Driving north through Angus, the landscape shifts from ash and oak to birch and rowan, with the purple-streaked Cairngorms looming ahead. Glenisla, the last lowland valley before the mountains, hosts a rare sight: a thatched roof, believed to be the only remaining thatched roundhouse in Scotland.
Thatcher Tom Allan travelled three hours from the Scottish Borders to repair a hole in the lodge house on the Knockshannoch estate. Scottish thatchers are scarce, making long journeys common. Upon starting work, he encountered a byke of wasps rising from the thatch. A calm approach prevented conflict, and he gently teased new reed into place near their nest, using screw wires originally designed for fastening potato sacks.
Homeowners Pam and Mark reported a bad wasp year, with three bykes already removed. Wildlife thrives here: a heron nested in a neighbouring pine, a pine marten regularly visits the garden, and a few years ago, Pam found a bedraggled kitten under the thatch eaves—a Scottish wildcat hybrid, as most remaining wildcats are.
Allan finished by covering the new reed with chicken wire to protect against birds and other wildlife, a standard precaution in this wildlife-rich glen.
