On the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond

Nature and New Year's Eve in Scotland.

In the spirit of this year coming to an end, I’d like to reflect on one of the most memorable trips of my life. Although this was before I began any kind of portfolio or newsletter, I’m glad I had the foresight to take endless amounts of pictures on this trip because now I get to share these with you all.

I ended 2022 in Scotland with my mum and godmother. We took a train up towards the highlands and stayed at the foot of the mountains surrounding Loch Lomond. While the inn was delightful, after seeing these pictures I’m sure you will understand why we chose to spend most of our time out exploring.

After a particularly long morning walk in the mountains I came back and sat by the fire, had the soup of the day followed by an Irish coffee, then headed upstairs and wrote the following poem. I hope you’ll enjoy (it’s broken up to go with the pictures but I’ve provided the unbroken version at the end as well).

Silence fills the carriage as we marvel at Loch Lomond

And time falls away like a silk shawl from smooth shoulders

Winding valleys echo music played by streams through which reflections show reality a little too clearly

Scotch mist descends upon the picture as we scuttle into The Drovers Inn

And dance until the floorboards wear thin

Embers glow from the corner, challenging Jack Frost lurking behind the window pane

Though never quite managing to scare him off

Through the soft net curtain there’s no telling whether its snow or clouds eating up the mountains

Secrets of the forest lay quietly in beds of moss

Or sit discretely on shelves of fungi

The loch doesn’t acknowledge that the year is over

In fact it barely even seem to notice

The sun rises tirelessly and the evergreens stand even taller than before

Dunnock perching on a branch outside The Drovers Inn

Bird song trickles between branches and skitters up the vines by the window

The only sign of rest is that the old man has hung up his beard for a time

Old man’s beard (Usnea species) is a kind of lichen. Lichens are a symbiotic organism (unlike mosses) consisting of a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, usually green algae. Usnea have been used in traditional herbal medicine and for their antimicrobial properties and you can still find them as extracts in modern dietary supplements!

But at the Drovers Inn we were dancing till the floorboards wore thin

So ho mo lennan bhoidheach, lang may yur lum reek¹

I would like to close with a song you’ve probably heard before. This is the song in its most peaceful and moving form. In my experience at Loch Lomond, this version quickly transitioned into a much more energetic, whisky-fuelled version with bagpipes and hugs that seemed to symbolise us embracing the memories from the year gone by, all the while embracing what the next had in store. Many party poppers and encores from the live band later, I fear that the floorboards did indeed… wear thin.

I am interested to hear from my readers, where was your most memorable New Year’s? Or do you think it’s yet to come?

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Silence fills the carriage as we marvel at Loch Lomond

Time falls away like a silk shawl from smooth shoulders

Winding valleys echo music played by streams through which reflections show reality a little too clearly

Scotch mist descends upon the picture as we scuttle into The Drovers Inn

And dance until the floorboards wear thin

Embers glow from the corner, challenging Jack Frost lurking behind the window pane

Though never quite managing to scare him off

Through the soft net curtain there’s no telling whether its snow or clouds eating up the mountains

Secrets of the forest lay quietly in beds of moss or stacked on shelves of fungi

Nature doesn’t acknowledge that the year is over, in fact it doesn’t even seem to notice

The sun still rises and the evergreens stand even taller than before

Bird song trickles between branches and skitters up the vines by the window

The only sign of rest is that the old man has hung up his beard for a time

But at the drovers inn we were dancing till the floorboards wore thin

So ho mo leannan bhoidheach, lang may yer lum reek

Poem by Amaranta Chavez

1. Gaelic for “my beautiful sweetheart, long may your chimneys smoke” (wishing someone a long and healthy life).