The centre of Crieff came to a standstill for one man and his drove, as presenter Griff Rhys Jones completed a 200-mile trek from Skye to Strathearn.
Despite the wet weather, crowds of local people flocked to the town centre to catch a glimpse of the popular Welshman as he spoke to pupils from Ardvreck School and stallholders at the market, with many snatching a quick photograph when the cameras stopped rolling.
Among those who caught the attention of the presenter was Margaret Rennie, who got Griff to pose with a fundraising cuddly character called Baxterbear.
“He was a very charming, lovely man and quite happy to have his photo taken with Baxterbear,” she said. “It is always great to get support for this cause as it supports a number of charities, including the Soldiers Charity, African Medical and Research Foundation and the Rotary.
The visit by the film crew, which coincided with the launch of the week-long Drovers’s Tryst event, ended with a barn dance at Comrie Croft.
As part of the drovers theme, the evening featured world renowned folk musician Brian McNeil and local favourites Chittery Bite Ceilidh Band.
For more information on the annual festival, go to droverstryst.com.
Residents and visitors to the monthly farmers’ market and Drovers’ Tryst on Saturday were treated to a visit by crew filming a new series on Britain’s forgotten routes.
Accompanied by two ponies and four Highland cattle, he followed the historic trail used by drovers more than 300 years ago as they took their beasts to market, ending his journey at James Square in Crieff.
During a break from filming, Griff spoke to The Courier, describing his pleasure are being back in Perthshire almost two years after he travelled along the Tay as part of his Rivers programme.
“I love being in Perthshire as it’s a great part of the country,” he said. “I am one of the few people who have swam down the Tay at this time of year, as I was filming here round about November time.
“I have so many wonderful memories of Perthshire and many frozen ones too.”
As he took a walk round the numerous stalls at the farmers’ market, Griff also revealed some of the adventures he and his crew faced while travelling from Skye with their small herd, which also included a battle to adhere to strict legislation surrounding the movement of cattle.
“Our assistant producer Stevie Whiteford has done a fabulous job of allowing us to explore what remains of the drovers road,” he added.
“We had quite an exciting time crossing the Kyle of Rhea from Skye to the mainland when we discovered how complicated it was to get the cattle on to the ferry.
“The original drovers would actually have swam this route, however, so at least we had it a bit easier.”
Working behind the scenes to ensure the visit by the film crew was a success was market co-ordinator Alison Greaney and owner of the Crieff Hydro Hotel and president of Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, Stephen Leckie.
Ms Greaney was approached by Modern Television, Griff’s production company to “pull a few strings”.
She said: “They asked me if they could film at the market and if could do whatever I could to get things done. As a result, the Chamber of Commerce and Mr Leckie got together with Perth and Kinross Council and made things happen.
“He really was instrumental in the whole thing and this is really a great boost for Crieff as it will hopefully attract more tourists here.
“The farmers market has always supported the Drovers’ Tryst so it has been good to do something a bit extra.”
Continued…