 It's #folklorethursday! Here's Loch Gamhna at Rothiemurchus with Loch an Eilein in the distance. Loch Gamhna, or Loch of the Stirk (yearling heifer or bullock) is so called after a group of cattle rustlers resting by the loch discovered their pursuers were hot on their heels. Tying stones to the cattle's horns, they drove them into the loch, hoping the poor cattle would drown and their indiscretions would go unnoticed. Unfortunately for them, just as they were explaining how honest they were, one of the stolen stirks swam ashore. Rathad nam Mèirleach, the Thieves' Road, runs right past both lochs and towards Ryvoan pass in the far distance... If you'd like to hear more stories and folktales of Aviemore and the Cairngorms, join an upcoming guided walk!
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 It's #folklorethursday! The River Spey (Uisge Spè in Gaelic), unbeknownst to many of us, is home to a yellow waterhorse - and quite an unusual one at that. You'll find waterhorses, or kelpies, in many a loch or river across the Highlands, where they like to carry off young ladies, and sometimes appear in human form too, often in old-fashioned but fine clothes. Our resident Spè waterhorse however only carries off married couples... so beware if you're on the bank attempting to cross and get offered a lift! You may both be dragged down to one of the deeper pools... (PS - you might also like to have a listen to musician Hamish Napier's album The River, composed about the River Spey and part of his Strathspey Trilogy. The brilliant cover image by Somhairle MacDonald also features said naughty waterhorse.) If you'd like to hear more stories and folktales of Aviemore and the Cairngorms, join an upcoming wee guided walk!
It's #folklorethursday! Rowan trees, caorann in Gaelic, are known as protection trees, keeping evil at bay (which is why you see so many of them planted in front gardens). It's considered terrible luck for men to chop down a rowan... and still to this day in the Highlands some men refuse to fell rowans 🙂 Here's a pretty special rowan tree that you can walk through... when was the last time you walked through a tree?! If you'd like to hear more stories and folktales of Aviemore and the Cairngorms, join an upcoming wee guided walk!
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AuthorSarah Hobbs - read more on the About page. Archives
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