This is a teensy weensy hamlet nestling at the foot of the Campsie
Fells. It has its very own glen, said to be 'one of the prettiest glens
near Glasgow,' and is a most picturesque place. It was at one time known
simply as Campsie, and I'm not entirely sure when or why they changed it
to Clachan of Campsie. 'Clachan' is a Scots word meaning 'small
village', so perhaps someone important thought to emphasise the petite
nature of the place. Or perhaps there was a bit of a phlegm problem in
the village and they reckoned that having to say 'clachan' several times
a day was just the thing to loosen up all that mucous. Try it for
yourself... see? (For those of you unfamiliar with the pronunciation of
Scots words, the 'ch' part of the word should be uttered as if one were
clearing one's throat.) Perhaps in years to come doctors will forgo all
their pills and potions when dealing with respiratory ailments and
instead dispense instructions on how many times per day one should say,
'clachan.'
Clachan! Clachan! Clachan! Goodness, I feel better already. Chist the
job for hayfever.
Campsie Glen is a bewitching place with a few wood carvings dotted
here and there, a small waterfall, and paths that lead up into the wondrous Campsie Fells. This is
where Tom Weir, that lovable hiking TV presenter with the bobble hat
and the big red nose, first escaped the madness of Glasgow as a boy
and headed for the hills. It's not hard to see why this little hamlet
with its glen had such an effect on him. It is just beautiful.