Tunnel to Humanland
This ancient tunnel, excavated through the very heart of a mountain is the secret gateway to the outside world. Accessed by a long but well-maintained path, the tunnel is in frequent use by adult haggis visiting their more adventurous relatives who live in Humanland. The tunnel is closed for two weeks every year between the 11th and 25th January, during which time it is considered very bad luck to say the words burns or supper.
Peat Bog
The haggis cut peat to burn in their stoves to help supplement their fuel supplies when dead wood is scarce.
Tree Nursery
This is where the haggis tend the young shoots of many deciduous and evergreen trees before replanting them on suitable slopes to help regenerate the diverse flora of the Great Wood of Caledon.
Oats and Barley
These crops are used by the haggis for their porridge and their ‘Gloamin’s Glory’.
Hamelldaemes
Hamelldaemes tend to be grouped together for two reasons: haggis are sociable creatures and there is safety in numbers if attacked by predators. A hamelldaeme is built in the shape of a quaich, the traditional Scottish drinking cup of friendship.
Broch
Dominating by its presence, the Broch is a circular drystane tower whose past purpose, although shrouded in mystery, may have been to defend the second and most important feature in Glen Wheesht: the Henge.
The Henge
The Henge is a large earthen ring consisting of a ditch and an outer bank. At its core lies a giant flat slab of granite, raised fractionally off the ground by four slivers of brilliant white marble. A web of intricately laid grey-brown cairngorms surrounds a magnificent rock crystal embedded in the heart of the granite. Through the hollow centre of the crystal surges a mighty spring, welling up from deep beneath the earth and gushing over the assembled rocks on a pre-ordained route. The mineral-rich water flows off the plinth past the protective sentinels of standing stones and down to Loch Caledon via grooved channels that correlate precisely to the compass points of North, South, East and West.
Lochside Moorties
An ancient settlement of lochside Moorties. This extended family were among the earliest inhabitants of Glen Wheesht, some able to trace their ancestry back to the stone age.
Loch Caledon
It is from the loch that the porous earth slakes its thirst, soaking up the water and dispersing its powers to all corners of the glen and the mountains beyond. But it is from the Henge that Glen Wheesht derives its cloak of anonymity from the outside world.
The Haugh
Approached through an imposing corridor of ramrod-straight Scots Pine, the Haugh (pronounced to rhyme with ‘Loch’) is the traditional open-air gathering place to discuss any Clan matters. At its centre is a small hillock known as the Knowe which makes for a natural speaker’s platform.
The Howf
The Howf has an unusual appearance due to its curving chimney and bow-shaped walls. It is here that the drink, ‘Gloamin’s Glory’ is distilled and here too that the adult haggis come to socialise at trestle tables on the manicured lawn protected by the picket fence. The Howf is strictly off-limits to all hogs (young haggis).
Fruit Farm
Haggis love soft fruits of any kind and these are some of the most delicious blaeberries, brambles, raspberries and strawberries grown anywhere in Scotland.
Heather Farm
Haggis love heather honey and keeping bees helps them harvest this sweet treat whenever they want it.
Glen Wheesht
No one knows how the glen came to be named but it is aptly so, as it is a haven of tranquillity. Its natural beauty is like much of Scotland, but what makes this glen so special is the influence of animals other than man on its features. As you travel along its winding paths you will see that they are filled with paw marks not footprints. The lovingly-tended crops in the fields are not only oats and barley but heather and blaeberries too and the only homes to visit are underground and called Hamelldaemes. There are no signs of humans anywhere … with two major exceptions. Both stand on a small crannog in the middle of Loch Caledon and both were built by a people long since disappeared into the mists of time.
Glen Wheesht
No one knows how the glen came to be named but it is aptly so, as it is a haven of tranquillity. Its natural beauty is like much of Scotland, but what makes this glen so special is the influence of animals other than man on its features. As you travel along its winding paths you will see that they are filled with paw marks not footprints ; you see that the lovingly tended crops in the fields are not only barley and wheat but heather and blaeberries too and that the only homes to visit are underground and called Hamelldaemes. There are no signs of humans anywhere … with two major exceptions. Both stand on a small crannog in the middle of Loch Caledon and both were built by a people long since disappeared into the mists of time.
Dominating by its presence, the Broch is a circular drystane tower whose past purpose, although shrouded in mystery, may have been to defend the second and most important feature in Glen Wheesht.
The Henge is a large earthen ring consisting of a ditch and an outer bank. At its core lies a giant flat slab of granite, raised fractionally off the ground by four slivers of brilliant white marble. A web of intricately laid grey-brown cairngorms surrounds a magnificent rock crystal embedded in the heart of the granite.
Through the hollow centre of the crystal surges a mighty spring, welling up from deep beneath the earth and gushing over the assembled rocks on a pre-ordained route. The mineral-rich water flows off the plinth past the protective sentinels of standing stones and down to Loch Caledon via grooved channels that correlate precisely to the compass points of North, South, East and West.
It is from the loch that the porous earth slakes its thirst, soaking up the water and dispersing its powers to all corners of the glen and the mountains beyond. But it is from the Henge that Glen Wheesht derives its cloak of anonymity from the outside world.