Homecoming 2009 – Rovin 'n Rantin around Scotland A photo journal by Ian Ross

Our 2009 “staycation”  was designed to tour around Scotland to as many places where we had never visited before and to only eat, drink, read, listen to all things home grown, very much in the same vein as a tourist visiting Scotland for the first time. Sensory experiences would also be acknowledged that had a contemporary international Scottish spin. This sojourn was inspired by the spirit of Homecoming Scotland 2009 which celebrates the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth and the recognition of our rich ancestry and culture.

On Sunday 15^th August 2009, Barbara and I loaded up our hired Motorhome with supplies of Lorne sausage and a few bottles of the Water of Life. Midge repellent, waterproofs and umbrellas, sunglasses were part of the payload to ensure that we were to be comfortable in Scotland's four-seasons-in-one-day weather. To keep us on track we read Peter Irvine's Scotland the Best and all the free tourist information leaflets we could collect from Tourist offices on route and to understand more about Robert Burns, I read a new biography called “The Patriot Bard” by Patrick Scott Hogg.

Burns also set out on a similar tour of the Highlands on the 23^rd of August 1787, this would take him 22 days to complete, cover 600 miles and inspire fresh ideas for his poems and songs. He wrote in a letter to a friend when he arrived in Arrochar “ where savage streams tumble over savage mountains, thinly overspread with savage flocks which starvingly support savage inhabitants”. We don't know if those few home truths were aimed at the Highlanders or the midgies. An early introduction to the Motorhome “palm out hand salute” on the Kingsway in Dundee told us that we had been accepted into the Esprit de corps with our fellow motorhome snails of the road. This motorhome clansmanship and our encounters over 8 days and 900 miles with caravan park owners, fellow campers and inn keepers were indeed no way savage but the for sure the midgies were evil..

And so from our home in Carnoustie we made our way straight to the Dornoch Firth Caravan Park. Whilst riding high in our cabin surrounded by a mountainous vista, our musical backdrop throughout these first four hours and whole tour was to include, the new Notes and Rhymes album by the Proclaimers, The Corries, The Frattelli's, Runrig and two bands that have a synthesis of Scottish traditional music with all the Latin American elements of salsa - Salsa Celtica's and Mac Umba – music for a great way to kick start wet dreary wet mornings. Since we had already done quite a bit of exploring south of Inverness in the past; the tour really started once we had crossed the Kessock Bridge.

Our first port of call had been inspired by a Charles Ross, the Clan Ross USA President who we met at the Clan Ross Tent in The Gathering a Homecoming event held a Holyrood Park in Edinburgh who had told us about the Clan Ross Centre in the Tain through Time museum. Tain was one of the ancestral homeland to the Rosses. It was here that we made a vain attempt to find out if I could have a tenuous “De Vinci Code blood line” to Farquahar the First Earl of Ross who died in 1234 or Hugh of Rarchies the first Ross Clan Chief who died in 1371. As it turns out the Clan Chief linage has ended many times and various parts of the clan, the Rosses of Balnagowan, the lowland Hawkheads and Strathcarron has taken the chieftain mantle. According to Shiela a staff member at the museum, after Culloden many people took the name Ross which was a safer bet under Hanoverian rule, and so I could even have a MacDonald ancestor.

We left to drive north from Ross-shire and navigate the highs and lows of the Berriedale Brae but proud to be Ross, as we discovered that a William Ross was signatory on the Declaration of Arbroath, and a Colonel George Ross signed of the American Declaration of independence and a Betsy Ross had a hand in the design of the Stars and Stripes. Rosses were there when the foundations of freedom were laid on both sides of the pond. 

John O' Groats is "a seedy little tourist trap." according to one tourist guide but we found the campsite with its view to Orkney our next destination a delight. We saw a young English family have their memento end-to-end photograph taken after 16 days cycling from Lands End – this inspired us to cycle the few miles to Duncansby Head to see the Stacks.

In the morning we were ferried across the Pentland Firth to St Margaret's Hope where we drove over the Churchill Barriers to see the Skara Brae the homeland of another potential Ross clan ancestor this time one that lived in a well integrated closely knitted clan community 5000 year ago before even the Egyptian pyramids were built.

In Kirkwall everything centered around the Mercat Cross in front of St Magnus Catherdal the site of “blacknings” where a groom is humiliated by his mates before his big day and the centrally located kick off spot of the Ba' a festive period murder ball fought between the uppies and the doonies. We also found here what seem to be the only trees on the islands. The Orkney Museum is a great place to go on a wet cold afternoon and then off to Helgi's a great wee Scottish – Viking pub overlooking the Peedie Sea harbourfront. Haggis Lasagne, Orkney Beef pie and Sticky Toffee Rhubarb pudding and a few pints of the local ale Scapa and a rich smoky nip of Highland Park is Orcadanian cuisine at its best. A night cap at the Bothy Bar, with a pint of Red MacGregor with a light delicate Scapa chaser – bliss. Barbara plumped for a glass the Orkney Wine Company Cranberry made with Cranberries, Westry raspberries, wild blueberries, blackcurrant, brambles and boysenberries, a fruity number that is a great excuse for your five a day.

