Remembering the life and work of Scottish poet James Hogg

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Quiet rolling hills built with serene lochs and farms - the Ettrick and Yarrow valley was a world inhabited by James Hogg, also known as the Ettrick Shepherd.

In his time he was one of the most famous writers in Britain.

A literary superstar who counted Walter Scott and William Wordsworth as friends and equals, his novels and poems are rooted in his native landscape.

These days though he is less well-known to the wider public, and a new trail has been developed that hopes to change this, using Hogg’s words to guide tourists through the region.

Barbara Harrison, from the Ettrick and Yarrow Tourist Association, said: "We wanted to attract many more visitors to the valley as we could. One of the big assets that we had was the fact that James Hogg was born in Ettrick.

"Want we wanted to do was develop a route around the valleys that would showcase the valley’s through the eyes of James Hogg and his poetry and the places he lived and worked."

The core of the new Hogg trail follows the path of Ettrick water, roughly 18 miles between Selkirk and the village of Ettrick.

Barbara added: "We see the Ettrick and Yarrow Valley’s as a hidden gem. It is wild, remote and very scenic.

"It is not as well known as other parts of the Borders and Hogg in his day was certainly better known that what he is these days.

"So we hope that we have developed a trail and broken it down many ways that are really accessible for people who may know something about Hogg or a lot about Hogg or may never have heard of him but we think it is interesting enough to draw people in showcase the lovely area we have here on offer."

Known for his poems and novels, Hogg also still inspires musicians this very day.

Musician Hilary Bell said: "The music is kind of from another time when life was more simple. The land hasn’t changed basically since his time, the people have changed but the land hasn’t."

Fellow musician John Nicol added: "When you are reading his works you know fine that he knows exactly what he is talking about. He talks about characters but these were real characters, people he knew.

"The language he uses is so rich it is straight off the hill. It is certainly a new experience for a lot of people.

"They have maybe read his poems or heard his songs but to actually be in the places that these song, poems and novels were inspired takes it to a new level."

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