Scottish Landscape Painting
Blair Castle has a colourful history going back to the 13th century it is
the home of the
Atholl Highlanders, Europe's last remaining private army.
Blair Atholl is the surrounding including a stone built village hosting
Scotland's
oldest working distillery from around 1780.
The village is relatively undisturbed and
is a step back in time
showing the castle and estate as it was.
Situated in the central highlands north of Pitlochry there are beautiful
walks around
the area and down the river banks.
I remember the first time we stayed there and we arrived at the
camp-site in the dark as
soon as we got pitched we were out with
the torch to explore. Across the main road was
the castle entrance
and in between was a grass embankment. As I flashed the torch
around we saw about 100 geese and ducks obviously using the area
for sleeping.
It
was a surprise to see so many and I can only assume they herded
there and kept
quiet for protection against predators.
However when I lit up the area they all seemed to start running about?
not in panic, it
was like daylight had suddenly been switched of
catching them in a place where they
didn't want to be.
I switched the
light off quick in case I was frightening them,
deathly silence, pitch dark??
Had I
imagined it? I switched the torch on again and hundreds
of birds all started running about
again, like they wanted to find a
better place by their friends or family or have
a quick visit to
their pals. Strange and also hilarious. I did the same trick another
half a dozen times all with the same results.
I thought just in case I was frightening them
I had better stop but it was funny to watch.
A bit like a "simon said" game or that
children's game of statues.
The castle was the last to be besieged in Britain in 1746.
