Yesterday's walk was quite bleak and windy, but very interesting.
It must have been quite a job putting up fences like this on the hillside, back in the day. We see them everywhere on our walks, as well as drystone dykes. This rather ancient fence serves no purpose any more, other than as a 'handrail' for walkers to guide them off the hill! We followed it down to the ruins of Scalan - where there used to be a secret seminary. Bishop James Gordon set it up in 1716 when Catholicism was banned in Scotland. According to the information we obtained, over the following 83 years, about 100 boys and young men made the journey to this isolated glen to train as priests. Once their studies were complete, they travelled to the continent to finish their training.
Also, at the top of Dun Muir, one of the smaller hills we crossed yesterday we came across what seemed to be a boundary marker. A granite stone, engraved on one side with the word MARCH (only AR legible) and on the other side the word STONE (only ONE legible). However, once home I googled it and found that is is an old marker between Aberdeenshire and Banffshire counties.
Such a different view from yesterday, I love the colours and that great fenceline taking me over the hill! Such interesting info on your find too. Off to the airport now Issi :-)
Our Pioneers really were hard workers, no post rammer or post drills back in the day. Obviously good hard wood that last the test of time..
Great landscape.
How very interesting! What the budding priests put up with to become trained….doubt they would go through that now! My youngest son has a fencing business in NZ & his fences are amazingly straight too. A lonely place….the fence seems totally superfluous! I googled about this, interesting to read it started off on an island in Loch Morar…..I know that area well.
Great landscape.