HOW TO TRAIN YOUR SHEEPDOG: Learning how to communicate with your dog through body language lies at the heart of Julie’s methods.
Pictured here with Julie (l-r) are faithfuls Molly, Jiggs and Bec.
THE NATURAL WAY
Julie Hill has spent 40 years working with border collies, and has pioneered a new method for gaining the trust and respect of her working dogs, discovers Rosie Morton
Images Phil Wilkinson
JULIE HILL & HER
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Julie is the rst and only woman to date to be crowned ISDS Supreme International Championship in both singles and brace competitions; one woman and her dogs; Julie is a tenant farmer on Carcant Estate; she has around 350 breeding ewes and 100 followers.
Readers of Scottish Field need not be told of the immeasurable joy a dog brings. It matters not to Old Pongo if you’ve been gone a month or five minutes, his wa ing tail will reliably show the depth of his loyalty to you, his pack leader.
Julie Hill, a sheepdog trainer and tenant farmer based on Carcant Estate in Heriot in the Borders, feels the same. But the trust that she shares with her ten working border collies goes deeper still.
‘ ey’re family,’ Julie tells me. is comes from a woman who made history by becoming the first (and so far only) female to win both the International Sheepdog Society’s (ISDS) Supreme International Championships in singles and brace competitions (working with one or two dogs, respectively). ‘ ey are your best pals. ey keep you going, they make you smile, they cheer you up when you’re down, and you get your job done very quickly if you’ve trained the dog.’
e ‘proper’ way in which we train household pets, of course, di ers greatly to the manner in which Julie teaches her beloved borders to herd sheep. But what might be considered the more traditional relationship between hound and shepherd – one with strict rules and obedience – is not one that Julie adheres to. Instead, she pioneered her own approach which she dubbed ‘the natural way’. It allows the dog to use its own initiative and centres around a handler’s ability to learn the dog’s language. Her faith in this method is so strong that it forms the basis of her sheepdog training school, Neth Hill Border Collies, as well as her two books and DVD.
‘A good boss is one that takes on board what you’re going to say and lets you work independently, but comes in to give you advice now and again,’ says Julie, telling me that
natural instinct, stamina and a desire to work are crucial to the success of any hill dog. ‘ at’s how I work my dogs. Ultimately, if there’s a problem, I’ll deal with it. If they’re pushing my boundaries, then they’ll get told in no uncertain terms to rein it in. But the rest of the time I’m giving them the chance to show me lots about the sheep. Moss taught me this.’
Moss was one of Julie’s prized working dogs with whom she won the Supreme singles title in 1996. He was sensitive and intelligent, lived to work, and was loyal to the bone. Whether it was his ability to lead Julie to sheep that were out of her line of sight, or his innate empathy towards ewes with lambs, Moss inspired Julie to forge her ‘pressure/release’ method of training. In essence, it’s about communicating with your dog through body language.
‘Take it back to your parents,’ says Julie, whose own shepherding days began in East Anglia. ‘When you were being warned not to do something, your parents would turn and give you a look out of their eye and go, “Don’t go near that”. If you didn’t listen to that pressure, the pressure would be brought up. e parent would start walking towards you and their eyes would lock on slightly,’ she says, explaining that
‘ ey are your best pals – they keep you going, they make you smile and they cheer you up when you’re down’
FROM TOP:
Natural instinct is crucial, but so too is nurturing that innate drive; Julie and Ban at the Scottish National Championships, 2014.
dogs operate in exactly the same way. at pressure could be anything from pointing a finger at a young pup, to walking towards their shoulder and lightly poking it. When the dog displays submissive behaviour, that pressure is released. ‘As soon as that dog comes to you, you’re the new mother. And so, what you have to do is take on that role, nurture it, show it right from wrong, build up its confidence and talk to it using their language.’ Only when the dog is moving in the way you want them to, do you start associating commands to that behaviour.
As well as shepherding, Julie now trains a lot of sheepdog hobbyists, both in person and through online courses. Many of the dogs that come through her door she describes as ‘self-employed’: ‘ ey’re not working for the handler, they’re working for themselves,’ she laughs. However, this can easily be changed, but only when the handler understands the dog’s own language.
