The Way of the Wanderers by Jess Smith

Author:Jess Smith [Smith, Jess]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780857905659
Publisher: Birlinn

26

BALNAGUARD

Balnaguard on the banks of the Tay was a winter camping green for generations of Tinkers. At that time it was a small hamlet close to where the Tay meets the Tummel and was only reachable by ferry or by rolling up your trouser legs and crossing the river at the village of Grandtully. This is not a problem today, because there’s a fine road to almost every house and farm in the district. Nevertheless, during heavy rainfall, the village can find itself cut off until the water subsides. In the old days, where everyone had an old rowing boat, I’m told they now have 4x4 vehicles.

The River Tummel’s meandering is cut short at Grandtully as it loses its regal independence and gargles angrily into the mighty Tay. Many of my relatives were born in this area. My father had a habit of shouting to us as we passed the meeting point of the rivers, ‘Are you a Tay or a Tummel bairn?’ And we’d all call back, ‘Nae way are we the Tay weans; we hae Tummel in oor veins.’ In other words our hearts lay with our forebears who chose to settle on greens among Pitlochry’s standing stones by the quiet River Tummel. Scattered in secret places along its banks and wooded places lie many relatives who were not accepted for burial in a sanctified ground until recent years. When the church at last opened its heart and allowed burials, the designated place in the graveyard was a narrow strip called the ‘Paupers’ line’. This was usually located out of sight of graveyard visitors down next to the end of the wall, as this was all that church officials would spare for such use.

I’m told that the wee bowdie legged queen, Victoria, preferred the Tummel to the Tay. Beyond Pitlochry there’s a very famous beauty spot known as ‘The Queen’s View’ (not named after Victoria but Queen Mary), before which unfolds a panorama which, once seen, can never be forgotten.

Even so, it has to be admitted that the Tay is Scotland’s longest and most powerful body of water, and all the other rivers, including the Tummel, Earn, Almond and Garry, are really tributaries of the great river. She winds her way through Perth and on to the town which is named after her, Dundee (Fort of Tatha), before making her grand entrance on the east into the North Sea.

One day, as the bus engine ticked over quietly, we were waiting outside a bonny wee house, in the village of Balnaguard, to see the farmer to ask his permission to camp in his ground for a few days. We had been sitting for ages, and my father, who was obviously becoming impatient, thought he’d share a wee tale with his brood before we got restless. He turned in his driver’s seat to face us and explained why we were waiting to speak to the farmer before parking our bus. He told us that when he was a young lad

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.