What do you love about Scotland and when did you really connect to our heritage, environment, nature and people? For Juliette Camburn, our Senior Community Initiatives Officer, it was showing people from other countries her home country which created a new connection and pride in our built and natural heritage.
Juliette supports the delivery of Our Heritage, Our Future, a programme which helps inspire communities to connect to their local environment through heritage.
A recent Historic Environment Scotland (HES) survey found 60% of people reported improved wellbeing because of visiting a HES site. As a result of this, they have launched Historic Places, Breathing Spaces - a campaign to help boost wellbeing through connection to heritage.
Our Heritage, Our Future encourages communities to explore their local heritage, past and present, and Juliette Camburn, one of our Project Officers, has written about reconnecting with Scottish heritage after her travels abroad.
A year after finishing university, I was privileged to be able to embark on a year-long, world-wide trip of a lifetime, to explore and enjoy different cultures and traditions, and to discover different landscapes and wildlife. I wasn’t disappointed – golden temples and the Buddhist culture in Thailand; tea plantations in Malaysia; street food and Singapore Slings in Singapore; vast mountain ranges, glaciers and braided rivers in New Zealand, as well as the strong Māori culture, and place names linked to Scotland (did you know that the city called Dunedin is Gaelic for Edinburgh?); Bondai Beach in Australia; penguins and botanical gardens in Cape Town, South Africa; and then a real highlight – seeing Africa’s wildlife in person, as well as going on a spice trail to learn about the local industry in Zanzibar and diving to experience the marine wildlife around the coast. Each of these places steeped in heritage left a strong imprint on me that I carry to this day.
Coming back home, while lovely to see friends and family after so long, I craved to spread my wings and travel again…until some of the people I’d met on my trip started visiting Scotland…and helped open my eyes to the incredible breadth and variety of built, natural and cultural heritage we have here in our own country – we are so blessed!!
Growing up, my family never had holidays in Scotland (my sister was allergic to midges and most of our extended family live in England, so we went there). I’d never really explored what was on my own doorstep. I had to go round the world before I reconnected and discovered the incredible wealth of landscape and wildlife, and cultural traditions we Scots are so proud of…and learn how much my health and wellbeing improved by spending time in and appreciating these things.
I found a love of hill walking and exploring the Scottish Munros. I’m not a ‘Munro bagger’, but doing the Munros takes you to areas you wouldn’t normally go, and you also start to learn Gaelic words and phrases; cycle touring around our beautiful Outer Hebrides – the Isle of Lewis and the Callanish Stones; the Isle of Harris and the museum dedicated to the story of the people of St Kilda – how they lived, their traditions, and when and why they were removed from the island; the Isle of Skye and the striking Quiraing; Applecross – cycling over the Bealach na Ba which means “pass of the cattle”; boat trips from the Isle of Mull to see Fingal’s cave and puffins; taking visitors to visit castles – Stirling is definitely my favourite, you can really imagine what it was like to live there. Edinburgh – so proud to show friends and family around the old and new town areas – the different buildings and architecture, the layers of history woven into the city (if you haven’t done it, I’d thoroughly recommend the tour of Mary King’s Close) and walking up Arthur’s Seat for the incredible panoramic view across to the Forth bridges and the Bass Rock with its world famous gannet colony.
I ended up studying for a Masters in Wildlife Biology and Conservation and broadened my knowledge of the incredible range of species we have here in Scotland and learned more about how we can look after and live alongside them – this included studying otters on Eilean Bàn, the small island that sits directly under the Skye Bridge.
Over the past 14 years, I’ve fallen in love with the North West Coast up near Lochinver – not only for its incredible scenery and beaches, but also stumbling upon Clachtoll Broch which was home to a farming family in the Iron Age. The community group Historic Assynt led a project to excavate the ruinous broch and revealed a snapshot of prehistoric life, perfectly preserved beneath the rubble, and Alltan'abrahan, a ruined grain mill. There are several old mill stones around the building, which were turned by means of a horizontal paddle, and an interpretation board gives full details. The places of Scotland are now as important to me as all those far-flung sites.
And as I turn 50 later on this year, I’ll be celebrating in style with a ceilidh, something I’ve loved taking part in since Scottish country dancing lessons at school – and will be introducing all of my English cousins, my brother's wife from South America, and their families to our beloved tradition.
So, whatever you love doing, get out there and explore Scotland’s incredible wealth of heritage – you never know what you might find – I know that it definitely helps me to feel a sense of belonging and pride in my country. But importantly it also inspires me to look after it, to protect it from climate change, to record it with photos and to ensure future generations are able to make similar connections that I have been able to. I also know how much it benefits my health and wellbeing…what’s not to love?
To find out more about Our Heritage, Our Future, which is funded by Historic Environment Scotland and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to The National Lottery players, visit our website and explore the Heritage and Climate Skills Training we can offer or the support we can provide to create Community Heritage and Climate Action Plans.
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