An Ancient Ritual in a Cave? Cottage Restoration. Highland Traditions & Superstitions, Scotland.

[@TheScottishIsle]

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[@marylyon1230]

Forgot to mention I love the curtains. You have so many skills. It seems to just come naturally to you.

[@melaniehoshall6942]

Every one of these crofts represent someone's hopes and dreams for a future, the ability to have, raise, and support a family. Maybe the memories linger in the stones.

[@mythtree6348]

a local old croft has just fallen in.. the roof was let go. Its so sad cos my friends and i used to restore them . ive not the physical strength now sadly.

[@staceyalbert3523]

Absolutely my favourite KZbin moments are spent watching your channel. Loved loved loved the music! The only thing is, I never want the episodes to end. 😊Thank you for bringing joy!

[@glendasmith7507]

Today is St Patrick’s day. It made me think a big leprechaun left those green moss covered old shoes 😂😂😂😉

[@Ann-o5j]

Yes special for the moss tickler! 🤣

[@glenysperry3421]

Antique shoes in strange places, banter, sweet sheep, sewing, destructing wood and wire, beautiful rocks and old falling apart crofts, photos. Love it all.

[@AmyLovesOldStuff]

I agree with you Kate, seeing the old crofts makes me think of my grans wanting to go back home "one time before I die." I become melancholic but remind myself they had a great life in America after immigrating in 1907.

[@Caareenkm6726]

Thanks for all your videos. I don’t comment a lot here but I do watch. Just wanted to thank you. 🙂 Alberta Canada 🇨🇦 I’m getting excited for your new adventures in gardening. ❤️

[@TheScottishIsle]

Thanks for watching! Kx

[@megmills4798]

O dear Katie😅 you are a pestimist she says❤,i always love watching your show😊

[@judymcgovern8454]

The curtains look fabulous Katy. I also find old deralict buildings moving, I imagine the people who lived there and what their life must have been like ❤

[@sventhompson]

Makes me think of the song as sung by the Chieftains "May Morning Dew". (The house I was reared in is but a stone on a stone And all round the garden wild thistles have grown And all the fine neighbors that ever I knew Like the red rose they withered in the May morning dew.)

[@megmills4798]

Curtains are beautiful😊

[@lindachenoweth9002]

Loved the curtains Katie. And thanks again for a really nice and educational walk, you never know what you will find!

[@beverlyethridge5084]

I love the look of sack cloth curtains. My grandmother used it in so many ways.

[@nadineveitch5837]

What I would give to be surrounded by so much archaeology! I spent a winter metal detecting our front paddock which had an old (ok 1900 odd so NZ old haha) sawmill in the front paddock. Was hours of entertainment.. found an old pocket knife, padlock, horse shoes, rasps, axe heads. Can't wait to see what you find!

[@loverizzato9081]

Love the curtains and the length. Perfectly rustic. Great job!

[@annehicks9992]

I'm with you Katie. I always feel sad when I wander old buildings / ruins, thinking of the people that lived there and their lives.

[@davidprice1356]

You're living the dream of true explorers, always searching for the right path that will lead you to places of interest. It's like living in a museum. With your vlog and you as our guide, us explorers, without the means, can discover with you the secrets the island keeps. Wow, that sounds like the title of a book or movie.

[@janegreen9967]

One and three quarters the size of the window, for one curtain.ll❤

[@Ivuška118]

Thank you for nice watching!🌷❤

[@TheHylander27]

The curtains and rope tie backs look fab!

[@djmoulton1558]

I know it is not finished yet (you haven't even been on the island a year yet) but once you feel that map has got to a relatively finished state I think you could sell copies of it as merchandise to support your channel. Just a thought. I'd certainly buy one!

