ELECTRIC BRAES

Those of us of a certain age recall the thrill every Sunday of the funny pages of the Sunday Post; some ran to the shop for the papers and nicked those favourite segments first before parents or grannies could get to Francis Gay and the crossword. The run up to Christmas every year included speculation about whether it was to be an Oor Wullie or The Broons book. We debated why there wasn’t a local PC Murdoch for target practice but thankfully as far as is known no children attempted like Wullie to stick their head inside a goldfish bowl.

These memories sprang to mind on a recent day out which included observation and high jinks at Electric Brae. I’m sure the Broons went there in a jalopy, or was it a bus trip? Google didn’t help me find the episode. That got me wondering about how many Scots have missed getting to know interesting, breathtaking parts of Scotland. 

It used to be said there remained residents of Clackmannanshire who rarely crossed the county boundary; frankly, there’s just about everything here you’d want – the Cochrane and Johnstone Parks of Alva, the Ochil Hills, Castle Campbell, Alloa, Sauchie and Clackmannan Towers, Gartmorn Dam, fishing and sailing on the Forth and very much more; the best of our wee country. Mostly unknown to most Scots I bet.

But if you’re lucky like me, you’d parents who took you on nationwide adventures in the 70s sitting on toolboxes in the back of a wee works van. Skiffing stones at Lochearnhead, St Fillans, landmarks included that big stone on the wee hill with the crocodile or was it a snake painted on it? Through the Sma’ Glen by Amulree, such a charming name, stopping to buy a Brownie uniform in Perth,  then traversing Perthshire by way of Pitlochry Dam and Fish Ladder and the Meikleour beech hedge, the tallest, longest hedge on Earth.  

Around the Fife coast for fish and chips in any town or village, re-enacting Chariots of Fire on St Andrews beach, then over the bridge to Dundee, to redeem Pink Stamps and hear tales of jute, jam, journalism and how Winston Churchill got his jotters.  

Longer trips in summer in a rented Dormobile or Volkswagen saw us awestruck at Aberdeen, eye popping sights of huge ships and rigs in a harbour, giggling with ice cream cones and raspberry sauce at Lossiemouth and glued to the water at Loch Ness desperate to catch a glimpse of the Monster. 

Nigg, Cromarty, Alness, Ardersier, all places etched in Scottish industrial history and personal memories. Dunrobin Castle, Dornoch, Helmsdale and the Clearances Memorial, and eventually John O’Groats. Landing there we felt like Dr Livingston or Neil Armstrong. Breakfast of butteries and the first encounter with Caboc cheese – unforgettable.

The west Coast, Achiltibuie, Torridon, Kishorn,  Fort William for new wellies and midge repellent before the romantic trip through Glenfinnan and tales of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Over the sea to Skye  from Mallaig, in the days before the Bridge, with a piper playing to the crowds and some adults in tears singing along – must have been the effect of the mists and the smell of  peat fires. 

Scotland is one of the most beautiful countries of our world. History in every corner too, from the Border Reivers, through Burns Country, Dunbar and Prestonpans, Bannockburn and Stirling of course and so many more landmarks infamous and celebrated. 

In the 1940s our local Councils used to send groups of children off for a fortnight to Dounans Camp by Aberfoyle. I’ve a photo of my Dad and his classmates taken then, laddies with home knitted jerseys, tackety boots, hand me downs and grins as wide as the Clyde. When it came my turn, in the  1970s, it was a fortnight at Abington. We were in primary 7 and away from home for the first time so at night in the dorm you could hear some trying to hide their greeting under the covers and next day denying it of course. There were a few formal classes but in the main we learned about the real outdoors, walking and climbing, trips to Leadhills Mining Museum, making new friends from other schools and generally just broadening horizons. 

When you travel Scotland these days almost everywhere, town and country alike, are seen hotels which have closed down, some falling rapidly into disrepair. Others are taken over by corporate interests for bus tours primarily for us silver surfers. There are insufficient parking and service spots for motorhomes and caravans but you can drive for miles through wide open spaces.

Every part of Scotland suffers from poverty; we know deaths from addiction and suicide are shameful. There is ongoing suffering and drudge on a massive scale. While we talk of targeting child poverty and want, depressive illness and mental health difficulties within particularly single adults is pitiful and tragic.

If Scotland were a blank canvass, I’d want the State to build upon the humanitarian work of some philanthropists and visionaries; in one strategic and well planned swoop we could create a national holiday company. 

There is always money to be found when there’s a will – but in terms of health, wellbeing and the development of a positive optimistic future, spending money on early intervention saves money, lives and souls in the long run. 

Some schools run short residential trips for children but their parents generally require to pay a contribution though there are some funds available on request for those who might struggle. I say all State schools should be able to participate, free of charge at the point of delivery, in a national project including funded day trips and residential visits throughout Scotland, covering all places of historical interest and heritage. What better way to educate our children on our past and enable them to think of a better future? 

But we must go further and consider Scotland’s adults who suffer unnecessarily in this land of plenty. There is much to be said for a network of hostels, huts like the Scandinavian model, with free passes for public transport and free board to all Scots at the destination. It will take organisation and political will but if we are to create a Scotland fit for the future with a healthy optimistic population going places then we have to lift our eyes and our hearts. Those who disagree with universalism are of course free to make a contribution from their own pockets. We could start by hoping for the return  to the ownership of the people of Scotland of a few royal and stately homes. 

Scotland isn’t for now, for many, a couthy world of Tiddlywinks,  but mass engagement educating our people about our country, its delights, its past and its future potential, while enabling them to heave a sigh of relief, sit in a glen listening to birdsong, by a river watching fish leap, or on a beach hearing children’s laughter as they build sandcastles will go a long way to making our country a better place for all. Let’s electrify our braes with happiness, leisure and hope  for all our good.