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Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre

Angus Og and the towrists

 

A black-and-white cartoon strip with three panels. In the first panel, two characters stand outside a thatched cottage. One says, “I certainly will not tell the gentleman to clear off—he can take a picture of our house if he likes!” Another replies, “But dash me—you could have charged him a pound!” In the second panel, two characters inside the cottage comment, “She’s far too soft with them tourists!” and “I’ll chust go and see if he wants to buy a drink of water!” In the third panel, a man wearing a hat and checked shirt stands outside the cottage speaking politely: “No thank you ma’am—but there is something I’d like to buy from you!” The cartoon humorously portrays locals debating how to deal with tourists, contrasting hospitality with missed opportunities to make money.
Angus Og and the Peat Reek

The island of Drambeg is a popular destination for visitors seeking spectacular scenery, history, ancestral connections, legends, nostalgia, fresh air, romance, an escape from the ‘modern world’, wildlife, fishing, hiking and adventure. Angus has been known to assist the Drambeg tourist board with schemes to benefit financially from the towrists, occasionally assisted by Granny McBrochan’s magic!

A black-and-white cartoon strip with three panels set in a rural Highland landscape. In the first panel, two characters stand outside a thatched cottage. One says: “But dash me, Angus, you couldn’t run an adventure school here—you haven’t got the facilities!” The other replies: “Of course we have, Lachie—” In the second panel, the view shifts to a wide valley with mountains, a loch, and scattered sheep. The same character continues: “There’s Ben Oovi yonder for the clients to fall off—” and “And Loch Oovi for them to fall into—” In the third panel, the cottage is shown again with hills in the background, and the character adds: “And they’ll not find more adventurous accommodation anywhere than we’ve got!” The humor comes from the exaggerated idea that natural hazards and a basic cottage count as “adventure school facilities.”
Angus Og and the Adventure School

Sometimes the hordes of visitors can seem like an invasion and inconvenience to the islanders with even Angus hoping the towrists stay away…which does happen if the midges and weather get particularly bad!

A black-and-white cartoon strip with four panels. In the first panel, two characters are outdoors surrounded by oversized midges (tiny biting insects), and one exclaims: “Great heavens, Lachie—it’s giant midges!” The other shouts: “Help! They’re as big as speugs!” (meaning sparrows). In the second panel, the two characters run frantically as more giant midges swarm around them, saying: “What’ll we do—they’ll eat us alive!” and “There’s only one thing for it—into the loch!” The third panel shows them diving headfirst into the water with a big “SPLASH!” sound effect. In the fourth panel, several heads bob in the loch, surrounded by midges, and one character says: “Och it’s yourself, Angus—the midges is bad tonight!” The humor comes from exaggerating the notorious Highland midges into giant, sparrow-sized pests, forcing people to hide in the loch.
Angus Og and the Short Hot Summer

Occasionally, even the native islanders who live in communities across Drambeg all year round join the towrists relaxing in the ‘remote, unspoiled, empty wilderness’.

A black-and-white cartoon strip with two panels. The first panel features a decorative sun illustration and text that reads: “The fine weather continues and the sun-loving islanders disport themselves on the beach with all the customary abandon of the utter Hebridean.” The second panel shows five people standing ankle-deep in water on a beach, all wearing everyday clothes such as caps, headscarves, and rolled-up trousers rather than swimsuits. A bird stands on a rock in the foreground, and hills rise in the background. One person says: “Where’s your Costa Brava now, Lachie!” The humor lies in the contrast between the grand description of carefree beach life and the reality of modest, practical islanders paddling in cold water.
Angus Og and the Drambeg Drouth
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