[@iamshotty]

Oh I'd love to dig around and lark through the cave of shoes. There's a lot of history right there. The burlap curtains look fabulous. The croft ruins are beautiful and yet sad at the same time. It would be lovely to breathe life back into those stones that whisper a thousand stories.... Love it. xx Teresa 🇦🇺❤

[@Mari-jt3kr]

Dear Katie and Scott, I found your channel a week ago and I like it very much 😍 The cave with the shoes is exciting. There were and still are a lot of rituals with shoes. For example, in ancient times, worn-out shoes were walled up when houses were built. Perhaps for good luck for the residents. These shoes are occasionally found during renovations today. I could imagine that people who had to leave the island, their homeland (for marriage or work, for example), perhaps left a shoe behind. There was also "the ritual of the single shoe" in Ireland, which had something to do with claiming power and land. But I don´t know, I was just wondering 😊

[@britishgal1808-Sue]

The curtains are lovely, they will keep prying eyes away, hopefully! :)

[@megmills4798]

Loved ending😊

[@pinkellie7346]

Thank you, for sharing your adventure with us. 💕

[@koheleth7098]

My wife, hearing the comment "Is it just the one?" about Americans, shouts at the tv, "Yes, Scott, we're all coming! Get ready!"

[@megmills4798]

The one rock reminded me of a ❤️

[@marinagauthier4597]

The BBC wrote an article about concealed shoes. It mentions the shetland islands. Thousands of shoes have been found. Its a very very old tradition that extends to USA and Canada. I sent a link to one article sorry if that was a NoNo. A little excerpt It lists just under 3,000 shoes found in properties from the Shetland Islands to the Isles of Scilly, with the greatest number being from the south-east of England

[@sallywatton2580]

You have been popping up for a while just started watching

[@TheScottishIsle]

We hope you enjoy! Kx

[@lizservice898]

Loving your humour you two! Great find -the cave of abandoned shoes, there must be a story there, you could write a book! Your curtains are fabulous Katie! Really look forward to your episodes 😊

[@dcimedic]

Talking about the original inhabitants choosing burlap sacks for the windows it reminded me of my grandmother talking about making dresses out of cotton flower sacks after the great depression in the US.

[@richardwilliams5051]

Put there by the local preacher trying to save soles 😉

[@deirdrepasko9056]

Bahahaha

[@lindabaker2905]

smartie pants lol

[@julietprentice1103]

That made me chuckle 😂

[@megmills4798]

I have learned what you see through curtain outside during the day at night people can see in if light is present in a room as clear😊

[@patriciawilson7878]

Love the curtains. Your show is very good.

[@stevesmith9262]

I'm absolutely enjoying this progress you both are doing on the island and all the stuff you are finding. Keep it up all the best with more adventures cheers from New Zealand.

[@wildflower1335]

Ah Katie... the small cave just may be a hiding place for your Wellies collection 🤣🤣

[@megmills4798]

O wow‼️what a find of shoes😊

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

Fascinating little cave, definitely needs a closer look for bottles, pots, buckles etc. After seeing all the abandoned crofts around Scotland i often thought about getting one and doing it up, sadly I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for the manual labour required.

[@philipbarrett3151]

Unfortunately they almost never come up for sale.

[@jenniferfarrah3134]

Loved the mysterious boot cave , I think also there lived a cobbler near by 😂. If all the crofts were rebuilt , & then occupied for only a few months of the year , it would become like Cornwall , very sad . Best left . More romantic . Great episode .

[@JaneyH]

I’m with Katy That place made me very low… think some people just empaths with things Same for me with school house.. Thanks for sharing Have a great week both 🐑🐑

[@hanneliewiese3477]

Love all your expeditions 😊 Love these old buildings and ancient history ... makes me sad too. Wish I could live there❤

[@girlnorthof60]

The shoe-midden find sent me down an interesting interweb rabbit hole... especially unusual that the heels were removed. Thank you for sharing your lives with us. 🙏

[@wildflower1335]

I get melancholy as well when I see old crumbly homesteads. I wonder of their excitement of their new home, I their first Christmas, what was their favorite color, kind of pie, who were they?

[@lauraautry6992]

I love how you both scout the island. I would be hiking everyday it is so beautiful there. I love the ducks 😊. Your curtains had more charm to your kitchen really nice 🤗❤️

[@stephenbatchelor7400]

Another great episode! Perhaps the heels were still usable, and went into the new pair?

