Written by Alexander Gunn, A Native of Badbea, and
published in the Northern Ensign, May 25, 1882. Part D
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This boy is egg hunting over the cliff. Source: Shetlopedia
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“It
may be asked how did we get to the shore ourselves? Did we go down by the rope?
This was the case and no fancy job, either, to be dropped over the edge of the
rock, and dangled down the face of it like performing monkeys. We were hauled
up in like manner, and not unfrequently did we let ourselves down sliding,
holding the rope between our hands and feet”.
“One
frosty morning a party went down in this way, and had a very narrow escape with
his life. The rope was left hanging down the face of the rock all night, and
had a thick coating of ice on it, which the person going down was not unaware
of, but, once on the rope, he could not keep back, and he went off by the run,
the rope slipping through his hands and feet the same as if it had been
greased, and he was not long in reaching the shore, minus the skin of his hands
and with a severe shock to his body, as he struck the shore with the speed of a
cannon ball”.
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A length of heather rope from the house of Angus McPhee
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“The
face of the rock on which we performed in this way would be fully 300 feet
high. The length of time needed to get through with a browst depended on the quantity
in hand. A couple of quarters took a week to get through. The operations
generally commenced on Thursday, and that day week saw us finish up and at home”.
Coastline below Pollbathaidh, Caithness
The promontory in the middle of the
photo is The Needle, very close to Badbea
