Margaret Grieco, Professor of Transport and Society at Napier University
( a Highland Scot) is journeying with Marcus Wigan, Professor of Transport
Systems, along the path of Boswell and Johnson as part of Odyssey 2000. A
virtual tool for entering the landscape of Scotland on this occasion has been
developed by Dr Stephen Little of the Open University.
Boswell and Johnson: a virtual tour
The Internet Guide to Skye contains a direct link to Amazon to allow you to arive with your copy of A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides '
The full bibliographic reference to Boswell's account.
A short on-line introduction
Hypertext Journal - a journey to the Western Isles'
'In the Digitised Footsteps of Boswell & Johnson', by Paul Welsh, The Herald, 15.3.96
Brant Arthur, 9/10/98 Raasay Hotel 18:00
Another contemporary journal by an enthusiast for Scotland and even Scottish weather.
The packaged alternative
And the "guidebook" inscribed by Boswell as the one they themselves used on their journey.
The point of departure for Boswell & Johnson
Essential provisions for a Skye journey
Glenelg Inn Glenelg, by Kyle of Lochalsh, described by Boswell as a bleak place, with inadequate food and damp, dirty bedrooms. An intersting endorsement to put on the web.
Boswell and Johnson invoked to endorse a jacuzzi in the Royal Hotel, Portree.
Boswell and Johnson invoked as witnesses of highland culture in article on clearances
The Storm In 1773 Boswell and Samuel Johnson, the greatest English author of the second half of the eighteenth century, toured northern Scotland and its western islands, the Hebrides, together. The north of Scotland was known for its desolate ruggedness and the Hebrides for their treacherous seas (especially late in the year). Taking advantage of an apparent break in very rainy weather, Boswell, Johnson, and their companions venture from one island to another in a small fishing vessel......
A mystery, neither Boswell or Johnson complained about midges
An account of a night spent in beds begged from the master of a kelp-boat:
"There was in the harbour before us a Campbell-town vessel, the Betty, Kenneth Morrison, master, taking in kelp and bound for Ireland. We sent our boat to beg beds for two gentlemen and that the master would send his boat which was larger than ours. He accordingly did so, and so Col and I were accommodated in his vessel till the morning."
Late afternoon on the 22nd August, Marcus Wigan and Margaret Grieco started their exploration of the transport infrastructure of the North of Scotland. The aim was to experience local conditions and perceptions of transport provision with a view to developing more participative and net based tools for transport planning.
Edinburgh, the city of Boswell's birth and start of Boswell and Johnson's journey
"I had desired to visit the Hebrides, or Western Islands of Scotland, so long, that I scarcely remember how the wish was originally excited; and was in the Autumn of the year 1773 induced to undertake the journey, by finding in Mr. Boswell a companion, whose acuteness would help my inquiry, and whose gaiety of conversation and civility of manners are sufficient to counteract the inconveniences of travel, in countries less hospitable than we have passed. On the eighteenth of August we left Edinburgh, a city too well known to admit description, and directed our course northward, along the eastern coast of Scotland, accompanied the first day by another gentleman, who could stay with us only long enough to shew us how much we lost at separation".
The opening of Johnsons's account of the start of the journey from the 1775 edition of his "Journey to the Westen Islands of Scotland" with the corrections noted in the 1785 errata.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival still has a week to run. Given the growing complexity of its programme, the web-based search tool is probably the best way to optimise your consumption of performances and exhibitions
A contemporary enthusiast's account of Scotland's capital
The electronic panoptican comes to the Royal Mile
The New Town contrasts with the old town around the castle. The distance betwen them represents the tension between Scotland's tribal past and its embrace of the enlightenment and subsequent embrace of the Union. The space between the new Scottish Parliament building and the decommissioned Royal Yacht hints of tensions to come.
A different set of Edinburgh tensions is recounted by Welsh in his novel "Trainspotting" and the subsequent screenplay
At the end of their first day's journeying, Marcus Wigan and Margaret Grieco over-nighted at the Bridge of Orchy. Conveniently, the Bridge Orchy was the point of transition between the two maps which they used: it appeared at the top of the map covering the journey from Edinburgh into the Highlands and at the bottom of the map continuing the journey through the Highlands into the Hebrides. Navigating by means of the map was made easier by settling on this resting point: how many travellers have made use of the same convenience? At the higher end of technology, mobile telephones and a hand-held GPS (geographical positioning system) were used on the journey. At a number of points in the journey the mobile phones could not catch a signal, however, the GPS system functioned at all points. The GPS tracked the Wigan-Grieco journey and enabled its archiving here - click here for the route map.
