Laxdale Hall

I am a little uneasy about endorsing this semi-classic movie, filmed lovingly in a part of Scotland very close to my heart - the Applecross peninsula in a deeply remote corner of Wester Ross in the far North West Highlands. From about 1979 I became an absentee holiday home owner at #9 The Shore or to give it its posh name, #9 Shore Street. Two years prior to the purchase my daughter Gillian was born in Edinburgh with cystic fibrosis, a life-shortening medical condition. Subsequent holidays were clearly going to be difficult because of Gillian's chronic illness. But the people of Applecross wrapped my family up in cotton wool. Not only that, over the years they contributed a lot of money towards finding a cure for CF. The delightful story of the making Laxdale Hall is a tale a film historian could narrate. But the logistics must have been awesome in the extreme because at the time of filming there was a only one single track road in and one single track road out involving great courage to negotiate the fiercesome Pass of the Cattle. The film, while not up to the standard of, say, Whisky Galore or the Maggie is nevertheless not to be missed based on the book by the legendary Eric Linklater. I ask only that you blow a kiss when you pass #9 Shore Street where my late Gillian and her brother Alasdair spent many a happy, carefree holiday. And please don't forget to buy the DVD of Laxdale Hall. You won't be disappointed.