Blog | Follow in the footsteps of the ‘wise women’ of Lochaber on a new digital trail

Project Officer Kelly Morrison describes a new digital trail featuring wise women of Lochaber.

Wise woman, spey wife, bana-bhuidsichean, healer… witch. Intuitive women have been labelled many things over the centuries, and a new trail created by UHI’s Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research (CRTR) aims to share stories and sites connected to two of these women who have been represented in folklore and myth, and who continue to creatively inspire women today. The ‘wise women’ of Lochaber that feature in the trail of the same name are Gormshùil Mhòr na Maighe (The Great Gormula of Moy), and Corrag of Glencoe.

Creating the trail was made possible thanks to funding from the Jane Bruce Milne Anderson Dream Fund, which supports a range of creative arts projects at UHI which would otherwise be impossible. The projects chosen can deepen and enhance our understanding of the narratives and cultural knowing rooted in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. In turn, they add value to students, staff, and community experiences of UHI, particularly for women.

Project Officer at CRTR, Kelly Morrison said, “The inspiration for the project came from stories shared about these two wise women who were based in Lochaber as part of 'The Coast that Shaped the World' (COAST) digital cultural heritage project - Home - Coast that Shaped the World. This led to considerations on the representation of women in folklore through the centuries – including the suspicions and superstitions around their foretelling’s and ‘second sight’, as well as celebrations of their healing powers, intuition, and protection.”

“The funding allowed time to explore these themes and the creative interpretations and inspirations that have come from the stories, in music, art, and literature. There were several women involved in this project, including Laura Howell, a UHI National Progression Awards (NPA) Painting student who created the artwork for the cover image. Laura also submitted the original Gormshuil story as part of the COAST project.

The trail was also greatly enhanced by volunteer, Kayleigh Carr, a 4th year student from the School of Adventure Studies at UHI North, West and Hebrides in Fort William. Kayleigh contributed so much to the project, combining her passion for the subject with her skills in adventure guiding to explore the sites in person and share her knowledge and photography.

Kayleigh said, “I had not long finished reading a few books about historic women and how they shaped society today when the opportunity to be involved in this project manifested. I am especially interested in the 'Witch Wound' and how a women's wisdom and intuition was often misplaced. All too often woman's roles have been misconstrued or left out of historic stories and it was so good to have Corrag and Gormshuil and their role as the Wise Women brought to life and celebrated in this project - to visit and explore the areas that they walked and lived, fostered this deep connection to these feminine qualities.

“To be part of recreating the stories for future generations to connect with and remind them of that wisdom and intuition was such a joy. I feel that this project is so important for the historic representation of women in the Lochaber area and a cool opportunity! To have their legacy captured and their story known will hopefully inspire others to stand true to their inner knowing.”

As well as the student collaborations with CRTR, working on the project also involved reaching out to three museums in the region – all run by women – the Clan Cameron Museum, West Highland Museum, and the Glencoe Folk Museum. These are all stops on the trail which provide context to Lochaber, folklore, and the role of wise women in the history of the area.

The trail is available on Geotourist or by searching for ‘wise women of Lochaber’ under the ‘Discover’ section of the Geotourist website or app.

Find out more about the Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research