At Bridge of Orchy many other travellers rested - primarily back packers and campers, Bridge of Orchy being a key location on the West Highland Way. It has a railway station, a back-packers Bunkhouse and a telephone booth - all of which are important in facilitating journeys along the lengthy West Highland Way trek. Why not visit the West Highland Way with us!
Day's end, Bridge of Orchy: Nature's skill
Rural enhancement: Planning horizons?
Walking around Bridge of Orchy overshadowed by the drama of the Highland peaks, Wigan and Grieco encountered a rural enhancement project. This project had an urbanoid quality - heavy signposting, inappropriate motor vehicle protection barriers, imported infrastructure materials. On the opposite side of the Bridge of Orchy was a sensitively sign-posted mountain bike route.
The route from Bridge of Orchy to Skye took Marcus and Margaret through Glencoe. In Glencoe, they tried to phone an academic colleague of Clan Macdonald. On the first try, the mobile did not work - there was no signal. Further up the Glen and in sight of a communication tower, there was a perfect signal. Unfortunately, the colleague was away from his oxbridge desk resulting in an automatic announcement from the university saying that he had not set up the available voice mail. Historically, Glencoe was a location of lost messages - the same was true on this journey.
To Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon ' For Their Majesties' Service' Sir, You are hereby ordered to fall upon the rebels, the M'Donalds, of Glencoe and putt all to the sword under seventy. You are to have special care that the old fox and his sons doe upon no account escape your hands. You are to secure all the avenues, that no man may escape. This you are to putt in execution at five o'clock in the morning precisely, and by that time, or very shortly after it, I'll strive to be att you with a stronger party. If I doe not come to you att five, you are not to tarry for me, but to fall on. This is by the King's special command, for the good of the country, that these miscreants be cutt off root and branch. See that this be putt in execution without feud or favour, else you may expect to be treated as not true to the king's government, nor a man fitt to carry a commission in the king's service.
Expecting you will not faill in the fulfilling hereof as you love yourself, I subscribe these with my hand.
Master of the Stair (John Dalyrmple)
A facsimile of the above order is available on line
The massacre at Glencoe weakened the system of clan allegiences in favour of the central nation state and crown through its violation of the custom and practice of necesasary hospitality in a bleak environment.
It is probable that the massacre of Glencoe was conceived in a Campbell mind, made possible through Campbell complicity, and achieved by a Campbell's dishonour, but behind it was a driving force and a guiding hand which belonged to Sir John Dalrymple, Master of Stair. Ten years later, that same hand would be helping, in no small measure, to guide Scotland towards the Union of the Parliaments, but that's another story.
For the remainder of this account, see http://www.fix.law-firm.co.uk/Glencoe.htm
The Glencoe visitor centre of the National Trust for Scotland allows for a more peaceful view of the Glen
And there are yet more Glencoes to be found, both above and below ground.
The modern road: remote access, conditions of congestion
The price of development: barriers to access, tolling communication
On this day of the journey, Wigan and Grieco crossed over the sea to Skye by way of the tollbridge (video clip requires Quicktime - download if not already installed). In a virtual preparation for their journey, they visited the on-line Skye and Kyle Against Tolling (SKAT) campaign. This campaign has posted and proposed an e-petition to the Scottish Parliament against the tolling on the bridge. The e-petition is to be found on the SKAT site.
Before leaving Skye, Grieco and Wigan visited Dunvegan Castle. The journey along newly-made roads was an easy and inexpensive business. A virtual journey to Dunvegan Castle can be undertaken at http://www.dunvegancastle.com . From Skye to Inverness the tollbridge was crossed again and another payment made (£5-60 each way). The journey down the Great Glen past Loch Ness to Inverness was a two hour drive. Inverness, pictured below, has seen major changes in its traffic routing systems. The quiet streets of childhood are now major highways. At the same time, Inverness is seeing major change in terms of the virtual highway - Inverness College is now part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, a University which makes extensive use of the new information communication technologies.
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See picture of Inverness College
Journey's end on this day was the University area of Old Aberdeen. King's College is an ancient institution, now part of the University of Aberdeen, is located in a mixed social environment. University buildings are located in the middle of an area of working class tenements. Aberdeen University was, until the establishment of the University of the Highlands and Islands , Britain's northernmost university. The street in front of King's College is paved with setts - cobblestones - which provide an historic mode of traffic calming.