‘ ere are other working breeds, but to me there is nothing like a border collie,’ says Julie. ‘ at’s why I’ve stuck with them for forty years. I’ve worked with a few di erent breeds and there’s nothing quite like the border collie that I admire so much for its ability and skill. And beauty. It’s about the beauty of
doing a job without really seeing that the dog’s doing very much. ‘It’s di erent jobs for di erent dogs,’ she continues. ‘ e border collie was founded in the Borders of Scotland and England because of its usefulness in this sort of terrain.’
Of course, the countless competition wins will always be held dear in Julie’s heart. e undisputed highlight of her job, though, lies within the shepherd/ sheepdog relationship itself – in learning how to communicate with them e ectively and watching this intelligent animal help with her everyday work.
‘It’s so beautiful to see,’ concludes Julie. ‘And to think that I’ve actually achieved that with my dogs because I’ve learned their language, to me is far more mind-blowing than anything you could win.’
Part of e pack
You can nd out more about
Neth Border Collies and how to train your dog ‘The Natural Way’ at www. nethhillborder collies.co.uk
Julie Hill’s
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SCO ISH BORDERS
Your happy place
Galashiels has once again been voted the happiest place to live in Scotland, but just what is it that makes the people of this bonnie Borders town jump for joy
Like beauty, happiness is very o en in the eye of the beholder. What is heaven for one, is just as likely to be hell for another. And for this reason quantifying happiness is a tricky business.
But it would appear that whatever it is that makes people happy, the Scottish Borders town of Galashiels has it in spades. And this abundance of glee is nothing new, because this is the second year on the bounce that Gala has topped the table of the happiest places to live in Scotland.
‘And
this abundance of glee is nothing new, Gala has it in spades’
e study, conducted by Rightmove in 2023, perhaps unsurprisingly found that people living in rural locations had a tendency to be happier than their urban counterparts. But more remarkable were the factors that made people happy to live where they did. While access to public transport, schools and career opportunities all had a part to play, it was a sense of pride, belonging and community that came out on top.
e results from north of the border also seem to substantiate the old adage that money can’t buy happiness. Gala was the only Scottish location to feature in the list of the 20 happiest places in Britain to live, and it was also the cheapest with the average asking price for a house sitting at just £163,634 and average monthly property rental cost of just £700. Compare this to the £952,305 average asking price and £3,148 average monthly rental cost in Richmond upon ames in London, which came up trumps as the happiest place to live in Britain and you’d probably start to wonder why anyone would choose to pay big bucks to live in the big smoke.
e average asking price of a property in Edinburgh is now £315,000 and the average monthly rental is more than double that of Gala at a whopping £1,500. It’s also worth noting that the Scottish capital only reaches number nine in the poll of the happiest places to live in Scotland.
But just what is it about Gala that makes people so happy to live there?
e town is situated in the valley of the Gala Water, surrounded by some of Scotland’s most beautiful countryside, making it a paradise for walkers, fishers, mountain bikers and equestrians.
ere’s a thriving arts and creative scene. Gala was at the heart of the booming textiles industry in the Borders throughout most of the 20th century, and despite being hard hit by the catastrophic closures witnessed in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the industry is still very much part of the town’s heritage.
e Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design, which is situated in a historic mill, ensures a healthy student population in the town, as well as ensuring that textiles remain part of Gala’s story. e town is also home to e Great Tapestry of Scotland, the largest community stitched tapestry in the world, which is housed in a purpose-built architectural award-winning building. But it’s not all about textiles: the community arts venue MacArts, has seen an old church in the town centre take on a new lease of life to play host to an array of musicians, theatre shows and exhibitions.
e opening of the Waverley line, connecting Gala to Edinburgh by rail has undoubtedly played a part in the transformation of the town. Today there are a range of friendly independent shops to browse as well as places to eat, including Zolas, the only 100% vegan bakery in the Borders. Something that to this fortysomething who grew up not a million miles from here and was almost run out of town for her dalliances into teenage vegetarianism is testament to the power of change.
