Travelling south, the stark contrast between the counties of Caithness and Sutherland is always evident. Caithness, brown, mossy, generally flat is immediately at odds with the green, woodland, and hilly Sutherland. As a child in the car, travelling down the A9 road the difference was noticeable as soon as Brora neared, usually signalling we were both an hour away from where we left, but more promisingly, an hour closer to where we were travelling to. As we passed Helmsdale and Portgower we always got closer to whatever destination we were headed, and as we did, we always saw a statue on the hill in the distance.
History lesson: The statue, known locally as The Mannie, sits at 30 metres high on top of the Ben Bhraggie hill, itself reaching a height of just under 400 metres. Erected in 1837, the monument is a large square plinth with a statue above depicting George Granville Leveson-Gower, Marquess of Stafford and first Duke of Sutherland. The Duke himself became notorious for the part he played in the Highland Clearances, turning large amounts of land over to sheep farming industry, and reforms that would result in thousands having to move out and rehome themselves. In 2020 with racist and offensive statues being pulled down and re-evaluated this is perhaps even more relevant, but even with calls and campaigns to remove The Mannie, close to 200 years later the statue remains. Driving along the coast as a child passenger all those years ago and now, as an adult, the figurative shape looms large on the horizon from a considerable distance, always noticeably other than just a “standard” war monument or memorial, definitely a sight.
I had never seen the statue up close or even been at the top of the hill, but for one reason or another my friends and I decided to climb Ben Bhraggie on a sunny sunday, stretch our legs, and bring the dogs. I’d been interested in the idea of “hill-climbing” for a while now, more-so since after turning thirty and finding myself enjoying casual exercise and running. Was it an old person thing? Do people’s interests change automatically as they get older, or did my whole self just despair after seeing fatty photos from my birthday party? I think it’s both. Eitherway, it promised to be a bit of a challenge- an 8k walk up and down total and an estimated 4 hour excursion.
We took off a bit too quickly from the car park next to Golspie High School and soon found ourselves out of breath. The weather was warm, hot even, with little wind in the air, and coupled with much enthusiasm in our heads, the first forty minutes were eye opening (and very sweaty). The base of Ben Bhraggie was probably the steepest, and in thick green forests with bark and branches underneath effort was required. We were a group of eight (and two dogs accompanying) with varying abilities. Wesley, Finn, the dogs had no problem at all- our speed probably a disappointment for both as they were frequently ahead and running back again to meet us. The forest climb, absolutely scenic as, was great, but it was closed in and stuffy. Things improved as we got out from the trees and suddenly a little breeze and coolness in the air.
It’s a dirt path all the way up the hill, and there’s lots of rocks and steps on the way up built into that. Climbing upwards we stoped to turn around every so often at how far we’d come, but also to check the view. Golspie quickly disappeared below us and the landscape opened up, showing us the main road down at the base of the hill through it all and the sea close-by. It got colder as we climbed, but pace was still enthusiastic enough that extra layers weren’t required quite yet. A wooden viewing platform and bridge marked as a checkpoint before the next ascent, and again, stopping, sight-seeing -and in my case photos and videos- were happening again.
The green trees, shrubs, and forest was behind us more and more as we climbed, and as The Mannie got closer our landscape became more plains and lesser climbed paths. Obviously from all the times drving past when I was younger the statue was big, but I still don’t think I realised quite how big until we got to the top of the hill. Stopping at the top the statue became large and formless, unidentifiable to what it was, and much less to it’s intended purpose, but it made a good windshield and we stopped to eat our picnic. The dogs were fed and watered too, and we waited for our staggered party to arrive so we could regroup. The climb hadn’t been too strenuous other than at the beginning, and checking my watch we’d only been moving for just over half an hour. It had been a bit under 2km. The way up had been largely lonely other than our group but at the summit there were a few other parties there too for the same reason, and the plinth of the statue provided ample cover and space from each other. Again, we took in the views and chatted- did you know the top of Ben Bhraggie is a Pokéstop for Pokémon Go? It was, and I remember feeling how odd that was.
Refreshed, and full of energy again we decided to go the long way back down and we followed a cycle route (on foot) behind the statue. This was dirt road that led us all the way back into the town and it was a gentle decline with no bumps or drops whatsoever. We walked in pairings and while this took an hour and a half -a 6km walk itself- it felt quite relaxing. It was colder at the top when we stopped for lunch so jumpers were back on again, but climbing round and down into the trees again the sun was warm and sticky and it wasnt long before they were off again. As we got to the base and walked through the country roads and town of Golspie back to the cars we were hungry again, so shortly after we drove off to nearby Brora, got chips, and ate outside on the benches. The climb was great, but i’d be lying if I didnt say stopping for the chips was good too (obviously).
Plans were formed and we suggested doing something like this again, more often, “a great change!”, but for one thing or another it never really happened. Life and world pandemics got in the way? The annversary photos from this day popped up on my social media this week and it’s staggering to believe that it was a full year ago- I’ve actually been meaning to make this post for that long (totes made a video instead). Now, with lockdown, I think everyone is quite keen on doing it again, but with my own recent leg damage I’m a no-go, at least for the meantime. The day itself was great and something I would absolutely love to do more of, probably even bigger climbs and walks- I just have to get a little bit less potato before then. Slower metabolism, that’s that age thing again.