Master Craftsman

John Ferguson of Stanley is the only boat builder now working on the River Tay. Operating from his workshop at Lynton he builds beautiful, traditional cobble boats for use on the longest river in Scotland. This is a boat I commissioned a few months ago and is a river cobble, nineteen feet in length and eight feet in the beam which gives superb stability in the often rough waters of the Tay. The timber is larch and oak and was sourced from Drummond Hill near to Kenmore, so its very much a local boat. Even knowing of his reputation, I have to say I was overjoyed by the standard of work - this being the first time I had seen the boat since the work began.

A lot cooler today at last. I saw a very red leaf on a beech hedge today and I thought of Autumn. When does summer actually end? As a River Tay angler, the 20th August traditionally mark the time when the salmon nets cease operating and this date is widely recognised as the change of seasons. Not long now.....