[@KatyThompsonHaley]

Oh! That first shot of y’all walking over the moss covered rocks! ❤😍😍😍

[@MysticStarLite]

I love the idea of being an archaeologist. You both live in an awesome place for that as anything that's old here in the United States gets destroyed and turned into a tiny shopping area. I long for history.

[@glynislaidlaw4064]

Another beautiful episode, i can't wait for each new story, I would love to be in your kitchen helping make the curtains with you Kate. those tiebacks were beautiful! When I was a small child in school we made a cushion from the sacking, we drew threads out, widthways and lengthways then did cross stich patterns using wool. Very colourful !

[@williamfrasermilne]

Great show once again. Always good too see what you are up too. Regarding the Croft houses yes it’s a shame about the croft houses being left to fall down. We have a few not far from us. On the Dava moor. Good you both have sticks now.

[@lindagage7315]

Enjoyed this vlog, good job on the curtains, they look quaint!

[@marionlesage4794]

I love your channel. The latest videos are getting me through a nasty viral infection. Thank you for making life better by sharing your day. Katie needs some chickens. They make life better and make more lovely compost. 😊 The curtains are a lovely touch as was removing the birch rails. The shoe cave was fascinating.❤

[@mythtree6348]

I'm a wee bit further north from you but i find old victorian boots and bottles quite often too. If you go in the cave be careful not to be asphyxiated. The air can get very stale on caves before you know it.

[@MrMarkr1892]

"A more frugal and simple life" in one of those abandoned cottages sounds like bliss. I'd need a shower though or a heated waterfall 😊 Amazed you are still finding new treasures now that the fern (bracken) has died down.

[@adamshore7641]

Seeing all those old shoes really was like 'stepping' back in time. Will be interesting to see what you discover with the metal detector.

[@janetmackinnon3411]

Ah, even your clock brings back memories...every Friday night my grandmother wound up a clock like that, i.e. "she rowwed the nock".

[@glennwing4214]

A Cave of Shoes. Your island has everything! How would you say that in Gaelic? Katie, I love your rustic curtains, and Scott, I always appreciate your knowledge of antique things, this time shoes.

[@ZadenZane]

Ciamar a tha sibh! What a gorgeous video. Maybe this sounds like a stupid thing to say but I have a question:how come there's so many trees on your island? I used to watch BBC Alba all the time on satellite TV and although I loved the language and the music and nearly everything about Scotland I used to tell myself I could never live in the Highlands or Islands because I love trees. In all those years of viewing Gàidhlig TV and watching the entire series of Speaking Our Language, I don't remember stmore than about 12 trees! And yet your island is covered in them! How can this be? Also, how do you manage to use the internet on a remote island?

[@TheScottishIsle]

This is the last remnants of the Caledonian Rainforest. In regards internet, our viewers crowdfunded Starlink for us. 🤍 Kx

[@ZadenZane]

@@TheScottishIsle I looked into Starlink, wow! Thanks for replying, how amazing to live in the Northern Rainforest! I love trees so much and although I love the crashing waves and spiggly coasts of the Western Isles, I couldn't live there, it's too exposed. Your Island is absolutely gorgeous. I put your video on my twitter. If you're lucky you might get one extra view from that.🤪

[@dkbauman6982]

Hello from Canada! Thank you for another lovely video

[@tricial4330]

One day someone will find Katie's wellie hoard and do a KZbin video about it, right? That green on the old boots! Electric green! I love the curtains also, very humble, sturdy and perfect. I've used new soft canvas painters dropcloth for draperies, they are so natural and durable as well.

[@margaretlynch1494]

Leprechauns are cobblers. Yours was probably off to Ireland for st. Paddy's day. 😂 Your curtains are lovely, Katie!❤❤ I thought that fence might keep the sheep on the path...Was that wire you were cutting, Scott?... I won't worry. You know best.🥸❤

[@cynthiabruns7178]

I love your burlap curtains and the tie backs, that little cave like place with the shoes looks like an interesting place to do a bit of digging, never know what else could have been tossed. Really enjoy your channel.

