Those who know me from Social media will probably realise that I have moved. A big move. Massive. After 30 years in one house I have moved to the Scottish Highlands. To Wester Ross. It has been described as Britain’s last great wilderness, and with good reason. Moving here is not just another country, it is another life and a very different one. The language is almost the same. Almost, but not quite. One has to think more about it. No one asks where you live, it is where are you staying, as if you are just passing through.
Hospitality is generous, tea, cake or biscuits are often offered as a matter of course. Which means I need to brush up on my baking skills.
The Scottish Highlands from a writer’s point of view
I travel through this land with my writer’s hat on. The landscape feels old. The rugged hills and mountains are indeed ancient. Guide books mention Lewisian Gneiss that is billions of years old, covered with more recent Torridonian Sandstone laid down a mere 900 – 750 million years ago. Many of the mountains are topped with even younger (500 million?) Cambrian Quartzite, that can often be mistaken for snow as it glints in the sunlight.
There are ancient forests of oak, ash and birch, gnarled, stunted trees covered in lichen that one can imagine as the haunt of witches or fairies. On a more mundane level, there are churches. Solid, stone edifices, or small buildings with corrugated roofs – and corrugated walls, in some cases. Dwellings are often gathered together around a village or township. Sometimes one will see a tiny dwelling literally in the middle of nowhere. Then there are castles, or rather castle ruins, in abundance.
And space. Mile upon mile of moors and barren landscapes. Shaggy cattle and wandering sheep. Suicidal deer who will run out into the road without warning. One can drive for miles without seeing a dwelling – or another car, for that matter. It is a vast wilderness that makes me want to write some epic saga, but history here is, well, different.
So what is it with history?
For years, nay, decades, I have been absorbing history. It began at school with the history lessons. Since then I have absorbed it through books, plays and poetry, visiting old houses, stately homes.
I have put that interest to good use in writing my historical novels. There is always research, something new to learn and I make mistakes, yes, but basically, I am comfortable with it.
BUT – That was when I lived in England. Here in the Scottish Highlands, history is a whole new ball game.
Many of you may recall the quote from Donald Rumsfeld, about known unknowns. Perhaps it is because I spent so long researching my subject that I am now alarmed by the fact that I know so little about Scottish history. If I want to write books set in this wild and rugged land, I will have to start researching all over again.
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off….
When I give talks to new writers, I say that a good place to start, if you know nothing about a historical period, is with children’s history books and maybe even tv documentaries – get a good basic overview. From there you can move on to the history that is relevant for your story, the costume, food, events, politics. Whatever. It looks like I am going to have to follow my own advice!
Even if I never write a novel set in Scotland, there is much that is useful for writing about the past.
Travel has always fascinated me. Roads in the past were a hit and miss affair, many were rough tracks and it wasn’t until the late 18th century that they were good enough for carriages to travel at any speed. In many places they were barely discernible tracks used by man and animal.
Walking on springy, heather-covered moors may be romantic and it is very enjoyable as a leisure activity, but it takes more effort than walking along a flat, beaten track or a road. You are constantly watching your step for uneven ground or areas of bog. It slows you down. It is tiring, even with modern lightweight walking boot. Imagine Roman soldiers in their sandals, 18th century soldiers marching in leather boots and wearing uniform. Women in long, full skirts and petticoats. And no waterproof clothing.
Wade’s military roads, built to move troops quickly through the Highlands to subdue rebellious Scots, form the basis of many of today’s roads in the north of Scotland, but there are vast tracts of heather covered moors, huge lochs and high mountains in between. Many townships around the coast were only accessible by boat until well into the 20th century. I am in awe of Boswell and Samuel Johnson touring the Highlands and islands in 1773 – that was even before the heyday of the mail coach!
The importance of good neighbours
We live 7 miles from the nearest small grocery shop, 70 miles from Inverness. It is over 50 miles to the nearest supermarket. In the Highlands it is often 20 miles (or more) between villages, that takes 30 minutes on the winding roads. Translate that to 18th century England, where villages may be a little closer: walking briskly might achieve, say, 4mph, so getting to a neighbouring village only 7 miles away could take best part of 2 hours on foot.
Even for Heyer’s Regency characters, with the luxury of a racing curricle pulled by matched bays that could reach a speed of sixteen miles an hour over a good road, it would take at least half an hour. So no “nipping out to the shops” for a pint of milk or a paper – you forget something from your shopping list at your peril. However, it encourages neighbourliness. When my neighbour needed kitchen foil for her baking I was happy to lend her mine, saving her a 14 mile round trip to go and buy more!
These details matter. Large urban sprawl, retails parks linked by fast arterial roads, they make us forget how difficult travel could be for those living outside the towns. That’s why cities such as London and Bath were so popular with those who could afford to live there in comfort. Cobbled streets that did not turn into muddy rivers in the rain. Even, joy of joys, pavements to walk on! There were shops, goods of every variety on hand to buy (if you had the money), entertainments and even street lights for dark winter evenings. It was a whole different world.
..and back to civilization!
I have just made my first trip to London in a year. The experience is stored away to use for my Regency characters. The excitement, even slight apprehension. So many people, the different smells, traffic, smoke, dirt and dust. Okay, I admit it is nothing like the past, when open gutters were filled with all sorts of unmentionable rubbish, but everything is relative.
