This cache has been hidden by kind permission of Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd.
Dingwall was once a bustling market town and was a meeting place on some of the great drove roads of the Highlands and as such a Drover's exhibition and an impressive statue are situated just outside Dingwall at the site of the present day auction mart to commemorate the drovers and bring their story to life for the next generation and ensure their great feats are never forgotten. Please do have a look at the exhibition if you have time to spare :)
"Until the late 19th century the only way of transporting animals to the great livestock trysts in the south was to walk them there – a job entrusted to men known as the Highland drovers. The drover stands as a powerful symbol of the values, traditions and spirit of the Highlands and Islands". - Rossandcromartyheritage.org
"Droving is the practice of driving herds of livestock such as sheep or cattle over long distances by walking them, travelling by day and resting by night. The folk who do this are referred to as drovers. In the 18th century, Highland pastures were an excellent breeding ground for cattle which were herded south, generally for private buyers or to be sold at that markets, or trysts, held at Crieff and Falkirk. However, some cattle were driven all the way down to London’s Smithfield Market. Sir Walter Scott’s short story ‘The Two Drovers’, published in 1827, includes this description of the lifestyle: ‘The Highlanders are masters of the difficult trade of driving (or droving) which seems to suit them as well as the trade of war. They know perfectly the drove roads which lie over the wildest tracks of the country, and avoid as much as possible the highways, which distress the feet of the bullocks, and the turnpikes which annoy the spirit of the drovers; whereas, on the broad green or grey track across the moor, the herd not only moves with ease but may pick up a mouthful of food by the way. ‘At night, the drovers usually sleep along with their cattle, let the weather be what it will; and many of these hardy men do not rest under a roof during the journey from Lochaber to Lincolnshire. They are paid very highly, for it depends on their prudence, vigilance and honesty, whether the cattle reach the final market in good order. ‘The Highland drover carried a few handfuls of oatmeal and two or three onions, renewed from time to time, and a ram’s horn of whisky, which he used regularly but sparingly, every night and morning. ‘His dirk, so worn as to be concealed beneath the arm or the folds of his plaid was his only weapon, excepting the cudgel with which he directed the movements of the cattle. ‘A Highlander was never so happy as on these occasions. There was a variety in the whole journey; there was the constant change of place and scene and the intercourse with the various farmers, graziers and traders, intermingled with occasional merry-makings; and there was the consciousness of superior skill. The Highlander feels himself nowhere more at home than when following a gallant drove of his cattle in the character of their guardian.’ " - ambaile.org.uk