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What’s in issue 08?

A Whisky Business

Lucy Gillmore explores Scotland's whisky renaissance, emphasising Edinburgh's resurgence as a distilling hub with innovative distilleries like Holyrood, which blends traditional and modern techniques. The article delves into the boom in whisky tourism and the emergence of distilleries nationwide, from architectural marvels to community-led projects, showcasing Scotland's rich whisky heritage and its evolving future.

Living in the past

The ceiling is low and the walls are bare, the air is thick with peat smoke while the sound of cattle comes from the next room. This was life in a traditional Scottish blackhouse.

In the 1800s, blackhouses would have been a familiar sight to many across the Highlands and Islands. Today, they’re almost entirely consigned to history apart from a few important locations that are keeping this chapter of Scottish history alive. Stepping inside these evocative buildings is like travelling into the past, to a simpler albeit less comfortable time.

A popular theory explains that the name blackhouse came from the home’s lack of a chimney. As smoke from the peat fire escaped through the thatched roof it left blackened walls behind. Fortunately, that killed off any bugs that might be making their home up there as well as having another surprising benefit. When the time came to re-thatch the roof, the old smoked material made perfect fertiliser for the fields.

In reality, these buildings had no special name until a newer style known as white houses were introduced. Improved sanitation regulations encouraged people to move into sturdier buildings, with solid roofs and whitewashed walls. That was when the older and much darker homes became known as blackhouses to differentiate.

One story tells of an old man who had lived his entire life in blackhouses, finally moving into a nursing home in his twilight years. When the staff commented on how soft and unblemished his skin was, he credited it to spending every day surrounded by peat smoke!

In 1860, the Laird of Raasay’s tutor noticed that very few islanders were succumbing to tuberculosis at a time when it was a major killer elsewhere. After confirming with local doctors that the situation was similar across the Hebrides, he theorised that the disease was kept at bay by the regular inhalation of peat smoke!

The design was perfect for Scotland’s climate, especially on the islands, with low-rising, double-layered drystone walls and rounded roofs perfect for dealing with strong winds. Lengths of grass or heather kept out the rain, secured by ropes weighted with heavy stones. Usually, there was only one door, sometimes a window or two, but extra openings were just escape routes for heat.

Inside, the space was divided into two or three long rooms. One was for the family to live and eat, sometimes another to sleep, while the last was a space for farm animals. It might have smelled a little, but the warmth from those beasts would be more than welcome in the winter.

The most famous blackhouses in Scotland can be found at the township of Gearranan on the Isle of Lewis, built in the late 1800s beside a small bay looking out to the Atlantic Ocean. Where many blackhouses were abandoned, the village at Gearranan tried to adapt to changing times, lived in as recently as the 1970s.

Rather than move into newer buildings, residents of Gearranan upgraded to electricity in the 1950s and then piped water shortly afterwards. However, modern improvements marked the beginning of the end of this way of life.

With fresh water on tap, laundry was no longer washed together down in the loch and regular milk deliveries meant no more need for keeping cows. The updates weren’t enough to convince the children of blackhouses to continue this traditional way of life. Without younger generations living there to help maintain the thatched stone buildings, the last elderly residents moved out in 1974.

All hasn’t been lost, however. Thanks to The Gearrannan Trust, visitors can now learn what life was like in a community of blackhouses. Wander the village down to the beach, learn how the buildings were constructed and for those who truly want to immerse themselves, some can be rented as self-catered accommodation!

For an earlier example, Arnol Blackhouse can be found just a short distance along the coast. Built without windows or a chimney, Arnol shows the traditional design that Scottish islanders would have recognised centuries earlier. The fire sits in the middle of the floor with a pot hanging above, around which neighbours would gather on dark nights to share stories and local gossip.

You don’t have to head to the Outer Hebrides to experience the humble blackhouse, however. Reconstructions can be found at the Museum of Island Life in Skye as well as the Highland Folk Museum at Kingussie. In both locations, visitors learn about every aspect of traditional life during those times from the homes that were inhabited to the tools once worked with.

These iconic blackhouses were only one stage in this style of dwelling in Scotland that stretches back centuries. Their drystone design replaced much earlier turf houses which have all but disappeared, crumbling back into the ground from where they came.

A house made mostly from earth might not sound like a warm, secure place to live, but that can be disproved at the Glencoe Visitor Centre. The National Trust for Scotland has recently reconstructed a thatched turf house using only traditional methods.

Built with earth walls, wattle and daub on the inside and thatch on the roof, the reconstruction is the same footprint as a building excavated at Achtriachtan. The inside is nearly identical to the blackhouses of the Outer Hebrides, showing that traditional homes have changed little. With so many people visiting Glencoe to hear how the MacDonalds died, this is a welcome addition to demonstrate how they lived as well.

Traditional blackhouses may have become less common in the 1900s, but even when the buildings changed, some townships clung to their way of life. Nowhere is that more evident than at Auchindrain, just a short distance south of Inveraray. This township boasts slightly more modern buildings, some with tin roofs, but the parallels with the blackhouses of Gearranan are unmistakable.

Auchindrain was still lived in until the 1960s, with the land being worked as it had been for generations. Very little has changed since then, both with the buildings and the landscape. Visitors explore the open-air museum as if they’ve stepped right into another time, without any information boards to detract from that experience.

