Salmon, Brambles and Free Range Eggs

Over the years, relationships come and go, however as a 75 year old, my childhood friend and I still keep in touch and see one another as often as possible. She and her family featured very strongly as I grew up in the 1950’s. For a variety of reasons I spent more time round at their house than in my own, and their happy, secure family environment gave me a role model to aspire to in my adult life. I was often included in outings in their Austin Cambridge car and one day in particular is imprinted on my mind. Over the years, my memory has been jogged to recall the events of that day, particularly as Summer ends and the cooler days of Autumn return.

Autumn provides a sensory feast as the leaves change colour to provide a palette of rich russet, golden hues, as they fall to the ground to provide a scrunchy carpet on woodland walks.

The walk to the Pots of Gartness provided that imagery, the sound of the fast flowing water as it gushed over rocky crags, the fresh smells of Nature and the undergrowth have lingered in my memory. This location in Endrick Water near Killearn is the site of one of the most spectacular natural events annually in late August and early September.

Atlantic Salmon have travelled miles to leap and struggle over the rocks to reach their natal home. As a child the memory of watching this spectacle is etched in my mind, the fact it was shared with my friend and her family makes it even more special. These magnificent fish attempt to leap over Nature’s natural ladder to reach the upper reaches of the River Endrick to spawn – to bring forth their offspring to continue their life cycle, then they die and give their life saving nutrients back to nature. The young live and mature for two to four years, then they too swim off to the Atlantic where they remain for a further four years before returning to repeat the whole cycle again.

As we stood mesmerised watching this event little did we know what a lasting impression it would have on our lives.

From that experience we moved on further along the road to Drymen for the next part of our adventure. Armed with baskets, we were on a mission to gather the plumpest, juiciest, fruit for free that Scotland provides – succulent, purple/black brambles. The best places to collect are along natural hedgerows and, on this occasion, my friend’s mum knew exactly the spot to go to. She was a beautiful baker, soup maker, and jam maker having been a “land army girl" during the Second World War. Off we all set up this country lane, over a wooden stile, when suddenly I heard a rip. My shorts had caught on the barbed wire and ripped the material. I remember feeling really upset, but Edith invisibly mended it on our return home, much to my relief.

Memories of that day are as real today as if it were yesterday, the balmy Autumn air, the baskets getting fuller and fuller, the fun and laughter we all enjoyed, and yes a wee bonus too.

I remember the hillside hedgerow and one of us finding an egg hidden at the base of the bushes, someone else found another, and another…

Not only did we go home with plenty of brambles, but free range eggs also, a decision was made not to seek out the local farm to whom the free range hens belong, but to take them home – rightly or wrongly as a child it was just “food for free”. In hindsight these hens had strayed way off from the farm so perhaps we were justified? The brambles were made into tasty bramble jelly and the eggs became the ingredient for beautiful meringues. All the produce was well used. Adventures come in many shapes and sizes but that day for me was very very special, probably not the kind of adventure like going on the QM2 to New York, or flying on the A380 to Dubai or seeing the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, but it is totally etched in my memory box. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the countryside, the friendships remembered of people now gone, all experienced in one afternoon as an eight year old in a location easily accessible from Glasgow by car. Sometimes the simplest of days turns out to be a “real adventure” exploring what is on our doorsteps in our beautiful country.