Something that thankfully remains engrained in Borders tradition is sport. Gala’s rugby club is one of the oldest in the world and of course plays a huge role in community life here, with teams for all ages, abilities and genders. But so does football, with Gala Fairydean playing to a legion of fans who sit in their famous Peter Wormersley-designed modernist stand with its cantilevered canopy.
If none of this has got you smiling yet, then perhaps a trip to Galashiels is just what the doctor ordered.
MORAG BOOTLAND
THE SPIRITED SOUTH
Mere decades ago, Dumfries & Galloway su ered a severe drought with regards artisinal distilleries, but now the area’s spirits industry is at an all-time high, says Richard Bath
People seem to drive past us without stopping to take a look around, but my father used to say that when you are born and raised in Dumfries & Galloway that you’re always drawn back,’ says Andrew Clark Hutchison, the owner of Dark Art Distillery in the bonny seaside town of Kirkcudbright. ‘Turns out he was right.’
Clark Hutchison is one of a group of entrepreneurs who le the area to make their fortunes elsewhere, mostly in London, before returning to breathe life into the area by starting up distilleries making white spirits like gin, rum, tequila and vodka. Plus, of course, whisky.
It’s very much a new development for the south-west corner of the country. When I lived there a quarter of a century ago, there were basically no distilleries, so my attempts to support local businesses by finding spirits that were distilled in Dumfries & Galloway came to nought.
But fast forward to today and distilleries are springing up in the area like mushrooms. With the exception of substantial whisky distilleries in newbie Annandale, the forthcoming Ben Cumhail in Dumfries and the phoenix-like Bladnoch, the famous Wigtownshire whisky
distillery whose bottles went on sale in 2009 a er a hiatus of 15 years, the rest are cra distilleries turning out premium spirits on a small-scale. All the distilleries have distinct and easily identifiable USPs and are produced by people who love the challenge of building a booze business in a predominantly rural area.
Ollie Blackett is a classic example. Made redundant from his job as a headhunter in the City during Covid, he came back to the family home at Arbigland on the Solway Firth. But when he was about to leave the capital he spent an evening slu ing down enough cocktails to provide divine inspiration, and miraculously formulated a new career he could pursue from Dumfries-shire.
Arbigland, he reasoned during that latenight farewell cocktail frenzy with his London friends, is most famous as the birthplace of John Paul Jones, the sailor who founded the American Navy and fought against the British in the wars of independence (before later becoming an Admiral in the Russian Navy, which is why its navy’s flag is a reversed Saltire). In the USA, Jones is as well-known as Nelson in England and Napoleon in France, so is a powerful branding tool.
A er having raised £200,000, he and
business partner Finn Gill started making rum, which is incredibly popular Stateside and growing in prominence here. Importing the sugar cane spirit from Jamaica, they added seaweed collected from the shoreline at Arbigland, along with ingredients like ginger, pepper, apple, lime and rosemary.
eir John Paul Jones range has three rums, a white rum called Ranger, which is named a er his ship; Lowland, which is aged in charred American Oak and steeped in hand-picked Scottish seaweed; while Providence, named a er another of Jones’ ships, is seaweed-infused but
CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: Andrew Clark Hutchison, owner of Dark Art Distillery; JPJ Lowland Rum; Kit Carruthers in the Ninefold cooperage; foraging for seaweed which is used in JPJ’s Arbigland rum.
aged in a former Laphroaig whisky cask.
‘I grew up with tales of John Paul Jones’ incredible adventures and knew how revered he is in America, so it seemed like a really obvious strategy,’ he says. ‘And that was before I found out that when he died they preserved his body in rum. We’re now selling over 10,000 bottles a year.’
If Blackett is importing the spirit to produce rum, Dr Kit Carruthers has gone one better. Unable to get a job a er finishing his PhD, in 2019 he took the plunge and converted a byre to house the Ninefold micro-distillery on the Dormont estate, near Lockerbie, where his family have lived for the past 450 years. e only employee during the build and early years, he ferments North African molasses, which are double distilled and bottled on site in truly artisanal runs of just 300 bottles.
Using what you know is a sensible strategy, and it was one that was also employed by Andrew Clark Hutchison when he tired of a life in finance a er 28 years. Having moved back to Edinburgh from London, much of his work
involved working in the drinks industry. Eventually, he realised that it could be his passport home, starting Dark Art Distillery in an old primary school near Kirkcudbright where he started making gin before taking the revolutionary step of moving onto agave spirit, which is tequila in all but name.
