The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-08831, in the name of Aileen McLeod, on the St Ninian ways, a proposed European cultural route. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises what it considers the significance of Whithorn as an important historical and archaeological site in the establishment and development of Christianity in Scotland; considers that Whithorn has a strong association with St Ninian, leading to the burgh’s status as a major centre of pilgrimage over 16 centuries of Scottish history; notes that Paisley Abbey and Crossraguel Abbey are already part of the Cluniac European Cultural Route, and considers that the creation of The St Ninian Ways as a new European Cultural Route with Whithorn as its destination would stimulate economic regeneration along the routes and help to increase the profile of Whithorn as a site of major significance both to Scottish history and to the development of Christianity in western Europe.
17:02
I am delighted to lead this debate tonight about how we can recognise the historical significance of Whithorn as the first known Christian site in Scotland and the cradle of Christianity in Scotland, and how Whithorn can become the destination for a number of long-distance walking routes—the St Ninian ways—which in my opinion would make an ideal candidate for European cultural route status. I thank colleagues across the chamber for signing my motion and enabling tonight’s debate to take place.
I also thank a number of people who have worked on developing the concept of a European cultural trail and on promoting Whithorn more widely, particularly James Cormack Brown, who I am very pleased has been able to join us tonight with his wife Susi; Julia Muir-Watt of the Royal Burgh of Whithorn and District Business Association; and Janet Butterworth and all the trustees of the Whithorn Trust. A special mention must go to my colleague Councillor Alistair Geddes, a tireless champion of Whithorn, who first introduced me to the concept of Whithorn as the cradle of Scottish Christianity and a place of modern pilgrimage.
The royal burgh of Whithorn in the Machars of Galloway has a very long history as a pilgrimage centre. In fact, as far as anyone can tell, it was AD 397 when St Ninian established his church at Whithorn. The year is significant because it is 150 years earlier than St Columba and lona. What began as a small stone church quickly adopted a significant degree of importance and influence in the early mediaeval world; that is supported by archaeological evidence of a flourishing relationship with the rest of Europe.
Whithorn was a destination for high-profile pilgrims, including Robert the Bruce; David II; Margaret of Denmark, who was the wife of James III and mother of James IV; King James IV, who made the journey in every year of his reign; and Mary Queen of Scots. It was also a destination for tens of thousands of unnamed pilgrims over more than a millennium. It has therefore both national and international importance.
I am conscious that that was an extremely brief outline of the significance of Whithorn, but I hope that it establishes in some way that we have something very special to work with when explaining why a European cultural route, in particular, has so much potential for boosting the economic, cultural and historical profile of Whithorn.
European cultural routes are transnational tourist trails, determined by the Council of Europe. It is interesting and perhaps encouraging that the first and most successful of the routes was another pilgrim route: the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Such routes must be based on one or more themes. According to the criteria for selection, the route
“must be meaningful in terms of European memory, history and cultural heritage ... must lend itself to cultural and educational exchanges for ... young people”
and
“must allow for ... exemplary and innovating initiatives and projects in the field of cultural tourism and sustainable development.”
It therefore makes sense for the St Ninian ways proposal to focus on the related themes of pilgrimage and Scottish migration in Europe.
At present, Scotland has limited involvement in the European cultural routes, with only Shetland, Aberdeen and the abbeys of Paisley and Crossraguel featuring on any of the 26 current routes. The creation of the St Ninian ways and their acceptance by the Council of Europe as a cultural route would significantly redress the balance, and it would also dramatically enhance Whithorn’s status since, as the route’s destination, it would become a focal point of international recognition.
Although I have focused on Whithorn, the benefits of the route would be felt along its length as it would bring greater prominence to many other sites that deserve wider recognition. An example is Glenluce abbey—a Cistercian monastery that was founded around 1190 by Roland or Lochlann, Lord of Galloway and Constable of Scotland—which the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs and I visited two years ago.
