THE off-the-wall delights of an Easter Ross town deserve far more attention from the hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world who set foot there every year.
That’s the view of a German writer who has thrown the spotlight on Invergordon as one of the places that reveal the true “soul” of Scotland – and who stumbled across a remarkable coincidence in the process.
While the deep water port town is the point of disembarkation for up to 230,000 cruise line passengers each year, the vast majority opt for whistle-stop tours on the well-trodden Highland tourist trail before their ships sail later the same day.
Berlin-based travel writer Sandra Wickert though was entranced by the town’s ground-breaking mural trail when she visited and inspired to include it in her book.
And the recent publication of Soul Places Schottland prompted a poignant discovery for the writer following time she herself spent there eight years ago.
For it was only after reading an online tribute in the Ross-shire Journal to the late Marion Rhind, one of the driving forces behind the town’s eye-catching mural trail, that she realised that the forward-thinking community stalwart had in fact been her host all those years ago.
She explained: “In 2017, I stayed for a few days in Saltburn and rented a house. My landlady was called Marion Rhind. We never met, but our email exchange was very friendly.
“Eight years later and I published my first book, for the German market. It is a very special guide book where I am presenting 80 special places where you can find the soul of Scotland.
“One of those 80 places are the murals of Invergordon. I was glad I had taken some pictures of them in 2017 so I could include them in the book. I also researched about their story and included in my book who started it all.
“Yet the bell only rang later, when I was holding the printed book in my hand – wait – is the lady who had the idea for the murals the very same woman that rented her lovely Saltburn home to me?
“Yes indeed!”
She said she was very saddened to read about Marion’s passing in 2021 through an article in the Ross-shire Journal.
She added: “But oh, what a legacy she left!”
Sandra recalls “the view I loved so much” from the window of Marion’s apartment, taking a selfie on the beach at Saltburn and being drawn in to the mural trail which was championed by Marion as far back as 2002. At that time, a group called Off the Wall was formed to address the social and economic deprivation of the town through a professionally painted outdoor gallery celebrating the heritage of Invergordon.
Sandra, originally from Lake Constance in southern Germany, near the Swiss border, but have lived in Germany’s capital since 1998.
In addition to journalism, she studied art history, prompting an interest in different art forms like street art and murals, abundant in Berlin.
She said: “In Invergordon, the murals immediately caught my eye and I found them so special and different from everything I knew, depicting the actual life and traditions in the place where it happened.
“It was a really cool way to learn about the past of Invergordon and it gave the town a special identity. I then wrote a very clickbaity article for my blog called ‘Is this the most boring town in Scotland’, obviously stating in the end that Invergordon is not boring at all.
“I found it such a pity, that the busses from the cruise ship take the visitors right from the ship and drive them to other places instead of them actually experiencing the town.”
The genesis of a trailblazing idea
The idea for Invergordon’s murals was triggered when the late Marion Rhind heard about the murals in Sheffield in Australia’s island state, Tasmania, from her parents.
Marion shared the idea with local community groups she was active in prompting creation of Invergordon Off the Wall.
Marion was the lead inspiration and energy behind the project, and held the vision for the mural trail and the future benefits it could have for the Invergordon community and local economy.
She previously said she had a 3am ‘Eureka moment’ after learning about Tasmania’s ‘Mural Town’ and realising the idea’s potential application for Invergordon.
Her husband, Sonny, has also been a community activist and was an award-winning leading light behind the local Fyrish Gymnastics Club. He also raised thousands for Highland Hospice by stepping up to the Strictly Inverness dance challenge after another competitor pulled out.
The mural trail reflecting the town’s rich history was launched by the Princess Royal in 2007 in glorious sunshine and later an app was developed to bring the murals to life for a new generation.
Read more about the story behind the murals on the Invergordon Off the Wall website at invergordonoffthewall.org.uk
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