Author: Cathbad

Thursday the 24th of August

Meet at the Wordsmith Crafts Workshop by 7pm. If you want to go on the water you will need to become a member of “Cluaran” so that we can keep track of the paperwork.

If the tide is right we will be rowing, if there is no water then there are plenty of other tasks!

These include boat related crafts, maintenance – and character development for Nithraid on the 2nd of September.

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For more Wordsmith Crafts events – check out the calendar page

Launch!

Thank you to everyone who came along to get the boat on the water on the 13th of July. This goes for the shore crew as well as those who braved the watery depths… well shallows… of the Nith.

We were successful in launching and rowing the boat. The shore crew caught some of it on camera – and we even have a film of it made by David Slater (DRS Video Clips)

The next boat evening we have scheduled is for Thursday the 24th of August. 1900 to 2100 again, rendezvous at the Wordsmith Crafts Workshop (3 James Avenue, Dumfries).

More details will be posted closer to the time.

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If you want to think about the sorts of characters who might, could have or perhaps will inhabit the Nith, then have a go at filling in this form:

You can also become a member of Cluaran by signing up to the newsletter lists of your choice (or volunteering to help manage the project!).

Cluaran will be taking part in Nithraid 2023. Rather than racing though, they will be rowing around the town and time.

How can you row around town?

Most people think about the river Nith as a scenic backdrop. For much of time however it has been used actively.

Dumfries is built round a river and beside a river crossing. The Burgh of Dumfries is blended with the Burgh of Maxwelltown now, but for centuries they shared the river crossing and boundary which brought merchants and pilgrims to both of them when they needed to cross the river.

The river has always been an asset and a challenge! Its location means that you can paddle on from your doorstep, but also that some houses are at risk from flooding. When there was a cattle market by the river that flooding would perhaps have been a welcome clean up.

Dock park is a harbour where trading ships used to dock. In a time before railways, water travel was a very attractive way to move goods around Scotland – and the rest of the world. Having a harbour in your town centre was definitely an advantage.

Time and technology changes though, some of it is very welcome. Plumbing and washing machines have changed the way the sands have been used for the better. We will therefore be rowing around the upper reaches of the Nith and interacting with the public, telling stories from the past, present, and future. Thinking about how we can relate to the river.

Planning starts this evening at 7ish in the Wordsmith Crafts Workshop