Written by Alexander Gunn, A Native of Badbea, and
published in the Northern Ensign, May 25, 1882 Part B
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| Cliffs near Badbea |
The Cave
“After the ground was clear of the gaugers, we set to to
gather the scattered grain, and after all was collected, there was not much
lost. The question now was where it was to be manufactured into whisky. After
much deliberation, we fixed on a cave at the foot of Badbea burn, and only
accessible by sea, except at great risk and at low water”.
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In this photo from 1986 we can see exactly where the
equipment was lowered from. The Badbea burn is in the centre of the photo. To
the right the cliff is not so steep but the scree was very unstable and could
not have been used to clamber on. Source: https.her.highland.gov.uk.Badbea 1986.001
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Getting the Stuff There
“The next thing to be arranged was how to get our stuff
conveyed there. Even the sea route itself was a very difficult and precarious
one, as it would require to be carried to the shore to traifhad by no means an easy job, and then it depended on the state of the weather.
However, we were not to be done, and we contrived to lower all our materials,
malt, barrels, peats, etc, by means of a long rope, over the face of a plumb,
and, in some parts, overhanging rock. We drove a long, strong stab down into
the ground, to which one end of the rope was fastened. The sack of malt, or
cask, or whatever was being lowered down, was fixed to the other end of the
rope, and then lowered down by a couple of men. In this fashion we got all of
our materials to the shore”.
To be Continued
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This
is Iain Campbell of South Uist, making a rope from plaited heather. Rope made
from heather stems was much stronger than straw rope. It could be used to tie
down thatch on a roof or make a ladder. The rope remained strong in water and
was used to tie up boats. Source: Am
Baile
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My Comments:
There are several names for the cave at the bottom of the
Badbea burn. Alexander Gunn’s Obituary (which I will quote in more detail in
the next blog) gives the names Uag Eachin or Hector's cave whilst in this
article Gunn uses the name ‘traifhad’. I have not been to the Badbea cave but it
is possible that there is more than one cave in the same locality.
The cave at the bottom of the Badbea burn is said to be still
almost inaccessible. By boat apparently it can only be entered at low tide (or
‘low water’ as Gunn says above) and once the tide has risen it is necessary to
wait in a higher part of the cave until the next low tide.
What I find most amazing about this story is what was
achieved with the rope the men would have used. No modern synthetic rope with
their anti-abrasion layer. Commonly in use were ropes made from heather stems.
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| Not this! |
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| But this!
https.woven.communities.org.heather.rope
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