Hello
Morning.
and welcome to a very chilly, Breezy Village of Lairg,
which is in the heart of the North Highlands of Scotland.
Behind us is Loch Shin, it's the largest loch in Sutherland,
it stretches for 17 miles that way, about North West-ish
and it's beautiful, the views are amazing,
even better when it's a bit warmer.
[Laughs] Yes, it is a bit chilly.
There's mountains on each side
and you can probably just see in the distance, the dam.
In the 1950's, the level of the Water behind the dam was raised by about 30 feet
as they built that as part of the hydroelectric project.
But that's not why we're here today.
No it's not.
You like a good story don't you?
So long as it's got pictures.
Do you like a good story?
Good.
I was watching a program on the telly the other day
on the BBC
and it was called Grand Tours of Scotland's Lochs,
it's a good program I get a lot of vlog fodder off of there to be honest.
Fodder?
Fodder, yeah
and the guy that presents it was literally stood just behind where you are now.
Hopefully the camera won't blow into the loch
and he was here at Loch Shin telling the story
of that we hoose [house] just out there in the water.
Now not only was it a really interesting story,
but some friends told us about a lovely little cafe just around the corner down the road.
[Shaun] It is as well.
[Colin] So we thought we'd film the wee hoose [house]
and then have a walk around the corner and have some lunch in the cafe.
Ooooh!
[Bagpipe music playing]
[Colin] Can you remember what we were doing about 200 years ago?
Errrr,
we were on the Grand Union New Canal I think.
Feels like it sometimes.
Back in 1824,
there was a man from around here called Jock Broon.
[Shaun] Jack Brown?
[Colin] No, Jock Broon
[Laughs]
and he was a local poacher,
but he also had a little side hustle going on,
he used to distill whisky.
Oooh I do like, I do like a wee dram.
[Laughs]
Now the local estate owner or Laird as they used to be called then,
he wanted to learn how to distill his own whisky,
because back in the 1820's he couldn't really just nip down to Victoria wine for a bottle of Bells.
[Laughs]
So he came to Jock and he said to Jock,
if you teach me how to distill whisky,
I will give you some land.
Now,
[Shaun sniggers]
Jock Broon, not Jack Brown Jock Broon didn't have much
in the way of money or land at the time,
so he jumped, you would jump at the offer wouldn't you?
Absolutely.
So he taught the local Laird how to distill whisky
and the local Laird stayed true to his word
and he gave Jock some land,
that little bit of land,
the little island in the middle of Loch Shin. [Shaun laughing]
Now Jock was so chuffed at becoming a landowner,
there you go,
that he thought, he thought he'd build some property on his land.
[Laughs]
So he built the wee hoose,
it's our lovely wee hoose,
it's got proper rustic slate tiles on the roof.
[Shaun] It's got a TV aerial.
[Colin] TV aerial and a little proper wooden door,
like a proper hob that we used to have on his boat
[Shaun laughing]
Not long after Jock had finished building his little wee hoose out on the little island.
a terrible thing happened.
Uffff!
No it was worse than that.
He was out poaching one morning,
he pointed the gun the wrong way and shot himself in the foot.
[Shaun] OUCHY!
More than ouchy, he died.
[Church organ music]
Jock no more. [Church organ music]
[Church organ music]
But his house
his wee hoose,
has stood there ever since as Jock's legacy.
Except,
it didn't.
What do you mean it didn't, it's there.
It's all made up,
it's all a load of old phooey!
[Laughs]
it is.
A load of old what?
It was made up, the whole story was made up by the local community for a bit of fun
Yeah.
and the BBC fell for it offline and sinker.
[Laughs] They did.
The clues were there if you look carefully.
Henry, Daphne, Joseph and Margaret,
Jock Broon's family,
Yeah
we're actually the characters from the cartoon, The Broons, in that Scottish newspaper.
But what about the hoose?
House!
Hoose.
House!
Hoose, it's like there's a moose loose aboot this hoose!
[Laughing] Do you remember that?
I do yes.
Was it really built in the 1820's?
Was it heck,
it was built in the 1990's.
That's not even the original house, that's the third one.
The first two were blown down in storms, in fact the first one
had a conservatory and a wind turbine on it it.
[Shaun laughing]
It was actually built for the Lairg Gala about 25 years ago,
but after Gallery had finished, rather than just dismantling it and throwing it away,
the brought it down to the loch
and put it on the little island
and then they created the story of Jock Broon and the Boon family.
They even got some of the locals to dress up and took photographs
and made them look like it was from the 1800's
to add a little bit of authenticity to the story.
The things people do.
[Bagpipe music playing]
It's not the first time I've been sucked in by a good story like that.
[Laughing]
Do you feel a bit silly?
No.
Do you think the BBC feel a bit silly?
I think they do.
[Laughs]
I think it's brilliant,
because there's these little stories in towns and Villages all around the Highlands,
some that you've probably never heard of before, like this.
Some that you will have, like Loch Ness,
the story of Loch Ness Monster is a story that goes back years and years
Hundreds of years
and I think it's amazing I love hearing all the stories.
I hope you do too.
I hope you've enjoyed the vlog,
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Hit the thumbs up button, give the video a like
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I stole your thunder then.
I'll just keep quiet.
[Laughs]
If you want to help to support the channel, keep us making this stuff,
there is a link up above Shaun head if you're watching on a smartphone and some other devices
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[Laughs]
or a YouTube member, there's also some links in the video description
on how you can support us.
Yes.
Anything else to add?
Err bye!
Is it time for lunch yet?
Oooh yes.
See you later take care of yourself bye-bye
Ta-ra!
[Music playing]
Hang on, I'm not sure if I'm still,
yeah I thought as much.
Shaun's trumping!
The water's very clear, shall we go for a skinny dip?
and I've forgotten where I'm going already.
Yes, we're filming!
Bloody cold!
Out there in the loch out where airy yeah airy where in the loch.
Three,
you'll just get colder and colder if you don't get on with it.
I made myself laugh.
Yeah.
[Laughs]
There'll be so much processing on this video with a wind.
The wind's making my eyes water.
then have a walk around the corner and have some lunch in the cafe.
Ooooh!
[Laughing]
somebody press pause.
And I've forgotten the names
[Laughing]
la la la larrrr!
it's getting very windy you ready?
His grass wants mowing.
How many, how many, yeah aye, even that.
His brain's gone.
My foot's hurting!
That's because I'm stood still.
and again.
[Laughing]
[Music playing]