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The Bogbain Heritage Park Working to conserve
the stunning views of the Black Isle
FARM
VISITORS - HERITAGE COLLECTION - CULTURE - CONSERVATION
THE BOGBAIN VIEW The idea for
this web site was conceived on 8-9-03 and born on the internet a few days later
on 15-9-03 to promote proposals to form a Bogbain Heritage Trust in order to
protect the magnificent scenic views of The Moray Firth and the Black Isle
for travellers on the A9. If you
don't know where you are going, any road will take you. A
Development Diary page is intended to offer accountability and show a record
of who helped or hindered the success of the project and should form a
history of Bogbain for generations to come. With a need
to raise confidence in the future a simple Mission Statement might be: To
sustain the Natural Environment and Heritage value of Bogbain. To develop the
property for improving countryside access, recreational facilities and
interpretation both for local residents and for tourist market, including
abilities access initiatives offering local rural employment value with
established infrastructure. All the
evidence suggests that conserving Bogbain would be in the public interest and
in accordance with the Mission Statement from the Scottish Land
Fund--"contribute to sustainable development in rural Scotland".
Apparently Ronald Stalker was a local
solicitor and owner editor of the Inverness Journal. All the land of Raigmore
estate extended up to Nairnside in the ownership of The Mackintosh of
Raigmore. To view large version of Site plan for New
Building Development click the thumbnail. THE HISTORY Bogbain was
once a busy dairy farm extending to over three hundred acres in its hay day. In 1995,
after retiring from twenty five years in the Motor trade in Inverness the
MacGregor family sought to concentrate on their peat extraction business
which they had founded in1981 after building their own unique model of
tractor driven mechanical peat cutter. The Bogbain farm steading was seen as
a showcase for their peat products without disturbing the character of the
Victorian farm buildings and work has slowly gone on over the years to lay
the place out as a farm visitor centre. The whole
lot was moved to Bogbain where the collection has continued to grow. In the
spring of 2002 the farmer was returning North from a trip round his English
mushroom growers when he spotted WWW
diggerland.com. He found two hundred cars parked outside the venue in
Durham and queues everywhere so that youngsters could operate Mini JCB
diggers. Other attractions included dumper driving. Rides on open back Land
Rovers and mothers could have the thrill of a lifetime in “white knuckle”
rides high in the bucket of a fast moving JCB teleporter. All great fun.
Indeed. Tons of fun for everyone was the underlying theme of the scheme. As time is
passing and September the eleventh goes into history the Insurance market has
stabilised to a point where the scheme is looking feasible again and plans
are being made to maybe run the show as open weekends at the farm for the
purpose of evaluation and risk assessments. The whole
scheme sat there until news broke that
ninety acres of Bogbain farmland was going on the property marked . The land
forms what is very probably one of the most beautiful scenic views of the
Moray Firth and the Black Isle and greets visitors on the A9 with a
tremendous first impression of the Inverness area. Anyone who has a heart in
Inverness has spirits raised on seeing the view when returning from the
decadent South, or travels abroad. For evil
to flourish it is only necessary for good men to do nothing. Fears have been
expressed that if the local public that is our community do nothing, then
this wonderful unspoilt scenic view will be lost forever devaluing the rich
quality of life, which is so valuable to everyone. Bogbain sits
in the Westhill Community Council territory but is on the perimiter of their
boundary with Strathnairn CC.
Westhill have great problems with congestion around Cradlehall School,
500 new homes are being built at Woodside and residents have immense trouble
getting on to the A96 each morning. This all leaves Westhill residents with
little time to express any real interest in developments up at Bogbain. Quite a few residents in the Strathnairn
CC area can see merit in something being done to preserve the environment at
Bogbain but do not wish to offend Westhill folk by interfering across the
community boundary. Milton of
Leys has no community council as yet , but some residents have expressed
interest in helping to preserve the amenity at Bogbain as a showcase for
farming, conservation and tourist activity established just outside the City
boundary providing a positive link and buffer between both environments. . An
appreciating investment protecting our heritage for the benefit of countless
generations to come when we are all long gone and forgotten. A solution for binding all of the communities surrounding Bogbain together. and a means to enlisting assistance from as broad a spectrum of the Highlands as possible, is perhaps now being found in a framework called the Highland Agricultural Heritage Society. Preparation for the launch of the Society started in 2006 when Bogbain exhibited at the Inverness Highland Games, the Black Isle show and the Nairn show. While at Nairn a Mr Danny Duncan advised Bogbain's Miss Ross that probably the best date for the launch for our working days might be 22-9-07 which at that time appeared to be free on the events calendar. But Bogbain's plans took a bashing in January 2007 when Strathnairn farmers unveiled their plans to spend £3,000 of their windfarm money on an agricultural rally on the same date as Bogbain. As the world and his dog and Jack McConnell gathered in Inverness to celebrate the start of our great year of Highland culture on 12th January an example of a strange culture was being performed at Daviot village hall where the Bogbain farmer was evicted from the Strathnairn farmers rally meeting. This was a first for the farmer who had not even had a single wee dram to start our cultural celebrations. The following day Bogbain compiled a resume of the events that had led up to the incident and circulated copies to the offenders, hoping that they would see that a simple misunderstanding had taken place and that they might offer some token for peace. Comments were invited with the letter before it would be published on the net but not a dickey bird came from the farmers. So here it is, as promised, to put the record straight. Background To Dust-up in Daviot 12-1-07 Bruce went up to meet the Strathnairn farmers some months later and offered to change his working days to 6th and 7th October to keep the Strath farmers happy and there the matter rested till August when a cheeky neighbour in Milton of Leys e-mailed Bogbain complaining about all the old tractors lying about Bogbain . Accepting his point of view instigated a decision to have a show and sale of tractors and implements so that concentration could be focused on one good exhibit and what better date would be available for a sale but 22-9-07 when the Parish would be a buzz with vintage folk from goodness knows where.