We leave windy Stromness on the ferry back to Scrabster in the morning and catch a glimpse of the Old man of Hoy through the har. Wind Farms at Spittal and Smerral dominate the skyline as we drive from Thurso to Latheronwheel on the A9 where we can see the brace of Beatrice Demonstrator Offshore Wind Turbines twirling easily 25 miles out in the North Sea. The turbines supply 10MB of electricity to the Beatrice oil and gas platform and their design and deployment were world firsts. Their success will mean that it will ensure that we have a spectacular sight within the next 10 years as hundreds of offshore wind turbines will supply our clans of the future with power. In the words of the Ross Clan motto “Spem Successus Alit - Success nourishes hope”.

We stopped in Golspie at Dunrobin Castle and its views to the Ben Braggie monument erected in memory of the 1^st Duke of Sutherland - The Wee Mannie who was responsible for the Highland Clearances, we maybe have to thank him for the success of 2009 Homecoming with so many of the diaspora making their way to their ancestral home. And now we head overland towards Clachtoll Beach just north of Lochinver. Sulivan and Cul Mor made dramatic granite beacons to show us the way.

At the Clachtoll Beach caravan site we were hosted by Jim and Ishbel who went out of their way to make everyone very welcome. We were to discover that this beach and also Achmelvich are some of Scotland's hidden sandy treasures. Rabbie Burns could easily have come here to get his thoughts of going Jamaica out of his system – the golden sands and clear blue sea are idyllic. It was difficult to wrench ourselves away from here and make our way to Applecross. Coffee and bacon rolls in Ullapool set us up for our single track windings through the awesome Torridon mountain range.

It was at Sheildaig that we had the choice of taking the 24 miles scenic coastal route or the more adventurous shorter path over the Bealach Na Ba at 625 metres the road of the cattle is Scotland's highest road. As the sun was shining we opted for the longer route with its stunning theatrical backdrop over the sea to Skye , the Cuillins, The Trotternish Ridge and the Old man of Storr where we had done some walking in the past.

In Applecross the heavens opened and the midgies came out to play and we had a day of reading and playing cards but when cabin fever forced us to brave the elements it was off like everyone else on the campsite to the the Applecross Inn – Inn of the year 2009. A supper of langoustines, melt in the mouth steaks followed by a cast strength peaty, rich Lagavulin to warmed us up – you just can't beat it. Burns frequently used Inns on his travels. He would use a diamond pointed stylus to leave his poems and songs about nature inscribed on the windows or in pencil over the fireplace. There was no evidence of any bard vandalism but on the way back up to the campsite we were rewarded by meeting in a dusky light a herd of inquisitive deer who were just poetry in motion as they melted back into the trees.

We set out early to tackle the Bealach ba Na. It is one of very few roads in the Scottish Highlands which is engineered in a similar fashion to the great mountain passes in the Alps, with very tight hairpin bends which switch back and forth up the hillside, with gradients approaching 20%. In a three tonne motorhome with a bit of swing this certainly tested our mettle. A strong coffee was needed at the view point at the top to ensure full concentration for on the way back down to Strathcarron.

Our increasing preference for the taste for Orkney ice cream was sated again sitting in the warm sun under the Plockton Palm Trees. It was very peaceful and well worth the detour. It was then over the bridge to Skye and onwards to the Armadale ferry for Mallaig. This route saved us 63 miles with the added bonus of leaning over the rail over the bow towards the mainland putting yourself in the shoes of Bonnie Price Charlie crossing the Sound of Sleat on his way to Glenfinnan to raise the Standard in 1745. I am sure the journey then would have been less smooth, and he would not have the pleasure of meeting a real character Grumpy George, a photographer who with his wife runs a souvenir shop on the Armadale pier. It was there we has a moment of synchronicity when he had a mention on Radio Nevis whilst we were in the shop – we were meant to be there.

And so to the Invercaimbe Caravan site two miles from Arisaig our last stop. Our plans to take the Arisaig ferry to Eigg and climb the Sgurr were dashed by the weather. But instead walks along the beautiful white sandy beaches where “Local Hero” was filmed were a joy. Our rain spattered sundowners looking out towards Eigg and Rhum filtered in a grayish purple hue was a great way to reflect on a mission accomplished. We had started out to see Scotland in the flesh and experience new things as if we were new to it all, and we agreed that we had a great time. We say as long as your prepared for the weather and open to new tastes then Scotland is a great place to explore. Burns song “My Heart is in the Highlands” helps to bring out this sentiment.

“Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,  
The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth;  
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,  
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love”

(2000 words)