‘I was born in Mexico City, as was my brother, and my parents lived there for seven years,’ he says, ‘so when we came home we had Mexican passports and were always surrounded with Mexican artefacts at home. We were already producing gin but I knew from my contacts in the drinks industry that tequila is the tipple of choice for most bartenders and mixologists.
‘So I sat down with our master distiller and looked at how we could do it all in-house. We now distil it from scratch, sourcing Blue Weber agave [the cactus-like Mexican plant is the main raw ingredient for tequila] and adding yeast and water to make a nice smooth spirit. We’ve named it Véspero, which is Spanish for Venus, because we’re based in a Dark Sky community.’
at desire to build ‘from scratch’ also fired the imagination of whisky lover Graham Taylor when he was overseas working as a brand specialist. He had spent many happy evenings sharing drams with his father and brother, so when he wanted to come home he set his heart on building a cra distillery capable of producing gin and vodka from grain to glass – a rarity in the world of white spirits – before
‘Distilleries are springing up in the area like mushrooms’
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Véspero; Crafty Distillery’s tasting room; Peggy, the 450 litre still at Dark Art Distillery, named after Andrew’s grandmother who hailed from Kirkcudbright.
eventually moving onto whisky.
Fortunately, his father Billy’s building company had bought a bit of grazing land outside their home town of Newton Stewart that was zoned for development. Here, his dad’s company built what Taylor calls ‘a posh cow shed’, with production starting in 2017.
Cra y Distillery has gone from strength to strength with its highlyrated 24Seven vodka and Hills & Harbour gin. ‘Our distillery is a grain to glass operation that is a walking, talking celebration of Galloway,’ says Graham.
‘We built it ourselves, clad it in local larch and used one of our huge local Douglas Pines in fitting it out. We do everything here, from production to marketing and design, and we’re fully independent, with no banks or investors. So we can just get on and make the best product possible.
‘Next up is our whisky, which is named a er my father Billy. We’ve been making it for two years now, and because of that independence we can do things like experiment with Champagne yeast. It’s been an incredible journey.’
Elsewhere, micro-distillers Andrew Emmerson and partner Kate make award-winning gins and a rum at Solway Spirits in Gretna, while legendary Edinburgh liqueur and spirits makers Angus and Frances Ferguson have recently moved their company Demijohn to their farm in Castle Douglas.
e final distillery in Dumfries & Galloway is Dark Sky Spirits in the world’s to ee shop capital of Mo at. Here, founders Nick and Erin Bullard produce whisky and liqueurs (gooseberry, bramble and raspberry) plus a gin that is the only wood-fired spirit made in living memory. When it comes to a tincture in Dumfries & Galloway, thankfully things have moved on a good deal since my day.
The spirit of home
John Paul Jones Distillery, Arbigland –www.johnpauljones.uk
Ninefold Distillery, Lockerbiewww.ninefolddistillery.com
Dark Art Distillery, Kirkcudbrightwww.darkartdistillery.com
Annandale Distillery, Annanwww.annandaledistillery.com
Crafty Distillery, Newton Stewart –craftydistillery.com
Dark Sky Spirits, Moffat –www.darkskyspirits.com
Bladnoch Distillery, Newton Stewart –www.bladnoch.com
Dem ohn, Castle Douglaswww.dem ohn.co.uk
Solway Spirits, Annansolwayspirits.co.uk
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THE BORDERS, DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY
Discover the beautiful south...
TRIMONTIUM MUSEUM
Melrose, Scottish Borders
Email: info@trimontium.co.uk www.trimontium.co.uk
Experience Roman Iron Age Scotland. his five-star visitor attraction explores a turbulent time in Scottish history once lost in the mists of time. Stunning audiovisuals, authentic artefacts, children’s activities, guided wal s to the site of the Roman fort of Trimontium and immersive experiences bring this unique story to life.
