MY FAVOURITE PLACE

JACK DOCHERTY, ACTOR AND WRITER GLEN COE

WHY DO YOU GO THERE?

I did all the mountains and ridges round there when I was younger: The Three Sisters, Buachaille Etive Mor and the Aonach Eagach Ridge a few times. I am a scrambler and a hillwalker, not a ropes climber – I never quite had the courage for that.

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER IT?

Through school trips, travelling up from Edinburgh. My school had what was called “third-year projects” where you would help in the community and then on your downtime go hiking, camping and climbing. I have always loved the history of Glen Coe. Bizarrely, I am descended from both MacDonalds and Campbells. The Clachaig Inn, that famous pub at the far end, still has a sign saying: No Campbells. My grandmother was a

MacDonald, but that side of the family also married into Campbells. My dad’s middle name is Campbell and one of my kids is called Campbell. I have always felt conflicted between the Campbell half of my brain and the MacDonald half.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MEMORY?

Doing the ridge walks, the views are incredible. Particularly from the Aonach Eagach Ridge. Watching the weather come in. It is so isolated and beautiful.

Introducing my children to Glen Coe too. I have seen it in all weathers and gone through it in a snowstorm where we thought we were going to get trapped for the night and got out just in time. I have seen it when it is 20C and you get sunburn. It is always magical.

WHO DO YOU TAKE?

I would love to go back with my kids now they are a bit older.

WHAT DO YOU TAKE?

A tent. Maybe some fine wine.

WHAT DO YOU LEAVE BEHIND?

One year, my small rucksack fell off and got trapped in a section of the Aonach Eagach Ridge called the Crazy Pinnacles. It lodged about 50ft below us.

We tried to get it and gave up.

The next year my school friend Barry Kinghorn and I went back. We saw the rucksack, still trapped in the same place. To this day, it may still be rotting away with my tuna sandwich and Double Decker chocolate bar inside.

SUM IT UP IN FIVE WORDS.

Awesome. Grandeur. Scale. Beauty. History.

WHAT TRAVEL SPOT IS ON YOUR POST-LOCKDOWN WISH LIST?

Japan. When lockdown happened last year, I was in Australia visiting my brother-in-law. My wife and I had planned to head to Japan next.

Our itinerary was meant to be Tokyo, catching the bullet train to see Mount Fuji and onto Kyoto for cherry blossom season. The tour also included the Art Islands and Hiroshima. That was cancelled, but we have ring-fenced the money for a future trip.

Jack Docherty stars as Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson in an election special, Scot Squad: The Chief Does Democracy, BBC Scotland, Thursday, 10pm