Every Highland path has its hazards, and for one distinguished laird the humble stile is about to prove the most testing of them all.
Dressed in his finest tweed jacket, tartan kilt and a tam o’shanter topped with a red pompom, feather and cheerful daisy, our laird has set out for a proper day on the hill. His rucksack is packed with all the essentials: a flask, a picnic wrapped in a red gingham cloth, a folded map, a pair of compasses and a shiny red apple. But with one leg cocked over the weathered timber, he has reckoned without his four-legged companion.
Behind him, a shaggy white lurcher has seized the strap of the rucksack in his teeth and is pulling with all his might. The result is a startled look over the shoulder, a precarious balancing act and a good deal of lost dignity, while the contents of the pack threaten to tumble onto the heather below. His trusty crook leans against the old dry-stone wall, quite out of reach.
Behind the commotion, Pippa’s illustration opens out into a glorious Highland panorama. Purple heather carpets the hillside, Scots pines frame the path and a whitewashed cottage sits above a sparkling loch, with layered blue mountains rolling away beneath a bright, cloud-dappled sky. The wooden signpost points the way to Ben Aonghas and Loch Dùin, though the laird looks to have rather more pressing matters at hand.
Rich in detail and brimming with warmth and mischief, McLurcher™ The Stile captures the gentle humour of country walking and the unshakeable mischief of a dog who simply will not be left behind. Part of the McLurcher™ Collection.