An encounter with a Highland Cow
Most of my work is landscape photography in the North-west Highlands of Scotland, selling prints and other products via galleries and outlets such as the National Trust. However I also undertake commercial work and private commissions. Much of the commercial work is for Highland estates and this can be a mixture of landscape work and interior and exterior architectural work concerning the buildings on the estate.
Most estates have a variety of lodges that they let to private guests who, as part of the deal, are given shooting and fishing rights on the estate. Such commissions are interesting, and often lead one to out of the way places, with the bonus that there is usually some time left at the end of a shoot for personal work.
Some years ago I was commissioned to do the exterior photography for an estate not far from Plockton in Scotland's North-west Highlands. I was left to choose the time when the weather would be right, and about a week or so later the forecast showed that weather the next day should be good.
It is a two and a half hour drive and I left very early to catch first light at the estate. At that time you can drive for that length of time in the North-west Highlands and not meet any other cars. It is a pleasant drive, mostly single track road, and as I got nearer the signs were that the forecast was accurate. I was really looking forward to the day.
My Arrival
Finally I drove along the road that goes past the estate entrance, and on reaching the entrance pulled off the road and stopped at the gates, beyond which was a long driveway leading eventually to the as yet unseen estate lodge house. Opposite me, on the other side of the single-track road, only about a car width away, was a magnificent Highland cow quietly grazing.
For those of you who don't know what a Scottish Highland cow looks like, they are very large beasts covered in long shaggy hair, reddish brown, a cute little fringe of hair that partly covers the eyes, and alarmingly, a pair of very long horns ending in sharp points!
I hesitated to get out of the car and watched the cow for a while. It seemed not to pay the slightest bit of attention to me, it was busy grazing, so I decided to get out of the car, open the gates, drive through, then of course close the gates behind me. I did that and initially it was fine, I got the gates open and back into the car, and the cow was still grazing, apparently oblivious to my existence.
Then things started to go wrong, as I drove through the gates I saw in my rear view mirror the bloody cow was following me!! I tried frantically to put the car into reverse to block it but I was not quick enough and to my utter dismay the cow slipped through!! I have often wondered since then what would have happened if I had been quick enough to get into reverse, who would have won the fight, my Mazda 3 or the Highland cow? I think I know the answer to that!
An Embarrassing Confession
The estate grounds that the cow had got into are a mix of magnificent formal gardens and woodland estate. I had nightmare visions of the bloody cow tramping down the flower beds eating all the lush foliage in sight before I had even photographed the estate.
Suddenly the feeling that all's right with the world and a pleasant day lay ahead had just evaporated because of a bloody cow. Now there's no way I'm going to try and round up a huge Highland cow with very long sharp pointed horns, I have no cowboy skills at all. So there was nothing else for it but to go and announce the manner of my arrival to the estate owner.
So I drove on to the lodge house, knocked on the front door to be greeted by a large smiling gentleman, still dressed in his night attire. "Oh, you must be the photographer, very pleased to meet you Gordon" he said with a friendly smile. I tried to reciprocate with a likewise friendly greeting, but to be honest I just wanted to vanish into thin air!
"Good morning William" I managed to blurt out, "It's a fine day, should get some great work done today", and "Er, I've had a little mishap, I've accidentally allowed a Highland cow into your estate", followed by a rather wimpish "I'm terribly sorry".
You never saw an expression change so fast! Without a word he went back into the house, to get his gun I thought, but even more alarmingly, he reappeared with two large Doberman dogs! Oh my God, I'm going to be savaged I thought, but he just rushed past me and on up the drive with his two dogs in tow.
He was away for some time, and I could hear the occasional angry shouts in the distance. In the meantime I thought, well, I've been commissioned to do a job so I just need to get on with it, and started with the exterior of the lodge house that had the main entrance door. This was being shot from the driveway.
I had got things set up when the owner reappeared marching down his driveway with his two dogs, and as he passed me he yelled, "You've caused a great ******* problem". So, I thought, I'm not decommissioned yet!
Disappearing Cow and Estate Owner
Later that morning I saw a local crofter arrive to escort his Highland cow out of the grounds, and the beast trotted meekly behind him. I never saw William again that day, he left about midday and I worked on until the evening before heading home. William and I are now on friendly terms; he liked the images I supplied.
I can look back at that day and see the funny side of it, but at the time I just wanted to die! However, I learned something from this, and that is that Highland cows are very cunning creatures. Also, check out your insurance to make sure that damage caused by Highland Cows is included in the risks covered.
En route home, as I was driving alongside Loch Torridon, I was treated to the most wonderful sunset turning the Torridon mountains bright red and I stopped to get some shots of this fantastic scene. Eventually I reached home, about 10pm I think, and lifted from the car my backpack that I keep all my lenses and camera in and walked over to the front door. I tripped over something and crashed onto the front steps to my house, with my knee colliding heavily with the edge of the step. It was excruciating and I yelled! Strangely, Isabel didn't hear my cry.
Nothing was broken so I got up and limped indoors to be greeted by Isabel, "Hi Gordon, did you have a good day". It took me quite a while to tell her just how good a day it had been!
Copyright © 2007 Gordon C Harrison All Rights Reserved
Last Updated: July 03, 2008