My Heart's in the Highlands

By Aileen Hall

My Heart's in the Highlands Journey Stone
Image provided by Aileen Hall

I was part of a team which covered the whole of The Highland Council region. My ‘patch’ was Sutherland.

What a pleasure to drive through such stunning scenery. I visited beautiful places including Rosehall, Kinbrace, Bettyhill and Kinlochbervie, to name but a few. When I retired, my colleagues presented me with a poem loosely based on the poem by Burns, “My Heart’s in the Highlands”

Many thanks to Aileen Hall, of the Group 31 Top Left Stitchers, 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.