I just got sent the link today for a programme produced by Lewis Harrower that features Knoydart and an epic journey to The Old Forge pub. I won’t reveal any spoilers but let’s just say it was quite the adventure!
So just a little bit of background. Lewis got in contact while I was working on Knoydart as a ranger and was asking for some information about the walk-in to Inverie. This is the way that a number of visitors make their way to the main settlement on Knoydart, and location of the pub which is reputed to be the most remote one on mainland Britain, over land rather than by boat. The trails, of which there are two, form a spur off from the Cape Wrath Trail that links Fort William with the extreme North-West of Scotland. And the trail itself is pretty extreme!
When I also heard that he was planning on inviting poets and musicians to take part in this journey my interest was seriously piqued! Especially when I found out who was to be involved as you will see in the description of the show. So taking a somewhat executive decision I also volunteered to come along on the journey if that was feasible. I hadn’t done the walk-in myself either and had been wanting particularly to see Ladhar Bheinn from the Loch Hourn perspective. I had only been on the Knoydart Foundation land side looking at it from the South as well as a climb to the top which was for the most part shrouded in mist. I was actually quite grateful for that as the path in some places is near a sheer precipitous drop of hundreds of metres.
Another personal reason for wanting to do this “pilgrimage” was that my ancestors had left Scotland for Canada some 200 years before making their way from Loch Hourn to the Saint Lawrence River before settling south of Montreal. Even the drive to the start of the walk at Kinloch Hourn would be a new experience for me seeing the lands that my ancestors once knew well in Glen Garry. Needless to say I was very excited about being part of this project and it kept me in good spirits with anticipation for months before the day we actually got to Kinloch Hourn.
I’ll leave it there for now and you can hear about the rest when the programme is aired on Christmas Eve at 4:30pm on Radio 4. The link is below and also feel free to leave comments about your thoughts. As an early taster, Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart will be talking about it on the Mark Radcliffe show on the 20th of December. Enjoy!
One reply on ““Pilgrimage for a Pint” Radio Programme”
Well I had a listen and it seemed like a really well done programme. Congratulations to Lewis and the rest of the team for producing it! It’ll still be available for a while to listen to so don’t worry if you missed it. Enjoy!