Nairn and the Black Isle

We travelled up north as part of Nicole's graduation weekend. After several years of hard work, she is now a fully qualified counsellor. Driving a fair whack of the A9 in darkness was a new experience for me but the lack of light didn't disguise the fact that dual-carriageway construction is well behind schedule. The project was supposed to be complete by now but the latest estimate for completion is 2035. Our accommodation was in Nairn and we arrived around 8pm. We had reserved a room in a large townhouse where Nicole had stayed on a previous trip. Hosts Corrinne and Jimmy were most welcoming and we had access to our own fridge, kettle and microwave. The room was spacious and comfortable.

It was a drab day as we set out early next morning for the Black Isle - peninsula north of Inverness. The name comes from its dark appearance during the winter months, contrasting with the surrounding snow-covered hills. Our first stop was the Storehouse of Foulis, a restaurant and farm shop just off the A9 on the Cromarty Firth. We had stopped here many times before on journeys up to the family static caravan at Embo on the Sutherland coast. An outlying craft shop furnished us with some ideas for Christmas presents and we bought sausage rolls (veggie option for Nicole) at the deli counter to eat at the bird hide at RSPB Udale Bay, a few miles further upstream on the tidal estuary. The peaceful location is home to thousands of waders, ducks and geese. Regular visitors are redshank, lapwing and snipe. We ate lunch on a bench overlooking the water. The tide was mostly in but there was a flurry of activity in the wetland pools and small areas of exposed mudflats. I then took my leave to go and investigate Kirkmichael - a restored church and mausoleum for local land-owning families, dating back to the 1400s. A short drive brought me to the project site and I explored the graveyard. The elevated position allowed me to look down upon the bird hide in the middle distance. Many of the fallen gravestones have been repaired and righted. Some bear trade symbols or the skull & crossbones - a reference to human mortality, not the plague as is often assumed. They actually represent the brevity of earthly life, no doubt an even more pressing matter in those times. The church was in operation until 1769 and the oldest parts date from the 1400s. Thankfully, the whole complex has been rescued from dereliction by a local trust. The site was unmanned today but the doors were unlocked. Access is available during daylight hours. The transformation from Catholic chapel to Protestant Kirk occurred after the 1560 Reformation and the redundant chancel was converted in 1708 to house grave slabs and memorial stones. Written records of the church date back to 1429. It's certainly worth poking around here if you happen to be passing.

We hugged the coast on a B-road that led to Cromarty on the tip of the Black Isle. We drove round to the ferry port, where a seasonal service shuttles across the firth to Nigg from June until September. The journey takes 10 minutes and two cars can be accommodated. All was quiet today but we enjoyed the stunning outlook from the A-listed deep-water natural harbour. We wandered into Slaughterhouse Coffee and ordered hot refreshments. Payment was by card only and a couple of tables were squeezed into the tiny premises. It was however pleasant enough to sit outside and a tannoy announcement alerted us when our drinks were ready for collection. Apparently dolphins can sometimes be spotted in the bay. The harbour as it is today dates from the 1780s. Many people boarded ships to North America during the infamous Highland Clearances. The once vibrant fishing industry declined in the early 20th century but the port was of great strategical importance during both world wars as it provided safe anchorage for the battle fleet. The sea connection was also an important delivery artery for the townsfolk. Household goods, food and fuel continued to arrive by boat until the 1960s. The opening of the oil-rig construction yard at Nigg in the 1970s ensured a steady flow of customers for the ferry and this crossing continues to provide the main harbour traffic, along with pleasure craft and a handful of small fishing boats. A major maritime disaster occurred near Cromarty in 1915. The armoured cruiser HMS Natal was floating in the firth when a series of massive explosions occurred. It is likely that the blast was caused by fire in one of the magazines, although this was never officially confirmed. Enemy action was swiftly ruled out. Many of the crew were on shore leave and some were competing in a local football match. The death toll onboard was 412, including guests of the Captain, who was hosting a private party. Only a small number of bodies were recovered. Numerous salvage efforts were undertaken over the years. The protruding remains were finally blown up in the 1970s to level the wreck so that it would not be a hazard to navigation. We proceeded to have a look around the small town and a couple of friendly cats made our acquaintance. We explored a couple of gift shops and browsed a pottery and art gallery. Further Christmas gifts were acquired. Dusk was approaching and I wanted to pop into the Cromarty Brewery shop a couple of miles outside town on the A832. On the way, we pulled over at an automatic egg dispenser. The elaborate contraption was housed within a large wooden hat and basically resembled a giant vending machine, with little doors that opened once you had made your selection and paid. You simply have to see this machine in action if you are ever in the vicinity. The brewery doesn't offer tours but the shelves are well stocked with bottles and cans.

