Follies

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Now that we´ve bagged our fist Munro we´re feeling pretty full of ourselves. There are plenty of walks around here, many including ancient ruins and historic sights as well as woodlands and great views. Some of these walks have curious histories.

In times of economic depression or famine sometimes ornamental building projects were conceived, not taking work from already employed workers but providing additional employment for others, meaning they could put food on the table for their families. Today we can still see the remains of these follies, the fruits of their labour.

One of these is the Fyrish Path, near Evanton, a track which passes through forests with moss-covered ground, wee toadstools and big black ridged slugs. As we ascend the hill, gradually the trees are replaced by heather, tinting the landscape purple with flowers.

After an hour the huge stone arches appear and we reach the top of the hill. We try to imagine a team of men in the 18th century working to construct this monument at a time when people´s lives were very hand-to-mouth. They must have been so focussed on just keeping their families alive. Today we have plenty of food in our tummies, its a beautiful day, the Cromarty Firth is spread before us and we can see for miles in the golden late afternoon light. We´re very lucky.

Our next folly is Reelig Glen, a beautiful woodland around a wee ´burn´. We hear that it contains the tallest tree in Britain, but there must be a bit of controversy over that as the sign only claims it contains ´some of the tallest trees in Britain´. The woodland is a peaceful place, great for a quiet walk, with thousands of arrow-straight trees above our heads reaching for the sky. Informative but inconspicuous signs mark various species. These are simple dark posts, blending in with the trees, from which a wee sign can be swung out from the post top to reveal the information.

A cute stone bridge spans the burn and sprinkled around are circular stone seating areas. The story goes that the men building these would repeatedly return each day to find that ´fairies´ had undone their work from the previous day, and so they remained employed for much longer.

On our way to the Isle of Barra, we visit another folly in the coastal town of Oban on the West coast at the mouth of Loch Linnhe. McCaig´s Tower was built in 1897, a local banker providing work for unemployed stonemasons. The large circular structure stands out on a hill overlooking the town and port. In the garden inside the tower, Keith is excited to find brambles growing and we carefully pick and munch on the ripe fruit. Yum!

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Photos

Fyrish monument
A beautiful spot

Some of the tallest trees in Britain
Reelig Glen

Oooh, brambles!
Inside McCaigs Tower, Oban