Über den Tellerrand 33: Eine Reise nach Wigtown Teil 1
von Gerdam 9. August 2024
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:08 — 28.4MB)
Unsere Reise nach Wigtown, Schottland zum Autor des wunderbaren "Tagebuch eines Buchhändlers" und Inhabers des "The Bookshop" in der schottischen "Booktown". Der erste Teil heute. Noch ohne Shaun Bythell, aber trotzdem mit jeder Menge Fantasy und Abenteuer. Und dem Wächter des Clan Hannay…
Hier der Link zur Seite der Clan Society
Und hier der Link zur Facebook Seite
Und für unsere wunderbaren Gastgeber aus dem Clan Hannay und unseren Freund Steve hier die Übersetzung in ein hoffentlich akzeptables Englisch:
"Hello everyone out there.
I’ve already taken you on a trip a few times. Today we’re trying that again. This time our goal is quite far away. But again a goal that should be of interest of all of us. It’s about books, magic an fantasy. But before we start, there’s the little back story…
In 2018, a certain Shaun Bythell from Wigtown, Scotland published his first book. In 2019 it was also published in German. With the catchy name “Diary of a Bookseller”. From the beginning there was a lot familiar to me in this book. There are simply endless parallels between all small bookstores. We also sold Shaun’s book quite well and I think many of our customers have grown to love it in a similar way as we do. If you haven’t read the book, I strongly encourage you to do so. For people who like books and small shops it’s a great treat and a wonderful insight into Shaun’s life with books.
His third book will soon be released in German. We have watched countless of his videos on social networks. I confess, we are fans… Then one day Katha said why don’t we just travel to Scotland and visit the man? From that moment it was a done deal.
And so we now sit in the car to Calais and look forward to Scotland and the funny bookseller Shean Bythell.
Nothing planned. Nothing booked. Just drive off and see what lies ahead. Of course, a few ideas are in our heads. Wigtown is located in the far south of Scotland. In the "Galloway and Dumfries" council area. Whoever we spoke to in advance, we were always encouraged to visit the north of Scotland, the Highlands and the Isle of Skye. Accordingly, we have of course come up with a few possible destinations and a potential route to Inverness, Loch Ness and Isle of Skye. But always only as an option.
The premise was Wigtown from the start – and then see how it develops. As you can imagine, we were of course also hoping for a nice story and, if possible, an interview with Shaun Bythell…
So we went out to visit this bookshop in Wigtown AND see Scotland. In reality things turned out completely differently. We visited Wigtown and found Scotland RIGHT THERE. Incredibly nice and friendly people, wild and extremely biodiverse nature, lots of culture, of course a whiskey distillery and Scottish beer and even one of the clan seats of the Lowlands. Not far from the scene of Robert the Bruce’s first battle against a seemingly far superior English army.
But slowly. From the beginning…
So we sit in the car to Calais and take the classic ferry to Dover. Then past London, Birmingham and Liverpool to the south of Scotland.
Unfortunately, when we arrive in Wigtown and first visit Shaun’s bookshop, he is on his way. We can already see our chances dwindling. Nevertheless, we have a nice conversation with the bookseller Nicki – no, not the Nicki from the books – but one of the current employees in The Bookshop. And this Nicki is an incredibly nice and helpful person, as it quickly turns out. After a few minutes of conversation about our concerns, some books and our non-existent plans, she gets on the phone and calls a certain "Steve". He’s supposed to be a nice guy and have exactly what we need… And so it happened that we postponed our conversation with Shaun Bythell until Monday. But instead were allowed to set up camp for the night beneath the Tower of Sorbie. Stephen Hanna is the guardian of the Sorbie Tower and therefore ambassador of the Clan Hannay, whose castle he guards, maintains and opens to the public.
As fans of medieval stories, even decades-long show fighters and lovers of medieval markets, we are of course excited. We are actually allowed to set up camp at the bottom of Sorbie Tower! Electricity, showers, toilets, a small kitchen and of course our "rolling bed" right on historical ground. All for a small donation to the Clan Hannay society. For the preservation and reconstruction of the clan fortress.
And Steve turns out to be an incredibly kind, friendly and open host. A friendship develops from the first day. We sit for a long time in the master’s room of the tower in front of the flickering fire and he tells us about his clan and the task of preserving this heritage. It shouldn’t stop at this one evening. Steve not only tells us about his clan, he also shows us other wonderful places. Old walls, wonderful landscapes and historical locations. For example, we visit Bruce’s Stone, which marks the site of the first battle of the Scottish army formed by Robert the Bruce against the English. We find barren mountains that come very close to the Highlands and diverse coastal landscapes with enchanted forests and meadows, between whose quarry stone walls all sorts of invisibly fairy people still make their home.
Without even knowing what our meeting with Shaun, the actual destination of our trip, will be, we decide to stay here. The area, the people and the whole fantastic atmosphere simply enchanted us. And so that you can think about all this a little better, we also recorded a conversation with Steve.
[INTERVIEW]
For anyone who shares such a passion as we do, I can only recommend getting involved with Steve Hanna and the Sorbie Tower. Visitors are always welcome, as are helpers, of course. Being able to set up a tent or camper in front of the wonderful backdrop of a real clan fortress is simply awesome.
