Achi news desk-
Why are you going there?
Nostalgia, mostly. I grew up 10 minutes away on foot. In my mind, the castle, its grounds and the Clyde gently flowing past are inseparable from memories of my childhood.
This was also my late father’s favorite spot. He would walk there most nights until age and infirmity made it difficult. Every return visit reminds me of him.
How often do you go?
Not as often as I would like. I live in the south of England these days (I know, but that’s life) and so every trip back is special. I tend to come up to Glasgow maybe two or three times a year and I will try to get to the castle at least once.
How did you find it?
On a walk with the Scouts. I must have been about nine at the time. It was December or January. It had been snowing, this was back in the days when we still had a lot of snow, and the stuff was knee deep.
We had been walking for what felt, at least to nine-year-old me, like forever, and then suddenly through the woods, the castle appeared, its grounds covered in a blanket of white. It was like something out of Narnia.
What is your favorite memory?
If you force me to choose, I’d say it’s the first time I’ve taken my wife (that girlfriend) there. She is from South Africa. They don’t have big old stone castles there.
Who do you take?
My family – my wife and our two boys. It’s great to see the kids running around exploring the place, just like I did when they were their age.
What do you take?
It depends on the weather. On a good day, a rug and a picnic. Most of the time, a warm coat.
What are you leaving behind?
A piece of my heart.
Sum it up in five words.
Isolated, quiet, full of memories.
What other travel spot is on your wish list?
I want to visit South America. I have a rather strange hankering to go to Paraguay. I read a book about the place when I was a teenager. Their history is even more tragic than that of the Scots. Maybe there is a kinship there?
Hunting by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker, £14.99), is out now. The author will be in conversation with Vaseem Khan at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate on July 19. Visit harrogateinternationalfestivals.com
