There鈥檚 gold in Scotland鈥檚 hills! But prospectors beware: you鈥檒l have to work really hard to find enough to make your fortune
2 October 2018
Some of our wildest places hide a tantalising secret — they contain gold.
Scotland experienced when a nugget of the precious metal was discovered in the River Helmsdale in Sutherland.
It prompted many to head for the hills with plans to make their fortune, but ultimately that period of activity lasted only a few decades. However, as revealed on Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs, gold can still be found in the Highlands.
Baile an Or, also known as Gold Town
Paul pans for gold in the Kildonan Burn.
Back-breaking work
Prospectors must work hard to find their prize.
Yvonne Creedy, whose own wedding ring is made from gold found in Sutherland’s Kildonan burn, revealed the apocryphal tale of the challenge set to young men by their would-be fiancées.
“She would say, ‘Go and pan for the ring in Kildonan’. He thinks, ‘This is going to be a doddle.’
“But by the time you cope with the midges, your back [aches from stooping over the river], and the cold, he can make up his mind if she’s worth it or not. If she’s worth it she gets her gold ring.
“I think I must have been worth it!”
Hunting for gold elsewhere
In the hills near Tyndrum, in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, sheep farmer John Burton has been hoping to see his land turned into a goldmine for decades.
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Large gold nugget worth 拢10,000 found near Wanlockhead
A nugget of gold found in a river in the Southern Uplands is thought to be the most significant discovery in Scotland in the past 70 years.
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Gold found in rocks on island of Great Cumbrae
Tiny specks of gold have been found in sandstone rocks from a beach at Millport on the Isle of Great Cumbrae.
Grand Tours of Scotland鈥檚 Lochs
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