The area and the people have already completely convinced us. The fact that there would be a lot of really interesting meetings with Shaun Bythell is just a little cherry on the cake. You can hear that part of our journey next week. Featuring an interview with Shaun from Scotland’s official book town, Wigtown…
For today I say goodbye – and still say that – as always in italian. Ciao arrivederci, your Gerd.
von Gerdam 9. August 2024
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:08 — 28.4MB)
Unsere Reise nach Wigtown, Schottland zum Autor des wunderbaren "Tagebuch eines Buchhändlers" und Inhabers des "The Bookshop" in der schottischen "Booktown". Der erste Teil heute. Noch ohne Shaun Bythell, aber trotzdem mit jeder Menge Fantasy und Abenteuer. Und dem Wächter des Clan Hannay…
Hier der Link zur Seite der Clan Society
Und hier der Link zur Facebook Seite
Und für unsere wunderbaren Gastgeber aus dem Clan Hannay und unseren Freund Steve hier die Übersetzung in ein hoffentlich akzeptables Englisch:
"Hello everyone out there.
I’ve already taken you on a trip a few times. Today we’re trying that again. This time our goal is quite far away. But again a goal that should be of interest of all of us. It’s about books, magic an fantasy. But before we start, there’s the little back story…
In 2018, a certain Shaun Bythell from Wigtown, Scotland published his first book. In 2019 it was also published in German. With the catchy name “Diary of a Bookseller”. From the beginning there was a lot familiar to me in this book. There are simply endless parallels between all small bookstores. We also sold Shaun’s book quite well and I think many of our customers have grown to love it in a similar way as we do. If you haven’t read the book, I strongly encourage you to do so. For people who like books and small shops it’s a great treat and a wonderful insight into Shaun’s life with books.
His third book will soon be released in German. We have watched countless of his videos on social networks. I confess, we are fans… Then one day Katha said why don’t we just travel to Scotland and visit the man? From that moment it was a done deal.
And so we now sit in the car to Calais and look forward to Scotland and the funny bookseller Shean Bythell.
Nothing planned. Nothing booked. Just drive off and see what lies ahead. Of course, a few ideas are in our heads. Wigtown is located in the far south of Scotland. In the "Galloway and Dumfries" council area. Whoever we spoke to in advance, we were always encouraged to visit the north of Scotland, the Highlands and the Isle of Skye. Accordingly, we have of course come up with a few possible destinations and a potential route to Inverness, Loch Ness and Isle of Skye. But always only as an option.
The premise was Wigtown from the start – and then see how it develops. As you can imagine, we were of course also hoping for a nice story and, if possible, an interview with Shaun Bythell…
So we went out to visit this bookshop in Wigtown AND see Scotland. In reality things turned out completely differently. We visited Wigtown and found Scotland RIGHT THERE. Incredibly nice and friendly people, wild and extremely biodiverse nature, lots of culture, of course a whiskey distillery and Scottish beer and even one of the clan seats of the Lowlands. Not far from the scene of Robert the Bruce’s first battle against a seemingly far superior English army.
But slowly. From the beginning…
So we sit in the car to Calais and take the classic ferry to Dover. Then past London, Birmingham and Liverpool to the south of Scotland.
Unfortunately, when we arrive in Wigtown and first visit Shaun’s bookshop, he is on his way. We can already see our chances dwindling. Nevertheless, we have a nice conversation with the bookseller Nicki – no, not the Nicki from the books – but one of the current employees in The Bookshop. And this Nicki is an incredibly nice and helpful person, as it quickly turns out. After a few minutes of conversation about our concerns, some books and our non-existent plans, she gets on the phone and calls a certain "Steve". He’s supposed to be a nice guy and have exactly what we need… And so it happened that we postponed our conversation with Shaun Bythell until Monday. But instead were allowed to set up camp for the night beneath the Tower of Sorbie. Stephen Hanna is the guardian of the Sorbie Tower and therefore ambassador of the Clan Hannay, whose castle he guards, maintains and opens to the public.
As fans of medieval stories, even decades-long show fighters and lovers of medieval markets, we are of course excited. We are actually allowed to set up camp at the bottom of Sorbie Tower! Electricity, showers, toilets, a small kitchen and of course our "rolling bed" right on historical ground. All for a small donation to the Clan Hannay society. For the preservation and reconstruction of the clan fortress.
And Steve turns out to be an incredibly kind, friendly and open host. A friendship develops from the first day. We sit for a long time in the master’s room of the tower in front of the flickering fire and he tells us about his clan and the task of preserving this heritage. It shouldn’t stop at this one evening. Steve not only tells us about his clan, he also shows us other wonderful places. Old walls, wonderful landscapes and historical locations. For example, we visit Bruce’s Stone, which marks the site of the first battle of the Scottish army formed by Robert the Bruce against the English. We find barren mountains that come very close to the Highlands and diverse coastal landscapes with enchanted forests and meadows, between whose quarry stone walls all sorts of invisibly fairy people still make their home.
Without even knowing what our meeting with Shaun, the actual destination of our trip, will be, we decide to stay here. The area, the people and the whole fantastic atmosphere simply enchanted us. And so that you can think about all this a little better, we also recorded a conversation with Steve.
[INTERVIEW]
For anyone who shares such a passion as we do, I can only recommend getting involved with Steve Hanna and the Sorbie Tower. Visitors are always welcome, as are helpers, of course. Being able to set up a tent or camper in front of the wonderful backdrop of a real clan fortress is simply awesome.
The area and the people have already completely convinced us. The fact that there would be a lot of really interesting meetings with Shaun Bythell is just a little cherry on the cake. You can hear that part of our journey next week. Featuring an interview with Shaun from Scotland’s official book town, Wigtown…
For today I say goodbye – and still say that – as always in italian. Ciao arrivederci, your Gerd.
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