Hermit wanted

During the 18th and 19th centuries, an ‘ornamental hermit’ was a prized addition to a fancy estate. Dressed like a druid, and housed in a rustic grotto like this, a hermit was hired to furnish earthy wisdom and entertainment to the landowners.

Like the mirrored hall, this boulder-walled, fern-topped ‘cave’ was dedicated to the poet Ossian, but the ‘hermit wanted’ advert drew no takers; local guide Donald Anderson would don animal skins and a lichen beard himself, to play the role for his guests. And Ossian’s influence spread far; he’s got another cave high in the crags of Aonach Dubh in Glen Coe, and a loch on Rannoch Moor too.

‘...the ‘hermit wanted’ advert drew no takers; local guide Donal Anderson had to don animal skins and a lichen beard to play the role himself.’