[@marionbartley214]

Hello Katie and Scott, great video today, Katie I like your new rustic curtains. And while going on the walk ,coming across the shoes that was interesting. Also the discovery of the little stone previous house, I felt a little sad also. Knowing that previous people lived there. and I wondered what their life would have been like? And what happened to them? Looking forward to the next video.

[@DebraCarey-h5t]

There is always a bit of ritual in traditions. Rituals that connect generations. Just as you will feel connected to the past occupants by using the burlap cloth for your windows.

[@brendakilberg5727]

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful island with us. Your curtains are perfect.

[@philipbarrett3151]

We love the closing where you walk off into the distance and we just hear the chatter hanging in the air.

[@blupoppy608]

the cave was fun :) loved seeing the sewing bit as well. Another fun video, thanks

[@Xanthelou]

That shoe cave is so intriguing. For some reason, when you mentioned all the heels were removed, I felt that this was a tradition getting rid of shoes that would never be walked in again because their owner had passed away unexpectedly. Removing the shoes was a nod to the idea that that person cohld never be replaced and no one could walk in their shoes. Isn't it fun, thinking about the why of things!

[@marypasco2213]

Love the 'green' boot. Doesn't look like mold, to me. Looks like dye. The style of the other boot looks fantastic. Reproduce it, maybe? Absolutely LOVE your vlogs! ❤

[@Seven50ml]

That intro was spot on 👏

[@brucecampbell1291]

So much to explore, so much to find?

[@gwencrosswhite9329]

As always love the treasure hunting, history lessons and banter!! Once while in England saw that our waitress had written The Americans on her order pad. Ha!! We Americans can be a thorn in the side but we sure love your channel 😊

[@TheScottishIsle]

We love you guys. 🤍

[@louiseswart1315]

If it if legal to disturb those boots, they would make interesting planters. Your island could well be an archeological estate with all those crofts rebuilt!

[@sallywatton2580]

I totally agree with your veiw on ritual

[@wildflower1335]

We see & hear a lot of "Canadian Honkers", i love the raucous noise they make!

[@beverlyzimmermann5868]

Another great show

[@michellewalls1464]

Hello from Indiana in the U S. I think it should be called the cave of "soles" for the shoe soles. Especially on the map.😊

[@Algorithmicgeneratedwordsalad]

When you were showing The Eccentric little shoe cave it reminded me of some of the folklore that my mom had been taught as a child growing up and I know that her grandmother was from the Isles we don't know which one before they had come to the United States and like you said they probably would have left around the same time that you guys are talking about the island being abandoned make makes me kind of sad as well

[@jenhanlon3840]

Love the curtains ☺️

[@Laurie-z9c]

Fascinated with the shoe discovery😮 I googled it, the National Museum of Scotland has a collection dating back to 1810. There appeared to be superstitious rituals as you suggested. Quite the find! My curiosity would love to know the age of those shoes!! My husband and I thank you for another wonderful video❤

[@farmkay]

I was late to the party. Slept in 😂 About the shoes found in walls. They and sometimes clothes were usually put near outer doorways and windows to keep evil away. Be it living or dead evil? Mostly dead. Some countries put the bones of an animal down where a new fireplace was to be built usually under the hearthstone.

[@howardsportugal]

Some of those old shoe designs would be brilliant to recreate - for sale perhaps...

[@howardsportugal]

If you soak your wirecutters in vinegar for a bit then that will reconvert the rust (Iron 3 hydroxide) to black Iron Oxide which can then be oiled to preserve the finish 👍

[@emilyflotilla931]

Interesting find with the shoes. Where's Time Team when you need them?

[@melodygranny4883]

Love the curtains! I am making some too and waiting for the weights. Mine are linen.😊

[@deborahgallagher-vu5hl]

What do use the weights for?