With Christmas just a few weeks away, I decided to buy my stash for the entire festive period. I filled a cardboard box, sticking mainly to traditional styles but also throwing in a couple of left-field choices. I had been aware of the brewery's existence for a few years, having seen their produce in shops around the Black Isle on previous trips to the area. Craig Middleton founded the operation in 2011. After gaining a first class degree in Brewing Science at Heriot Watt University, he worked in Scotland and the USA before setting up his own business, based at the family farm. The additional workforce of five are all from the local area and the brewery supplies pubs, shops and restaurants around the Highlands. A conscious decision was taken to avoid chasing growth at any cost, and the outfit is not beholden to large supermarket chains. Please stop by if you are ever heading to Cromarty. Back in Nairn, we went into town for a meal to celebrate Nicole's graduation. The Christmas lights were all in position but weren't due to be switched on until the following evening. We found a table at Ozzy's restaurant on the High Street. It was our first experience of Kurdish cuisine and the food was certainly impressive. Ozzy's backstory was printed on the menus. A native of Kurdistan (northern Iraq), he had worked as a chef in Baghdad, Lebanon and Paris, before moving to the the Scottish Highlands in 2000. The agenda for the next day centred around Findhorn, just a few miles along the road from Nairn. The River Findhorn forms a large enclosed estuary, which provides a feeding ground for large numbers of wading birds. Redshank and dunlin are often joined by knot and sanderling. Ducks, divers and geese also visit throughout the year. Unfortunately we were unable to gain access to the hide as the door handle had snapped off. We had more luck at the beach and

Witches in Word, Not Deed

After perusing the excellent Joseph Noel Paton exhibition at the Carnegie Library and Galleries, Dunfermline, we found another fascinating display in the smaller hall. Witches in Word, Not Deed, remembers 13 women persecuted as a result of the 1536 Witchcraft Act. Through historically accurate and illuminated white dresses worn by empty forms, the exhibition aims to highlight the loss of identity suffered by the wrongly accused.

Each garment is imprinted with words used against these women, or found in the enduring legacy of folktales and other misconceptions that replaced the true humanity. The witch trials belong in Scotland's catalogue of shame. Roughly 4000 people were accused, the vast majority of them female. Only Spain comes close to this level of debasement. Stripped of the right to any meaningful defence, around 2500 people were executed - the mandated punishment for anyone found guilty. Some died as a result of torture or imprisonment. Others by suicide. Just down the road from us, in the coastal village of Torryburn, lies the only known resting place of a Scottish woman accused of witchcraft (and fornicating with the devil). Lilias Adie was dumped in the intertidal zone in 1704, having passed away in custody. A large slab was placed upon the burial site, lest the corpse be reanimated by Old Nick himself. The grave was robbed in 1852 and there is an ongoing campaign to locate remains and inter them with dignity. The grave site can easily be viewed from Torryburn beach during low tide. One witch featured in the exhibition, whose story we had previously encountered was Janet Horne from Dornoch, Sutherland. Her daughter had a physical disability and locals alleged this was the result of Janet's witchcraft practices. Apparently she had the power to turn the girl into a horse, shod by Satan. The tales sound bizarre in the context of today, but they often led to a person being condemned to a gruesome death. Sadly, we don't even know the accused lady's real name, as "Janet Horne" was a placeholder assigned to her. No records of the "trial" survive. Janet was executed in 1727, reportedly the last judicial victim of this process. A stone within a private garden marks the spot where she was strangled and burned at the stake, although the memorial is erroneously inscribed with the year1722. We viewed the stone while passing by, a number of years ago. Dornoch (and the nearby village of Embo) was a common holiday destination for us. My parents used to own a static caravan up there.

