Interviews: Lord Thomas Brumm

Hello and welcome back to our series of occasional interviews from some of our nature reserve visitors this year. Here is an interview from one of our community, Lord Thomas Brumm of Germany, who visited the Nature Reserve back in early September.

HT: Hello Lord Thomas, and thank you for taking part in our interview series. Thank you also for visiting the reserve. We are so pleased you took such pleasure from it. Here are a few questions for you:

What were your particular reasons for visiting Glencoe Wood nature reserve?

Lord Thomas: I had visited Glencoe Wood 3 years ago. I wanted to revisit my estate, and also wanted to see the progress the area has made since then.

HT: Have you been to Scotland before? If so what were your highlights and favourite places?

Lord Thomas: Where should I begin? I was in Scotland 2007, 2012 & 2015
Highlights were: – Glencoe Wood (of course), Queens View at loch Tummel, Loch Ness, Old Man of Storr, Talisker Beach, Talisker Distillery, Glenfinnan, Isle of Mull, Tobermory, Oban, Oban Distillery, Kilmartin Ancient Wood Temple, Isle of Islay, Bowmore and Adbeg Distillery, Antonies Wall Falkirk, Bannockburn Museum, Stirling, Wallace Monument (but not the Mel Gibson Statue in front), Isle of Arran, Ben Nevis (Oct. 2012 no fog, no clouds).

The beautiful and unspoilt Talisker bay on the Isle of Skye. Historically part of Clan Macleod territory. When Samuel Johnson visited in 1773 he wrote that Talisker ‘…is beyond all that I have seen; from which the gay and the jovial seem utterly excluded..’. (Tch, those whingeing southerners!). Talisker also gives its name to a very fine brand of Scottish whisky.

HT: No fog, no clouds on Ben Nevis? In October? That’s some kind of miracle, friend! By the way we apologise unreservedly for the Mel Gibson (“not in our name”) statue.

Whereabouts did you stay during your visit to the West of Scotland? And are you intending to travel further around Scotland, or beyond?

Lord Thomas: I Stayed in the West in: Lochranza (Isle of Arran), Oban (at least 8 nights in 8 years), Fort William, Kylikin (Isle of Skye), Port Ellen (Isle of Islay). Every Vacation was a Circle, from Edinburgh or Glasgow clockwise back to the airport.

HT: Do you have any Scottish ancestors, or other connections to Scotland? If so can you tell us a little bit about them?

Lord Thomas: No relations here. I Just love Scotland, the Nature, the weather (in 5 weeks vacation 6 days of rain), the people. I met a lot of Scots in pubs for example. With some of them I’m in contact by Facebook.

HT: Perhaps you feel Scotland is a ‘spiritual home’, Lord Thomas, and you would not be alone in feeling that. Did you see any interesting flora or fauna during your visit, and what would you say was your favourite thing about the nature reserve?

Lord Thomas: I love the heather especially when blooming, saw some small frogs at the lochs at Glencoe Wood. Totally love the Lochs at Glencoe Wood.

HT: Is there anything you would love to see in the nature reserve in the future that isn’t there at present in terms of wildlife, or facilities, or something else?

Lord Thomas: Maybe it sounds crazy, I talked about this also to David during my Tour of Glencoe Wood. In Germany you have now some “Peace Forests.” That means, in those Forests around the big trees you can buy an urn grave, you can even buy a “Family tree” with up to 12 or 18 urn graves around the trees. In those Forests there are no grave stones just the trees got numbers and it is totally forbidden to bring flowers, sculptures, plastic things or anything to the Trees. It is just a Forest of remembering. I think this would be a great thing in Glencoe Wood.

HT: It doesn’t sound crazy at all; it seems a wonderful way to remember loved ones. Finally, do you have any other comments you would like to make before we say goodbye to you – or should we say – au revoir, or even auf wiederhesen?

Lord Thomas: I think you are doing a great project. Next time I stay in Scotland I will definitely visit Glencoe again. Thank you!

HT: Thanks Thomas! We certainly enjoyed meeting you and we hope you come again soon to Bonnie Scotland!