Hiv ye ivver loupit the Linn – baith wyes?
Your headline Lure o the Linn o Dee on the front cover of the August Leopard struck a chord with me. It goes back to the Fifties when I did a lot of climbing and skiing in the Cairngorms.
I happened to be with my friend Sandy Anderson (now resident in Newburgh) visiting a relative of his in Torry. As we were leaving, the relative said to me, “Hiv ye ivver loupit the Linn?”. He made it sound as though you’ve never lived if you haven’t made the leap.
After that, every time I passed the Linn I recalled his words and the lure became increasingly strong. I used to stop and look at the jump. Lengthwise it looked quite feasible and from the north bank one would be jumping downwards on to a rocky ledge. The main problem would be keeping one’s balance on the ledge and then negotiating what looked like an easy rock climb on the face above.
I founded and ran the Outdoor Club at Inverurie Academy and we often spent the October long weekend at what was Inverey School – the boys and male staff in tents, the girls and female staff inside, as it had only one room. Having had a couple of energetic days climbing we were having an easy day, so I said to two of the senior boys whom I knew to be competent and reliable, “Fancy a bit of excitement?”. They were keen.
There had been a lot of rain and the foaming water was rushing through the narrow channel. I tied on to a climbing rope, not that it would help me, but at least if I didn’t make it they wouldn’t be searching for a body! I jumped, managed to hold on and climbed the rock face to the top where I belayed to a tree. Each of the boys then made the jump on a tight rope, so that I could hold them if they came off. They both did it and felt they had achieved something.
How many others have loupit the Linn and have any done it both ways? It would be interesting to know.
James R MacKay,
30 Boat Croft, Kemnay AB51 5GZ