ANNANDALE DISTILLERY
Annan, Dumfries & Galloway
Tel: 01461 207817
www.annandaledistillery.com
oo a classic distillery tour at nnandale istillery. iscover the fascinating history, how it was revived after decades of closure, and how it produces some of the finest single cas single malt Scotch whis y in the world. ou’ll also sample up to fi ve different whis ies. ours from am- pm.
CRAWICK MULTIVERSE
Sanquhar, Dumfries & Galloway Tel: 01659 50242
www.crawickmultiverse.co.uk
MONTEVIOT
Jedburgh, Scottish Borders
Tel: 01835 830380 www.monteviot.com
he ardens at onteviot lie along a dramatic slope of the eviot valley. The sheltered terraced rose garden is ictorian the river garden at the bottom was originally designed in the 1930s by Percy Cane. Italianate in inspiration, this sheltered garden slopes down past herbaceous plants and roses. pen ues-Sun, - pm
he former open-cast coal mine, inspired by the wonders of the universe, is the vision of land artist, harles enc s. public artland with spectacular landforms and stunning views across the ithsdale alley, rawic ultiverse is a four-star attraction, uni ue destination and outdoor venue. reat for family adventures, dog wal s and more.
JOANNA THOMSON JEWELLERY
Peebles, Scottish Borders
Tel: 01721 728443 / 07773 578341
www.jewellery-scotland.com
ust north of eebles you will find the studio of oanna homson, a ewellery designer and ma er. oanna creates uni ue and beautiful pieces of fine ewellery in gold and silver, many set with gorgeous and unusual gemstones. Remodelling is a speciality. Illustrated is a bangle in ct gold set with tan anite, tourmaline and a Scottish garnet from uby bay Elie, ife.
ox , eebles, E .
THE BORDERS DISTILLERY
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Tel: 01450 374330
www.thebordersdistillery.com
he orders istillery is the first legal Scotch whis y distillery in the Scottish orders since . hilst awaiting the launch of their first single malt, he orders istillery distils awardwinning gin, vod a and whis y blends. vailable to shop online. ours are open throughout the summer.
MUSEUM OF LEAD MINING
Wanlockhead, Dumfries & Galloway
Tel: 01659 74387
www.leadminingmuseum.co.uk
Visit the Miners’ Library, opened in 1756, and smell the leather of the old books. Take a guided-tour into the old, Lochnell Mine. The only public underground tour in Scotland. See the cottage life of the families through different eras. Walk through the museum ending at the shop and tearoom.
LOCHCARRON
Selkirk, Scottish Borders
Tel: 01750 726100
www.lochcarron.co.uk
The Lochcarron Visitor Centre Experience. a e a guided mill tour and enjoy some shopping or book a private kilt or Highland wear appointment. Based in the heart of the Scottish Borders in the historic town of Selkirk, Lochcarron are the world’s leading manufacturer of authentic tartans.
HEARTHSTANES
Biggar
Tel: 01899 225119
www.hearthstanes.com
Hearthstanes is a working hill-farm, offering five self-catering properties, which sleep from two-eight guests, and accommodating up to 25 guests with pets. Tweedsmuir is within easy reach of Edinburgh, historic sites, and Borders distilleries. The Estate offer hiking and bi ing opportunities, plus fishing and stalking. They also have a Hydrospa pool, bowling alley, snooker table and lounge.
KIRKDALE ESTATE
Carsluith, Dumfries & Galloway
Tel: 07786 916596
www.kirkdaleestate.co.uk
A stunning coastal estate in south west Scotland with breathtaking views across the Solway. South-facing sea view holiday lodges with access to the shore are available for sale. Two beautifully situated cottages are also offered for holiday let.
HAWICO
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Tel: 01450 371221
www.hawico.com
Their factory outlet store in Hawick features a large selection of ladies, mens and accessories in colourful cashmere and other speciality yarns.
CADEMUIR CLINIC
Peebles, Scottish Borders
Tel: 07399 689389
www.cademuir-clinic.co.uk
Whether you have an issue to discuss, need treatment quickly or would like a thorough health check. As a private GP, Cademuir provide their patients with fast and flexible access to a full range of high-quality services, including health checks, medicals, prescription services, joint injections, vaccinations, medical paperwor certification, weight loss management, travel health, corporate medical services, family practice services and minor injury treatment.