In total there are around twenty interesting machines around Bogbain, in various state of preservation, including For details of the working week-end that Bruce is running in October click his web site www Bogbainfarm.com where he has scant outline details published. Can't give too much away or the Strath farmers might steal the ideas but we are working on a celebrity guest of honour to cap the evening with good food, good music and some poems from a Bogbain ploughman. Some time ago the local quarry was reported to SEPA for some ditch water finding its way into the river Nairn. According to the press the matter was reported by "a local resident" The quarry operators are one of the most respected business operators in the Highlands and had in the past contributed graciously to fund raising for the new village hall so the scandal of the clype had to be recorded in rhyme and where would Burns find something to rhyme with anonymous? Of course the world and his dog now know who the clype is.
" So someone clyped to SEPA
An' it proved a hellish gamble.
An' folk way up an' down the Strath
Suspected Willie Campbell.
It wasn't me said Willie
Sue Fenton writes that SCENE
It was probably the Fentons
I wouldn't be so mean.
It wouldn.t be the Fentons
Suggested Will McQueen
They're not that kind of folk you know
Well.-- You know what I mean
But I wouldn't put it past him
It's maybe John MacLeod
He knows all about the river
And what is not allowed
The whole thing's daft said John MacLeod
I'm not that kind of person
An' afore you say another word
It wasn't Jim MacPherson
You heard him in the hall last night
Before our meeting ended
He couldn't help the Bogbain plan
In case Westhill were offended.
This is more like Ally Allan
I must have a word with him
Forget about the Laird Gin-Dour
I'm sure it wasn't Jim
Away to Hell said Allan
I haven't got a clue
In fact now that you've asked me
It's more likely to be you
You're trying to throw suspicion
Away from your front door
I'm disappointed with you John
I had expected more.
It could be Margo Evans
Revived her old SNAG group
Suppose they've got the time now
To poke, and pry, and snoop.
I'll have you know said Margo
We do nothing of the sort
We've always been up-front you know
Whenever we report
It was maybe big MacFarlane
Do you think he'd stoop so low?
I doubt it ventured Margo
But, then you never know.
As tides of doubt swept through the Strath
And touched on every one of us
The clype remained among the folk
And tried to stay anononymous.
This next one sings along to the rollicking tune
"Oh lord it's hard to be humble-
When you're perfect in every way."
1 "When a very old horse died in Daviot
They sent East for Willie McQueen
An. Willie went west with his digger
His trusty old well oiled machine." etc etc
Then there are capers with cows-
2 "It was testing time in Muckovie
When each cow must pass a test
There's many ways of doing this
But Muckovie's way is best."
3 Bruce and the spider
That's Bruce Mackintosh of Daviot and district snowplough fame, with his spider rescue implement, proving that he is all heart.
4 "Hiring haulage in the North
Can sometimes be a gamble
But if you.re smart you'll probably
Contact RF Campbell."
5 The Daviot Detour- with Sheriff Officers stuck in a peat bog and all the papers.
"The Fiscal got the statement
An for half an hour he laughed
If they think they've got a case here
Then Mickey Cameron's daft."
6 Bogbain Wood - with shades of Macbeth and Birnam wood moving
"There is still a real Dads Army
It's staffed with comic guys
Though nowadays it's changed its name
To Forest Enterprise"
7 Beechwood Bobbies and Lay-by Lies
8 The Dalmagarry rabbit bone
9 Drumuie Bog Digger Salvage work in Skye
"They dug a deep track, from round at her back
To lower the whole water table
She came half an inch, on the end of their winch
Before breaking their bloody thick cable"
10 The Ballad of Rennie MacRae
11 The Ballad of two ball
"There was once this Daviot farmer-who had this daughter Ann
She wasn't blessed with good looks .An. could never get a man"
12 Uncle Sandy- When Sandy and Bogbain ploughed up a power line in Barra and put Castlebay in darkness.
13 Tulloch-WATCH(we.re against Tulloch constructing here)
"Now close your eyes and picture
What Tulloch Homes may do
With plans to build on Bogbain
And change the stunning view"
Bogbain
Heather Farm, Inshes, Inverness IV2 5BD No problem
can withstand the assault of sustained thinking (Voltaire) |
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