Page 10 - Heart of the Travellers Vol 3 ed 2 May 2017
P. 10

A gey fit lad wiz Wully tall an raa beened. The hills an glens were nae a problem tae him an even though he

     couldna ging the bike alang the tracks he noo an then got a wee hurrl by staannin on the pedal an freewheelin at

     ony doon slopes. Mind ye sayin that there wid be little eneuch doongyans on this track for he wiz climmin aa the

     wye. He kent that fae the year afore: even tae him it hid fyles been a bit o a chauve an a lang shove for the bike.





                                      It wiz aboot the middle o the day fin Wully cam tae the mooth o a side glen that

                              he'd nivver gotten the chance tae gyang last season so aifter a bit rest at the burn o
                              Letterach he started up the side glen. There wiz a bit o a track so he held tae it, he could

                              see it wiz made by sheep for the pints o the heather hid been grazed at eether side.


             Ae thing aboot the Cabrach if ye saw the signs o sheep, there wid maist likely be a shepherd's bucht somewye

     aheed o ye. He caad awa wi that thocht in mind but by a half mile or so he began tae realise that this wisna muckle
     o a glen.It wiz mair like a balloch wi sheer sides and gey narra at bits. A wee runnle o water cam doon the middle

     o't an the path criss crossed it makkin for a fair yoke wi the bike.


             Up aheed he saw the balloch kinkit tae the richt an lookit as if it wiz even steeper. He thocht tae himsel that

     he'd hud gyan for a file langer at least as far's the neuk. But michty Wully fun it a fair yokin, an swack though he

     kent himsel tae be, by the time he reached the neuk he thocht his legs wid gyang fae aneth him. Pechin sair he wiz

     gled tae lay the bike on the heather an sat himsel doon. He could see the balloch noo opened up a wee bit as it
     held tae the richt an even better the slope livellt aff a fair bit so the goin wid be easier.


             The place he sat must've been a well at some time in the past because the watter wiz bubblin up fae ablow

     and ran ower a puckle steens that were man made by the looks o them. He scrapit een wi his fit tae tak aff the

     green goore and saa a holy cross rochly carved intae the steen. At the tap wiz an ee an some words he couldna
     mak oot affa weel. It must hae been a holy well awa back and michta been that fowk made their wye up here for

     cures or jist tae pray. He kent weel eneuch aboot holy wells for he'd seen plenty as he traipsed the country roon

     but he'd nivver seen ony wi carvins like this yin The watter wiz fine an clear so he teen a drouth o't tae slake his

     thirst.


             Aifter a wee fyle Wully set fit on up the wee glen because that’s fit it turned intae, the sides werena sae sheer

     an the goin wiz a lot easier for pushin the bike. His spirits liftit a bittie fin he saa a decent eneuch track and the
     rowan trees scaittert here an there up baith sides o the glen. There wisna ony signs o habitation though as yet but

     he could see a twa’r three sheep heich up. Aifter aboot anither oor o waakin on the easier trail he wiz beginnin tae

     winder if he'd deen the richt thing comin up here. He could see a mist rollin doon the glen an felt the temperature
     start tae drap. A fyowe meenits later an he could barely see his haan afore him. Noo naebody wints tae be caught

     oot on the heich grun fin a thick mist comes doon especially if yer nae acquant wi faar ye are…zsedrtj





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