Dùthchas: Grand Estates & Fairytales

 Dùthchas: Grand Estates & Fairytales

Those who know me, ken I am no fan of excessive personal wealth or houses larger than one needs. I am, however, a lover of a good story, be it fairy tale or life rebellion, I love a tale that connects a person to a personal journey.

And so, there is something about grand old listed houses like Chatsworth, with her long lanes, rolling meadows filled with sheep and small woods of stream and deer and mossy oaks. There is a connection there to all of the heroines of my own upbringing. Jane Austen's characters walking across fields, lanes and peaks to build relationships; Byron, King Arthur, William Wallace or Don Quixote crossing counties on horseback using the land as that constant road to change. Be it, The Canterbury Tales or Rob Roy - it is that travel over hill and moor that carries us through the plot.

Each time I sit under a mossy oak by a river, or traverse fields towards a small village, I, too, am a part of that long, ancestral story of walking. Under my feet are the past footprints of drovers and workers; lovers and mourners. These footpaths and holloways connect me deeply to ancient links. It is not just the estates, these shared stories bring us closer to Life's truths. And it is not only about telling stories - but also about paying attention to silences. 🕊️