The tales of the other women featured in the exhibition were equally harrowing. Janet Cornfoot was one of seven people rounded up in Pittenweem after a 16-year-old boy began suffering hallucinations. The accused were subjected to pricking, beatings, starvation and sleep deprivation while being held in a dungeon for months. Some died there. Janet eventually "confessed" following repeated torture by the local minister. A brutal murder by lynch mob was the end result. Geillis Duncan from Tranent was a housemaid branded a witch by her employer, a town magistrate. He believed her ability to care for others was gained through unlawful means. After weeks of abuse, Geillis was stripped, shaved and examined for the tell-tale "devil's mark" - allegedly found on her neck. This was all part of a major witch hunt endorsed by King James VI and his privy council. He believed that storms delaying the arrival of his bride from Denmark were part of a grand conspiracy. The prejudice stretched from commoner to the highest echelons of royalty. A black period in Scotland's history, along with our despicable involvement in chattel slavery (where we punched well above our weight). Obviously in the 21st century, we cannot be held personally responsible for appalling acts that happened many generations ago, but I believe Scotland should acknowledge its more unsavoury times. Too many people try to dodge the issue by saying everyone else was at it, or they point the finger at the British Empire, conveniently omitting that Scots were at the forefront. The final part of the gallery display was a pinboard where visitors could attach notes to show solidarity with the condemned women. While the witch trials are thankfully a thing of the past, intolerance and prejudice persist today. The message was they could have been me.

Joseph Noel Paton

There are many examples of artists who didn't achieve major success in their own lifetime, but were greatly appreciated in later years. Vincent Van Gogh is one who springs to mind. The reverse can also be true. Sir Joseph Noel Paton (1821-1901) was one of the foremost Scottish painters in Victorian times. He was also a well-known sculptor and antiquary. In 1865 he was appointed Queen's Limner for Scotland - a member of the Royal Household. A knighthood followed two years later. Born and bred in Dunfermline, Paton's name has faded from view over the decades. A major exhibition in his hometown - organised with the full cooperation of his descendants - should raise awareness of a great Scottish talent.

Away from the easel, Paton was a quiet family man and there are few colourful tales regarding his social life, although he was certainly well connected, counting major figures such as Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, Andrew Carnegie and the polymath John Ruskin among his personal friends. Born in Wooers Alley into a creative family, young Noel (as he preferred to be called) drew obsessively as a child and later attended Dunfermline Art Academy. He also studied at the Royal Academy in London, where made important artistic contacts that would last a lifetime. Back in Scotland, his career took off, exhibiting at the Royal Scottish Academy and providing drawings for high-end publications such as Shakespeare's The Tempest. In 1847, Paton won prizes for his detailed and daring fairy paintings and by 1850 he had been elected as a full member of the RSA. He also submitted designs for major monuments to William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. We attended the exhibition at Carnegie Museum on a Saturday morning, having filled up beforehand with a Full Scottish at Wetherspoons, which was quite a plateful. For an extra £1.56, you can make unlimited trips to the coffee machine. 'Spoons supremo Tim Martin isn't universally liked, but his establishments provide food and drink at affordable prices and range of real ales are always available. The gallery was fairly quiet and we had ample time and space to absorb everything. The painting above (from 1867) is the work of John Ballantyne. It shows Paton relaxing in his studio at George Square, Edinburgh. Surrounded by books and newspapers, the artwork conveys the sense of a scholarly mind. A fairy painting is in progress on the easel. Maquettes of monument designs stand in the background. Paton married Margaret (Maggie) Ferrier in 1858. They moved to Edinburgh and had 11 children in total. Defying the stereotype of the aloof Victorian father, Paton took a keen interest in his offspring and family life featured heavily in his artistic output. Sustaining their lifestyle often meant painting to order, or making smaller copies of acclaimed work. Paton found neither activity pleasurable but it kept the show on the road. He often worked on several projects simultaneously and in later life he came fifth in a list of the greatest living Scotsmen, published by the Scotsman newspaper. "How funny" - he is said to have remarked. A greater source of pride was being awarded the freedom of his native Dunfermline in 1882.

