AS WALTER SCOTT MIGHT SEE US

The season for celebrating the memory of Robert Burns can last a good few weeks mainly because speakers, venues get squashed into this time of year and there is always a need to spread things out.  To that end we attended at most pleasant Burns Evening at Ross Priory (Strathclyde Univeristy's country residence) on Friday night.  We stayed overnight so were able to spend some time before and after getting out in the country air and having morning coffee with our hostess who lives locally.

 

The location is the very south end of Loch Lomond.  This photo shows the area which is now designated as a reserve for birds.

There had been a lot of storm damage to the trees.  The shore area was pretty water-logged anyhow so a lot of shallow rooted trees came down.  The clean-up goes on in the cold afternoon when I am sure the men with chain saws want to be getting home. 

  * * * * *

The building of Ross Priory used to be owned by various people including in the 1800s the Leith-Buchanans.  (This is Buchanan country.)  They used to entertain visitors and inside the present building is a framed article from the Scottish Field magazine.  It talks about how Sir Walter Scott visited and on one particular occasion the host thought Scott would enjoy meeting one of the local people:

"Among the guests invited to meet him [Walter Scott] at dinner was Mr Macfarlan, minister of neighbouring parish of Drymen, better known after as Principal of Glasgow University.  The talk had been of antiquities and traditions of the neighbourhood.  Mr Macfarlan ventured to quote, as a curious relic, a folk rhyme referring to a place in the parish. When Rob Roy appeared some little time afterwards [it was published in 1817], Mr Macfarlan found his curious folk rhyme at the head of one of the chapters."

"O Baron o'Buchlyvie
May the foul fiend rive ye,
And a' to pieces drive ye
For biggin'sie a toun
Where there's neither hourse meat,
Nor man's meal,
Nor a chair to sit doon!"

Scottish Field magazine, August 1906, page87.

 * * * * *

The countryside, the mountains and loch would be much the same as when Walter Scott visited with farmers moving cattle about (mud everywhere on the narrow roads) and all the trees bare of their leaves.

The photo above is the village of Gartocharn from the village hall car park.  Take away the  modern houses in the foreground I doubt that the country would be much different after 200 years. I wonder what he might have written had he visited now?

View of Loch Lomond from Kilmaronack Churchyard, Gartocharn  (Time: 4pm).  

 * * * * *

So to turn some  lines from Burns's ending of his poem To A Louse

from

O wad some pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us....

 to

Here's some scenes the camera tae gie us

To see for ourselves how Scott might see us.