Special footprints on the island

A few years ago I worked on a commission with a group of island artists for an exhibition that asked us to consider a special place. It didn’t take our wee group long to decide on Machrie Moor as our place. It is the home of standing stones that date back to the Bronze Age and there is also a burial cairn on the same site.

I have visited this site many times and I am convinced that the patterns made by the stones are for the Summer Solstice. The light floods into the space on the Solstice morning and with it comes a renewed energy that is obvious to all who have ventured out that early to witness this moment. Our research, however began in the autumn months for the exhibition the following spring. So it was darker, colder days when I visited the site. It matters not because you still get the very familar feeling that you are walking in other people’s footprints.

Excavations in recent years have found evidence of how the Bronze Age people live from artifacts buried with them. If I am honest I would rather we didn’t excavate buriel chambers but I do know that it is quite common practice. The work that is going on the island at the moment is excavating a pathway well trodden on route to the stones.

This is not the only Bronze Age site on the island and many of the stones have primitive markings on them dating back to this time. We have a museum on the island with a super section on the Bronze Age and just how folk lived back then. The simplicity of their daily lives is something that inspires me as I gather plants from my garden and the hedgerows to make dye for cloth. Bronze Age people did that too.

Beyond those footprints we have three castles on the island. Brodick Castle was gifted with the National Trust of Scotland many years ago now and is building trapped beautifully in times gone by. The gardens are a real gem to wander around and the venue hosts many events through the year. We have the final remains of a coastal Castle in Kildonan but my favourite of the lot is the castle at Lochranza.

The history of this building is completely fascinating. Build in late 1200s or early 1300s and it has played its part in many battles over the year protecting the island from invaders. It is the stuff of a good storybook. As a building now though it speaks to its position on a wee peninsular overlooking the bay and is simply majestic. Yes that is my daughter, Molly Ella in the photo. As an aside from the beautiful bay, village and castle Lochranza is blessed with, arguably, the best sandwiches on the island at the Sandwich Station. Molly and I are both vegans as are the owners of this cafe so we get to have cake too!

If you follow Molly and I you will know all about our fascination with cemeteries, especially old ones. We have a good number of these on the island and a tour would take you right round the island coastal road, about 50 miles.

In all cases I am deeply touched by that feeling of footprints that have gone before me. History is such an important part of evolution and we do well to learn from where we can. Whether it is a table set for dinner in Brodick Castle or an arrowslit in Lochranza castle the feeling is always the same. Life happened long before I shuffled onto the planet and, hopefully, it will continue long after I have shuffled off. Every so often I take my mind to the Summer Solstice morning on Machrie Moor and then everything just seems to make sense. I hope you have a place that supports you as you wander through your life?

Until next time,

Fiona xx

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About the author

I am a mixed media artist living on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Here on Substack I write free content weekly focusing on seasonal creativity. I also run a paid subscription. The Stillness Studio focused on the relationship between creativity and the meditative mind. It will bring together my two teaching areas into one place and we shall wander along together working on creative tasks that speak well to the meditative mind. This, in turn, speaks well to our sense of physical and mental wellness.