Kirkmichael

By Jean Bell

A tribute to local icon Kirkmichael, Black Isle
Image provided by Jean Bell

Beside Udale Bay on the Black Isle is Kirkmichael. A beautiful little church nestling in a graveyard containing mausoleums and gravestones, some of national importance, tracking life here over the centuries. Hugh Miller, the writer and stone mason, worked on gravestones here in the 1830s. Several families still in the area have ancestors in the graveyard. In 2012 the church was nearly lost. The roofs were gone and the walls were collapsing. A dedicated team have raised funds and worked to save and restore this historical treasure for us all to enjoy and learn.

Many thanks to Jean Bell for sharing with us the story behind her journey stone, created as part of the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands.

WHAT IS A JOURNEY STONE?

Prior to the beginning of the stitching of each tapestry panel, each stitcher of the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands was tasked with telling their interpretation of the 'Spirit of the Highlands and Islands' within a blank outline of a stone. The possibilities were truly endless - is it represented in the land? The people? A historical site? A favourite memory?

In any case, each journey stone represents the connection between each individual stitcher, their story, and their own sense, or 'spirit', of place. Discover more of the stories behind the journey stones of the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands here.