TV's Kirstie tells contestant Caithness is 'absolutely amazing'
TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has been recalling her memorable holiday experience in Caithness.
She told local knitting tutor John Glen that she had toured the county after winning a trip to the Castle of Mey in a charity auction.
They were chatting while John (59) was taking part in filming for an episode of Kirstie's Handmade Christmas – to be screened on Monday on Channel 4.
“One of the things Kirstie shared with me was that years ago she went to a charity auction and won a tour of the Castle of Mey," John said. "So she came up in order to do that and she booked accommodation in cottages at Berriedale.
“She and her sister stayed in Berriedale for a couple of days and explored Caithness, and thought it was an absolutely amazing place.
1 / 2
2 / 2“She knew exactly the layout of the town centres. She’d been in Wick, she’d been in Thurso, she had driven past Camster, she knew John O’Groats... all the standard tourist bits. The only one I don’t remember her mentioning was going all the way up onto Dunnet Head.”
John will be one of the contestants on the Channel 4 programme Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas on Monday, December 7, at 5pm.
John, who has been a knitter since the age of 10, established Caithness Croft Yarn after health problems led him to take early retirement from his job as depute rector of Wick High School.
Originally from Glasgow, he had moved to Caithness in 1995 as a technical teacher at Thurso High School.
He is well known locally for his many roles in Thurso Players, while his full white beard is put to good use at this time of year as he gets into costume as Santa for community groups. He even has a small sideline in recording Christmas video messages.
Related story:
