the Forth Valley Sensory Centre newsletter - Falkirk Council

A Letter from Sutherland – Part 2 – by Jim McLean
Our last newsletter saw Jim arriving in Helmsdale, catch up with Jim
during the 2 nd instalment of his trip to Sutherland.
Helmsdale is lovely and quiet, there not much happening, nice wee
harbour, but the Timespan Museum is worth the visit and has loads on
the history of the area including much on the clearances and much else,
really interesting wee place. I also spent some time leaning on the old
Thomas Telford bridge parapet and watched fish rising just upstream in
the Helmsdale river. If you cross over the new bridge you will see a
monument to the folk who were dispersed not just to the coast but all
over the world particularly North America. It consists of a family of 4, the
man has his face set against the wind coming from the sea and his plaid
billowing in the wind and most definitely not looking back, a son of 12 or
so looking up at him and the wife with a babe in arms. She is wistfully
looking back up the Strath as if knowing she’ll never see the place again,
the sculptor captured the moment brilliantly and I’ll mention this again
later.
I headed up the B road to walk a little of the glen to find the river gently
meandering along in a very picturesque place with mostly newish houses
great splashes of daffodils, birds singing and I was loving it, me left knee
was giving me a little jip, more on that later too. I dawdled along for an
hour and turned back for the town as it was a little late and the chipshop
was shoutin’ for me to return and it was a little late. A haggis supper and
curry sauce was the order of the day and I headed down to the little
harbour, found a bench to sit enjoy the view and have my fill. I was near
finished when a voice behind me enquired as to how I was doing? An
auld champion had come out his house and started to blether away,
“where are you from?” “Stenhousemuir” I replied, “I’ve heard of that” and
then Jim, for ‘twas his name, started to tell me his life’s story and how the
bay in front of us was at one time full of fishing boats and how the money
was great and how him and his fellow fishermen had none of these fancy
things the modern fishermen have now, how they all stuck together and
of his travels to far away places and how he told the young men from the
Forth Valley Sensory Centre Newsletter - Autumn Edition Page 21