Great Scott!

AYEAR of celebrations to mark the 250th birthday of Sir Walter Scott was kickstarted last week with a light show at Smailholm Tower (Contents, March 24), close to where the poet-novelist lived as a child with his grandparents on a farm at Sandyknowe, Roxburghshire. The author, who was born on August 15, 1771, found inspiration in Borders history and folklore, which spurred him on to ‘make my bread by storytelling... and honest bread it is... I will dig in the mines of my imagination to find diamonds’. He published most of the historical novels for which he is best known anonymously, earning him the nickname ‘The Wizard of the North’.

The celebratory events, many of which are online, include talks on topics such as how Scott got himself out of financial ruin, the ghosts and prophecies of his novels and how Elizabeth

Gaskell drew on his works. There’s also a Wedgwood dinner, the annual Dandie Dinmont race (above) at Abbotsford (Scott’s Borders home), exhibitions, musical events and ‘walk and talks’ at Aberdeen’s Cruikshank Botanic Garden and Bowhill House’s Upper Loch, where The Lay of the Last Minstrel is set.

‘With one in six people inspired to visit destinations they know from books, TV or film, the year-long programme of celebrations to mark this important milestone will help shine the spotlight on Scott’s legacy in the Scottish Borders, as well as right across the country,’ explains Visitscotland’s Jenni Steele. Visit www.walterscott250.com for further information.