Today the Blog; tomorrow the World. It is pleasing to count the Independent as a reader of this rant. Under the head line King
MacArthur: Scots lay claim to the legend of the round table’ the Scotland Correspondent pokes some fun at the revival of Scottish claims to the ownership of the Arthurian legend. He can’t have read ‘Musings’ carefully as the Scottish Borders connection is confined to the final throw away paragraph. Much space is given to the utterances of certain Hugh McArthur (why is it that he is aged 42 worth a mention?) who with his name which I assume is not (assumed that is)is hardly an objective commentator. Mr McA cites many non Borders Scottish locations (eg Arthur’s Seat and Loch Lomond was The Lake’) in his claim that the Knights of the Round Table roamed the Glens in days gone by. He even drags in a Welsh/Breton connection with one Artur MacAeden a Welsh speaking Prince of the Britons who ruled the Strathclyde area between the 4th and 11th centuries. Tintagel as the seat of Arthur is rubbished (with the inevitable reaction from the custodian of King Arthur’s Great Halls who stated that ‘Scotland is a rehash of about three years ago.’ Since then the peripatetic Arthur has been claimed by Russia and Northumbia apparently.Cornwall is on to a good thing and will stick to it. )
All good publicity for Walt Disney’s King Arthur, the expected no 1 box office hit of this summer. Braveheart and Rob Roy did wonders for the Highland’s tourist trade-although not quite as well as Monarch of the Glen for Kingussie. In the meanwhile the SBTB is working on technology which will allow a severed arm to raise Excalibur above the surface of a local flooded gravel pit when tourists stroll by. Anyone with an arm to spare should contact the Board. Given some of the admission prices to our few attractions in these parts the contribution of a leg as well might be appropriate. Good luck I say.
