My Scottish Adventure (Part 1)
In the fall of 2019, I discovered a group called Adventures in Preservation (AiP) that I knew little about, but their purpose intrigued me and I wanted to participate.
by Leslie Shea
In the fall of 2019, I discovered a group called Adventures in Preservation (AiP) that I knew little about, but their purpose intrigued me and I wanted to participate. Not only to meet a group of like-minded people (all women, as it turned out), but most importantly because it took place in Scotland, one of my most favorite places in the world! We spent two weeks prepping a 110 yr old glass house or greenhouse, and then placing new glass in the most historic section. The greenhouse is located on a large estate called Burgie, outside of Forres near the Moray coast. The work was very satisfying, especially working as a team with some wonderful women.
As I said, I really love Scotland, and after a 2nd AiP trip — and 2 other trips I’d had planned — were cancelled due to Covid, I really felt the need to escape to where my heart lives — Scotland! In 2019, we met Burgie’s owner, Hamish Lochore.
Although I wasn’t sure he’d remember me, I emailed him, reintroduced myself, said I would love to come back and do some work on the property. I was especially drawn to the 80-acre arboretum that Hamish has almost single-handedly created.
I knew Hamish utilized WWOOFers Worldwide, a group that offers opportunities to help on Organic Farms, https://wwoof.net. These international volunteers work for just room & board. I told Hamish I was willing to trade work for room OR board consideration, and let’s negotiate. He was wonderful and offered me the same agreement as the WWOOFers. Covid cancellations delayed my travel almost 6 months, but I finally arrived in Forres by train on Feb. 23. In the dark. In the rain. In the wind. In the blowing snow. Stopped to buy groceries on the way “home” — “I buy the food, you cook it”, Hamish said — and on to Burgie.
It was dark as we drove in, but it still felt familiar, especially as we passed the huge manor house. And no, I didn’t stay there. My flat, (the WWOOFers’ flat) was on the 2nd floor of an old, probably over 150 years, stone barn/shed. My first thought was “I’m gonna die on those stairs” … more on the “Stairs of Death” later. The flat consisted of a good-sized kitchen/living space and 3 ensuite rooms. Hamish said it was basic. He did not exaggerate. Not pretty, but it had everything I needed. I was finally there! Hamish said he’d pick me up at 9AM.
Hamish Lochore is a Scot through and through; born, raised, and educated in Scotland. After a career as a jockey and a military career, Captain in the Royal Scots Greys, he came home to his family’s estate at Burgie in Morayshire. Though short in stature, he is larger than life in personality, activity, and ambition. He and his wife Polly live in a house on a hill overlooking Burgie and the beautiful Moray coast. He’s closing in on 80 years old, but with the energy and passion of a much younger man.
Hamish can do almost anything that needs to be done on the property and operate any machine. His passion, however, is TREES — planting them, growing them, and understanding their effects on the earth and climate change. To me, he’s a true force of nature.
The estate is around 1500 acres with the remains of the 17th century castle, built, as I understand it, by the Dunbar family. In 1802 the castle was demolished, and the stones used to build the manor house. The folly and tower remain a few hundred yards from the house, and a datestone from the castle is set into the house with the original castle owner’s initials in the crest. The manor has been added to several times over the generations, including the beautiful greenhouse mentioned earlier. Burgie has been Hamish’s family home since 1908 when his great-great grandfather purchased it.
Houses, stables and numerous farm buildings sit all over the property from throughout its history, including the building I lived in. So many of the structures made for beautiful visuals, and the clear air and cloud formations provided gorgeous sunsets.
Many, many acres of land have been leased for grazing. I discovered sheep, cows, pigs and horses, and even Highland cows. Burgie also hosts several equestrian events yearly, and there are large spaces set up for those events.
The manor house is just what you want it to be, very “Downton Abbey”. It is let for visitors and events, and while I was there, a wedding was held. Unfortunately, the wedding was held indoors, so I didn’t see any of it. Darn.
I had no idea what work I would be doing, but I figured I’d be doing some post-winter clearing of brush and planting in the Arboretum and greenhouse. After all, I’m in my 70’s. And seldom did I know from one day to the next what we would be doing. THAT was just the beginning.
In addition, Hamish told me that a WWOOFer named Max would be driving up from England in a few days, so I’d have a flatmate for the rest of my stay. I hadn’t anticipated that, but it turned out to just add to the adventure.
To be continued …
About Adventures in Preservation (AiP)
Adventures in Preservation (AiP) is a non-profit connecting people and preservation through enriching cultural heritage travel and hands-on education. AiP was founded in 2001 by two women with a great love of historic buildings and a strong desire to travel and understand the world. While perusing the travel section of the Boulder Bookstore, the Volunteer Vacation section suddenly brought everything into focus. Judith Broeker and Jamie Donahoe combined their goal of saving historic buildings with the concept of experiential travel, and created AiP’s hands-on preservation vacations.
Work started on several sites in the U.S., and as word spread, requests for help began to pour in from around the world, underscoring the great potential of using volunteers to restore historic buildings. In supporting community-based preservation initiatives, we discovered that our love of old buildings could translate into environmental and economic sustainability for communities.
AiP is picking up the pace! As our hands-on experiential travel becomes more popular, we have new projects, new partners and initiatives to keep you excited and involved.