These locations all share the story of people whose existence was intrinsically woven into the land and the passing of the seasons. It’s a traditional way of life that’s easily lost in the modern age, but there are plenty of places left in Scotland where it can be rediscovered.

Michael Scott & The White Snake

Michael Scott was a legendary Borders wizard, said to have cleaved the Eildon Hill into three. He wasn’t born with his gifts though. In his younger days he was just an ordinary man until one life changing experience.

One day he was making the long journey north to Edinburgh with two of his friends. Just as they crested a hill, a loud hiss came from behind. A great white serpent was snaking up towards them, ready to attack. Just as the creature sprang forward, Michael struck down twice with his walking staff.

Shaken but relieved, they left the snake in three pieces on the hill and carried on their way. Before long it was getting dark and the friends spotted a cottage where they could rest for the night. An old lady answered, agreeing to let them stay for a small fee. Before long, the travellers were retelling their earlier encounter.

Their host was incredibly interested in the white serpent. She told the group of friends that it was no ordinary beast, people thought it had been defeated once before. If the head crawls to the nearest stream, then it will become whole again and hunt Michael down for revenge. The only way to stop it would be to go out into the darkness and bring the middle section back to her.

Michael’s friends wanted nothing to do with it, so he put on his cloak and headed out alone. Eventually he made it to the hill where they had faced the snake and true enough, the head had disappeared. He ran as fast as he could back to the old lady’s cottage with the middle section in his hand.

She was waiting at the door with a look of excitement on her face. Michael was a little confused when she took the serpent’s body and dropped it into a pot over the fireplace. The old lady explained it was the only way to destroy it and anyway, she wouldn’t turn down a free meal.

With a shrug, Michael settled down in a chair to warm himself by the fire. His host asked him to keep an eye on things and let her know when the meal was cooked. Under no circumstances was he to interfere with the pot.

Before long, the smell of the meat cooking made Michael’s stomach growl. He decided that he would just dip his finger into the juices for a quick taste. As soon as the liquid touched his lips, Michael dropped the lid of the pot to the floor. He could feel power he had never thought existed. Simply by wishing it, his hunger had gone and his tired legs were recovered.

The old woman ran through and as soon as she saw the wonder in Michael’s eyes, she knew what had happened. She conceded he deserved the power since he had defeated the white snake. Michael never forgot about that old lady though. She would never want for anything ever again thanks to the power of Michael Scott the Borders Wizard.

Words by Graeme Johncock

Around Scotland with Graeme Johncock

Graeme Johncock, the travel blogger and storyteller behind Scotland's Stories, is now bringing his adventures to us in a weekly column. He will journal about his explorations around Scotland, sharing fascinating stories and highlighting unique places to visit. Accompanied by his dog Molly, Graeme continues to uncover and share the rich history and beauty of Scotland.

This year is the 900^th anniversary of Stirling as a Royal Burgh, so it was the perfect time to take a tour around some of the key locations of the Wars of Independence. The city was a pivotal location, with the castle guarding the only major bridge over the River Forth and that’s where we began.

There are a lot of similarities with Edinburgh Castle, but I always find Stirling a little more pleasant. It’s quieter than the capital’s fortress but still packed full of stories. In 1304, Stirling Castle found itself under siege by an English army led by King Edward I and an enormous trebuchet known as War Wolf.

It took 50 men over two months to construct it and when the garrison saw the weapon, they tried to surrender. Edward had spent so much money on his new toy that he refused and forced the Scots to remain where they were as the walls were pummelled around them!

You can see the Old Stirling Bridge from the walls of Stirling Castle and it’s a beautiful reminder of another important episode in Scottish history. Built in the 1400s, this bridge is just slightly downriver from the old wooden crossing that William Wallace and Andrew Murray used to their advantage in 1297.

Standing there, you can easily imagine the Battle of Stirling Bridge playing out around you. The Scots sprung their attack when only half of the enemy had crossed over, pushing them back into the river with long spears. They won the day and Wallace and Murray were soon made Guardians of Scotland.

It’s said that the strategy had been planned from the heights of Abbey Craig, where the soaring

Wallace Monument stands today. We all know that Braveheart played fast and loose with the facts around Wallace’s life, but it did encapsulate the spirit of Scottish feeling towards their National Hero.

It’s well worth climbing all 246 steps up to the crown, seeing Wallace’s sword and the Hall of Heroes along the way. The view is incredible in every direction, from the castle to the Ochil Hills. Several nationally significant battlefields are in sight, demonstrating Stirling’s importance, including our final stop.

While the Battle of Bannockburn wasn’t the end of the First War of Independence, it was a crucial turning point. Robert the Bruce picked up where Wallace left off by crowning himself in 1306 and it had been a long road to get to this point eight years later.

Against all the odds and an army four times their size, Bruce led the Scots to a victory that’s never been forgotten. Standing beneath his statue at the battlefield made the perfect end to a tour around one of my favourite periods of Scottish history!

Written by Graeme Johncock

Loch Coruisk - Taken by Simon Hird

Did you know we published our first book this year?

Our first ever guidebook is still available from our online shop here, and also some shops including, Toppings and co, Waterstones, WHSmith, Lifestory, Tartan Blanket Co, The Blue Magpie, Typewronger Books, Meander, Royal Botanic Gardens, Beech & Birch and from our shop at Milton of Crathes in Banchory.

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