[@adelinefinlay1582]

With stiff material,weights help the curtains hang better

[@joyceglaister2086]

I have just watched this episode and love the historical information about the Island. Question - is the old school and some of the old cottages on the mainland. Like Katie I feel nostalgic about the derelict cottage and envisage the hardworking peoplewho lived there. Once again thank you. 🐏🐑🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

[@TheScottishIsle]

Thank you. Yes, those old buildings are just across the water from us, on the mainland. Kx

[@carolynstewart5825]

Still a beautiful place to live. The shoes are just bazar! Do you want neighbours that close to you? I can not think why the area and its croft ruins are not listed as Scottish heritage sites??? You two on the bike. How cool do you look? The photos really explain why you want to make changes. I was thinking with the outdoor wood that you got rid of- I would need something like that at night so, I would not end up face down in the plants below! Looking forward to more!

[@michelineheise5959]

Thanks

[@TheScottishIsle]

Thank you! 🤍

[@sandfly60]

I love the Cave of old Soles. The heels may have been removed for re-use.

[@kimsheather3745]

My husband was saying that the nails hammered into the bottom of the shoes like that were what rock fishermen used to help them grip on the rocks

[@headron66]

‘Keeking in’ to peep in ‘Midden’ a place to throw rotten food (used as a compost heap)or for old junk Lovely Scots words and I think Northern English probably derived from other nations at one point I had a talk with my mam on Mother’s Day about how ‘the young ones’ are losing their Scots tongue and her passion for speaking and reading in her own tongue. It started because I said I was going to Anstruther and she corrected me, “it’s Ainster” she said🤣. Your curtains are lovely Katie❤

[@shellypontz4155]

You need a good battery-operated weed trimmer on the island! It makes quick work of trimming down all the tall grass where you don't want it or can't mow it.

[@pitchforkcustom]

we had a no new shoes on the table rule.. i think it was akin to opening an umbrella indoors or walking under a ladder only to be underneath a winched 🎹 not caves though. quite sad someone put them there really. maybe not sad maybe a mark they’d been on the island. a footprint 👣 lot of lives lived around you.. i can understand the wonder and melancholy moments. ❤

[@raneemilliman7130]

You know, we're not all bad, here in America.

[@TheScottishIsle]

Hi Ranee. As we have plenty of American friends, one of them coming to stay, and others who's help was paramount in getting us to this island, you can park my tongue in cheek comments as 'taking the piss' (as we say over here). I wasn't being serious and people really do need to stop being so hyper-sensitive and go with the natural flow of the 'show'.

[@raneemilliman7130]

@TheScottishIsle I wasn't offended by any means. It seems much of what you say is with tongue in cheek. No problem. However, there may be a bit of sensitivity for some.

[@TheScottishIsle]

@@raneemilliman7130 Oh, there has been! 🤭

[@gloriak491]

Have you two figured out the shoes? I would be curious to see how they all ended up in the crevice. Katie I love the curtains.

[@melodyc6363]

I love those old boots with the 💚 bright green 💚 moss, I think you would call it... 😍👍 I also get very confused about if you're on the island or the mainland. The old croft, is that on the mainland?

[@philiptaylor7902]

On the A40 between Studley Green and Stokenchurch is a "shoe tree" where old pairs are suspended from the branches by their laces. A curious local tradition.

[@joanmoss9371]

My mother’s paternal side were from Peinchorran Braes on Skye and aunt Isa had a bothy…1880s info.

[@annettemurielle]

I imagine it's a cobbler's cave where he hid his failures. I mean, why waste a heal on shoes the didn't measure up. LOL!

[@plainnpretty]

Maybe the heels could be reused on other shoes?

[@pitchforkcustom]

elves and the shoemaker.. maybe leave a nice bit of leather out and see what’s fashioned by morning 😊😮

[@randallsherryadams5040]

I wonder if there was something about the shoes being from folks who had passed? Don’t know that I’d be too keen on wearing a dead person’s shoes. Island superstitions? Just a happy little thought! 😂

[@TheScottishIsle]

I probably couldn't count how many "dead man's shoes" I have worn? Charity shopping was a way of life back in the 90s/early 2000s.

[@marylyon1230]

It is currently happening here in the States. Many many small towns dying off, losing most of their population, downtowns closed up and falling apart. I follow a youtube guy who travels all the States and he shows these towns on camera, driving through decayed neighborhoods, and gives all the stats about population loss, incomes, etc. Fascinating but sad.