Remember when Austen sends her characters to Lyme?
They must have noticed the clean, salty tang of the sea air that is carried onshore with the incoming tide on a breezy day.
Inspiration abounds.
So, will living in such a remote place inspire my writing? I hope so!
When I take the dog on his morning walk to the point and I see a fishing boat on the water, it is not the modern trawler that I am thinking of, but a small English galleon setting off to harry the Spanish Armada. I imagine cattle being driven over the famous Bealach na ba from Applecross. The twilight can be misty and murky, filled with danger, night is often as dark as velvet. But will I venture into writing a kilted hero? Well… watch this space!
Wonderful post, Linda. I do hope you write that kilted hero!
Thanks Helena – I hope I manage it, too!
Fabulous post, Linda. You may just have sent me back to Johnson (and Boswell). Their two accounts of the Western Isles trip was the first double account of the same journey I ever read (much later be followed by Peter Fleming’s News from Tartary plus Ella Maillart’s Forbidden Journey.) Boswell, though much tried, managed to keep his admiration for his travelling companion intact, as I recall. Not sure Maillart did!
Oh, I foresee a happy morning rummaging among my disorderly bookshelves.
Glad you enjoyed it, Jenny, and I hope you spend many happy hours rummaging – and I am only repaying the compliment because after your earlier posts about Ursula Torday I looked out a copy of Dewey Death (UT writing as Charity Blackstock) and read it with great enjoyment. NOT a cosy crime novel, but thoroughly engrossing and it helped me get through the past three days of heavy cold, when I was unable to anything but lie around reading!
So very pleased to hear you enjoyed Dewey Death as much as I did, Sarah. I think it is a truly remarkable novel in so many ways.
Sounds as thought I really need to read Dewey Death.
Lovely post, Sarah. Made me quite nostalgic. We spent a magical holiday in Wester Ross when our kids were small. All those deserted white sand beaches! And very cold sea, too, of course 😉
As if we did not have enough to read 🙂 – do try Dewey Death, it is well worth it, I think.
Glad you enjoyed the post, it is a magical place and the weather yesterday almost persuaded me to try the sea. Think I shall get a wet suit first, though. I have the goggles and a snorkel, so almost there!
What a wonderful post, Sarah. I was totally drawn in. Having lived in the the Brecon Bescons I do know a little of the emptiness of ancient landscapes and talked to people who,as small children had to walk alone over the mountain on a path marked only by stones to get to school. I can’t wait to see how you put your imagination to use and to meet your kilted highlander.
Thanks, Liz. I can understand why legends and folktales grow up in these places. I must read softly when writing my Highland Hero.
It sounds heavenly and terrifying both. Suspect kilted heroes, or at least those with appropriate accent will be knocking on your writing door in due course.
I hope they will, Elizabeth, although I need to do a lot of reading around the subject, first! Strangely I don’t find it terrifying at all, just have to keep pinching myself to know it’s real.
GORGEOUS post, Sarah. Your writing is exquisite and oh, so evocative. It’s always inspirational to think of how the world USED to be, and also to imagine how ours would appear to a time-traveller. I remember that observation (I think it may have been John Wyndham) about how, if someone dropped into our century from aeons ago, that there would be little discernible difference between a bar of chocolate and a bar of soap (the smell would give it away, but really, would you guess that the brown one was for eating?). Twas lovely to see you in London at AMBA…
xx
Ah, thank you for such kind words, Sharon. We are feeling our way very gradually into the life up here and enjoying every moment. So much to learn! Interesting thought about the soap and the chocolate – how would someone from a much early time know what to do with either of these things? Reminds me of the video going around some time ago about two teenage boys trying to make a phone call on an old-fashioned phone – the ones with the round dial. Not that we remember them of course – before our time (cough!)
And yes – it was wonderful to catch up at AMBA, Sharon xx
Great post, Sarah. I have enjoyed many, many wonderful holidays in Wester Ross, but haven’t thought of living there. anne stenhouse
It crept up on us, Anne – we wanted to live by the sea and the perfect property came up for sale. We could, so we did (with the family’s blessing, I have to add). Just shows you are never too old for another adventure ! Thank you for stopping by to read my ramblings x
What a lovely post, Sarah. It made me realise what a difference it must be to live south of the border. Although I’ve always lived in Scotland, it’s never been in such a remote area. But I do love our history, legends and scenery!
Ros – Scotland has those three things in abundance (and water, of course. Lots of water….) I am really enjoying discovering more about this wonderful country, the huge vast open spaces are quite awe inspiring.
Loved this post which brought back a lot of memories for me. My mother had a small cottage in Applecross for a while, It was indeed beautiful when the weather was fine but it could be grey and wet for days and days. At one point she took up spinning!
I love Applecross, Elizabeth – we often take visitors there, driving over the famous Bealach na Ba (pass of the cattle). Not for the faint-hearted but well worth the trip – even in bad weather it is quite special. The weather can be dark and drear, but when the sun does shine it is quite magical here in the Highlands. As for spinning, I would love to try it at some point, when life slows down a bit! Thanks for dropping by.