Victorian society had a fascination for the supernatural. Fairies, goblins and changelings filled the imagination of poets, writers and painters. The idea of a world not bound my human rules and morals appealed greatly. It may also have been a reaction to the effect of expanding heavy industry blighting the countryside. Largely unique to the British Isles, fairy paintings could be used as an allegory to represent a political or religious view. Folklore was also present in the concept of national identities. The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania 1849, pictured above) depicts a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream. The painting won an award when first shown at the Royal Scottish Academy and it was later taken overseas for the grand Paris Exhibition in 1855. Numerous tales are woven into the artwork, all taking place against a backdrop of quirky flora and fauna. The erotic nature of the painting probably had be to presented within a fantasy landscape in order to gain acceptance in a society that was notably straight-laced, at least on the surface. Paton was fascinated by the struggle between good and evil. He explored these themes in many pieces. He was also a keen student of Scottish history, his great grandfather having fought in the 1715 Jacobite Rising, and his great uncles at Culloden thirty years down the line. He illustrated a book about Mary, Queen of Scots and upon meeting the present monarch Victoria for the first time, his young son Diarmid is said to have turned away, exclaiming "you are the wicked person who killed our beautiful Queen Mary" - prompting Victoria to explain that, no, she wasn't actually Queen Elizabeth the First of England. Paton was president of the Dunfermline Celtic Society and two of his biggest disappointments were not being chosen to design the memorials for William Wallace in Stirling and the Wars of Independence at Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. His application to design a Prince Albert monument for the Scottish capital was successful, but lack of funding led to the scheme being scrapped.

As Queen's Limner, Paton was invited by Victoria to paint a royal portrait of the sovereign and here nine children, grouped around a marble bust of the late consort. Paton enjoyed a warm relationship with the Queen but he was unable to finish the painting due to a sudden bout of influenza. He did however complete three other commissions by the Palace. Another notable project was the design of three stained glass windows for Dunfermline Abbey. The art form had fallen out of favour following the Reformation but came back into vogue during Victorian times and there was renewed interest in medieval religious art all across Europe. The individual pieces of glass were arranged on a drawn template called a cartoon, then assembled using lead strips and solder. Three preliminary sketches for the abbey's Great West Window (loaned by the Paton family) were on display at the exhibition. Commissioned by Andrew Carnegie, the finished work - also known as the Patriot's Window - can be found in an older part of the church. Costing £2000 in total - a significant sum in those days - Carnegie wanted the design to highlight the connection between Dunfermline and certain major figures in Scottish history. Both William Wallace and Robert the Bruce are featured, along with St Margaret and Malcolm Canmore. Also on display were cartoons for another window in the abbey. This one depicted the Last Supper and three of the sketches are pictured above. The piece was installed in 1904, three years after Paton's death. His beloved Maggie had passed away 12 months before. Brother Waller Hugh Paton was also an accomplished painter and I have long admired his impression of Preston Island, near Culross. The exhibition certainly benefitted from having direct input from the Paton family and there was a video interview with Noel's great great granddaughter. One of Dunfermline's most famous sons is rightfully being re-examined.