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Bench christened to celebrate Bard’s visit to Moray

Elgin Burns Club president Donald Lunan raises a toast to the Bard.
Elgin Burns Club president Donald Lunan raises a toast to the Bard.

A visit to a scenic viewpoint by one of Scotland’s most famous names has been commemorated with a bench.

Robert Burns stopped in Elgin during an exhausting tour of the country in 1787 to raise money from his poetry.

During the visit, the Bard wrote in his diary about the spectacular vista from the top of the town’s Lady Hill.

Of particular interest to the writer was the “magnificent” cathedral, despite the grand structure already being in ruins in the 18th Century.

Now Elgin’s Burns Club and the Castle to Cathedral to Cashmere project have christened a bench to replicate the view the poet would have enjoyed.

The bench features intricate designs of some of the town’s most famous buildings, including the cathedral.

Donald Lunan, president of the Burns Club, said: “During his visit to Elgin he had already become a bit of a national celebrity, he was quite a well-known character.

“He went on one or two tours seeking patrons to fund his work and wealthy families in the area would be happy to entertain him.

“He passed through Elgin on his way to Fochabers and he was very impressed with the cathedral.

“We don’t know for sure what view Burns would have had of the town but we like to think he went to the top of Lady Hill and this is a nice way to commemorate it.”

The new bench was christened yesterday by actors portraying Burns and his travelling companion Willie Nicol sharing a dram at the summit.

In the coming weeks information boards will be erected on the hill to provide information about the town and the castle that once stood at the summit.

Jim Royan, chairman of Castle to Cathedral to Cashmere, said: “The history of Lady Hill goes all the way back to the medieval days.

“Nobody knows for sure what the castle would have looked like but it wouldn’t have been built for show, it would have had a purpose.

“In its day it was very much the Balmoral of its time, where royalty came for hunting and shooting experiences.”