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.
“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.
“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.