“Now the sun breaks through rain as I climb Glen Shiel
on the trail of those old cattlemen who drove their bargain’s south again.
And in the eyes of those five sisters of Kintail
there's a wink of seduction from the mainland”.
on the trail of those old cattlemen who drove their bargain’s south again.
And in the eyes of those five sisters of Kintail
there's a wink of seduction from the mainland”.
The old trail referred to ran from the Isle of Skye to the cattle markets at Crieff or Falkirk. It went via the narrows at Kyle Rhea where they swam the cattle across the straights to the mainland, a distance of about 400 metres.
The straights from the south.
The straights from the mainland.
This must have been an incredibly dangerous thing to do because unless the tide is at a stand, it runs through the narrows like a freight train on Speed. Not that I’ve ever taken Speed but at Springs (the strongest tide) the water runs at 8 knots, something like 9 to 10 miles an hour.
Modern day swimming the cattle.
This Crofter used to swim 150 yards with his cattle until he was 70, he’s just a softie now at 80 and rows across.
I imagine the Drovers would arrive at Kyle Rhea and probably pay a local man to advise or guide them across, there would almost certainly be a ferry just as there is today and from what I’ve read they used to tie the cattle together to make the crossing, although how that worked I can’t imagine.
The Five Sisters from the Ratagan Pass.
Anyway the trail probably follows the later Military road to Ratagan and Shiel Bridge before “climbing up Glen Shiel on the trail of those old cattlemen”. On the way up the Glen on the north side are the Five Sisters of Kintail, the last peak of the range although not one of the Sisters is Sgurr nan Spainteach named for the Spanish troops who fought there in 1719 alongside Jacobite forces in the first uprising.
The Drove Roads of Scotland
A modern map of Glen Shiel.
Then at the head of the Glen there were various tracks to get to Crieff, none of them easy, in later years they joined military roads and the cattle were shod like horses to protect their hooves although the shoe was in two parts unlike the horseshoe. The trail is slightly over 200 miles long and used to take several weeks, they would probably walk about 12 miles a day allowing the cattle to graze and if possible add weight before arriving at the market.
AI Artists impression of crieff Cattle market around 1580.
AI again.
It sounds like it was a wild place, Drovers would billet themselves in someone’s house, by force if they had to, The American wild west seems quite tame in comparison.
As far as I’m aware the first Michamas Market in Crieff was first held in 1632 but because I recently finished painting 16 Border Reivers, giving me a total of just over 40 hard fighting men I’m setting my games in the late 1500’s or so. Also I’m assuming I’ll meet refined Scots who are keeping up with fashion further south.
The cattle trade really took off after the joining of the two kingdoms when presumably it became safer to drive them south through the Borders. However I’m assuming there was a market at least 40 years before then to supply the big Scottish towns and so this will allow my story to happen.
OK that’s the history lesson done with.
What I’m looking to do is run a series of say 6 games to take place along the route. There will be 3 Drovers and a dog and I only have 4 Highland cattle and 2 calves so a tiny herd. I mean to keep the games small to try and ensure I can keep the momentum going both with the games and writing about them.
Anyway these are the ideas that the Gentlemen of Much Piddling have come up with so far:-
a) Rustling - An attack on the herd to steal some or all of the cattle by vagabonds and ruffians unknown. Their aim is to take the cattle. How - Creep into the camp and drive the cattle off quietly. If successful may lead to a chase to recover the cattle if not will become a general brawl.
b) Murder - while staying overnight at one of the Droving Inns they are attacked by the Inn Keeper and his associates. Their aim is to kill and rob the Drovers and then take their cattle. How - Surprise attack while they are asleep if successful game over, if not will become a general brawl.
c) Increasing the Herd – On the way to the market our drovers see an opportunity to increase the size of their herd by stealing someone else’s cattle. Their aim is to steal cattle and get away without being discovered. How – ditto Rustling.
d) Kidnap – The dog owner has been bragging about his dog and everyone in the Inn knows what a good cattle dog she is. A good cattle dog is worth more than you’d imagine and she is kidnapped. The Drovers aim is to recover the dog. How – not sure, probably clue finding and tracking, if successful, recovery raid, if not?
e) Fodder – The grazing on the trail has been poor, they need fodder to feed the cattle and they’ve no money. They’re going to have to steal it without being discovered. How – ditto ‘C’ but the evidence will have been eaten in a couple of days.
f) Alexander “Sawney” Bean – The cannibal clan, probably just a myth but it’s too good not to include, although I can’t quite work out how to make a game that is not just a straight fight for survival, I’d like something a bit more quirky. The Clan reputedly lived in a cave on the sea shore and with children and grand children ran to over 40 mouths to feed. How - ?
So those are my 6 scenario ideas one or two seem a bit weak to me and I wonder if anyone can suggest other, possibly better ideas, or indeed how I can incorporate Sawney as a game. I’ll play these games solo and I’m quite happy if there’s no fighting and no one dies provided there is some challenge in the scenario.
Reba, Dashing Dougie Douglas, Mad Wullie Snapcase, The Vagabond.
Oh - you may be wondering who will be daft enough to undertake this journey, well basically Mad Wullie Snapcase, the Vagabond, Dashing Dougie Douglas and his dog Reba have decided to try and make an honest living because reiving hasn’t gone too well for them.
It’s been a long couple of days.
Reaching a certain time in life when a man questions whether he can still do the things he remembers he used to do as a young man, they had decided to go on one last cattle rustling raid.
The final straw was being cut off and having to fight their way home.
This was a plan conceived over a few jugs of their local Poteen and maybe the drink had something to do with it not being a perfect plan. The weather turned foul, they got lost but in the end rustled 29 sheep and no cattle. This would have been an excellent result except the weather continued foul and they lost all the sheep except one on the journey home.
The Armstrong’s.
OK not such an auspicious raid but unfortunately it didn’t end there. The sheep they had rustled belonged to a branch of the Armstrong family and I don’t suppose I need to say much more.
The Armstrong’s searching the Masterless Mens village.
As one of the strongest families in the Borders they were not going to let bygones be bygones but by the time they arrived, the evidence had disappeared (been eaten) they were convincing liars and Mad Wullie Snapcase, Dashing Dougie Douglas and the Vagabond lived to tell the tale.
Well they didn’t tell anyone, in case the Armstrong’s got wind of it.
Tithe village
Eighteen months or so after this debacle the same trio received news that the Baby Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells was collecting his rents in person and it seemed for some obscure reason that it would be a good idea to rob him. It wasn’t and they were taken prisoner and incarcerated in Berwick Gaol.
The Bishop travels in style.
The Reivers attack but were outclassed by the softie southern powder puffs.
Wee Jock McClue escapes.
The gaol cart heading south.
Only the other day, news arrived in Lost Dale that the trio were being sent to Bath to stand trial and be hanged. Apparently the baby eating Bishop of Bath and Wells will be the Judge and so the trial is just a formality and the judgement a certainty.
Subsistence crofting.
A barley field, for the finer things in life.
A bucolic scene.
Or is it an ambush site.
I’m rather hoping that some of the remaining members of their lost men will carry out a rescue.
Anyway if they do and it’s successful, well then, I can get on with the droving, if not successful then I’ve wasted a lot of good drinking thinking time.
And yours as well…….sorry.
So any ideas you might have, will be gratefully received and appreciated.
All the best and Cheers