To be considered as a candidate for funding to develop a European cultural route, the bid must be made by at least five member states together, so the more countries that encompass the route, the better. Of course, the United Kingdom is only one member state, so in order just to get started, a degree of international recognition and support must be secured. In my view, no part of that process can do anything other than enhance Whithorn’s profile in a positive way.
The St Ninian ways will involve more than one route, in the same way that the St James’s way to Santiago de Compostela has many physical routes. A route that has already been examined in detail is the Ayrshire pilgrim trail from Glasgow via Paisley abbey and Crossraguel, both of which are already recognised in the European network of Cluniac sites. Its status gives us something to build on and helps to plug Scotland and the potential St Ninian ways into existing European cultural routes. Additionally, many other countries have strong cultural and heritage links to the themes of the St Ninian ways, such as Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, Norway, Germany, France and Italy, to name but a few.
In common with Santiago de Compostela, Whithorn is a current place of pilgrimage, so it is perfectly reasonable to suggest that a significant increase in visitors is achievable. In 1985, only 690 people received the certificate of completion at Santiago de Compostela, but last year the number was more than 215,000. We cannot possibly say what numbers we might realise for the St Ninian ways, but we can safely expect them to increase, which in turn can only be good for a comparatively remote and fragile rural economy in the south-west of Scotland.
In considering how to take forward the proposal, I am aware that the next funding call will be issued in March. To be ready to apply for funding, a key step is to form a non-profit intergovernmental association to commission and co-ordinate the work that is necessary to present a case to the Council of Europe. Given that we are not yet at that point, a sensible initial step would perhaps be to establish a small steering group to identify possible partners and set up the association that will eventually present the bid. I hope that the cabinet secretary will be prepared to assist with that first—and probably most difficult—step, perhaps in the first instance by meeting me and other key stakeholders.
Whithorn has a unique and fascinating history and it is fortunate to have people who are looking creatively at the economic and social challenges that their community faces. The Royal Burgh of Whithorn and District Business Association’s festival last year—“All Roads Lead to Whithorn”—gave everyone who attended, including me, a flavour of what might be possible. We could actually make that title true, and in doing so place Whithorn on the international stage.
The creation of the St Ninian ways and their recognition as a European cultural route offers us a fantastic opportunity to promote Whithorn both within Scotland and on a much wider stage. That promotion, if it is done well, has every chance of attracting many more people to Whithorn, with all the economic, cultural and educational benefits that that will, in turn, bring to the local economies right along the routes. It would also give Scotland the first European cultural route with a destination and a focal point in Scotland, which is altogether different from simply being a point along the way. Locally, nationally and internationally that is a worthwhile goal, and I very much hope that it will be pursued to fruition.
17:10
I congratulate Aileen McLeod on bringing the debate to the chamber, and I thank her for confirming that it is indeed James Brown in the gallery. My eyesight is not as it should be and I hope that he will forgive me for not having recognised him instantly. I welcome him to the chamber; it is good to see him.
One of the more remarkable facts about St Ninian is that, despite the universal acknowledgement that Scotland’s first saint began his missionary work in AD 397, virtually nothing—or very little—was known about him until 350 years later, when the historian Bede wrote his book, “History of the English Church and People.”
As the opening sentence on the Whithorn Trust’s website says rather seductively, St Ninian
“is a shadowy figure in history.”
However, if his figure is shadowy, his legacy certainly is not. Although no written references exist from the time when he was alive, enough has been written since to establish the true facts of the impact that he has had on the south-west of Scotland—and indeed, one can argue, on the whole of Scotland—ever since.
St Ninian’s impact on Whithorn alone was quite incredible, as it was a place of enormous influence right up to the reformation. As the birthplace of Scottish Christianity it attracted pilgrims from far and wide to see Scotland’s first church, the Candida Casa. Whithorn became a commercial centre; it was a crossroads for the sea-borne trade routes that predominated at the time.
As early as the fifth century, Whithorn had contact with Gaul. It also had a sophisticated church hierarchy and was importing fine wines and pottery to a thriving and prosperous community that was in touch with the comparatively new world of Christian ideas, arts and culture that came from Europe and beyond. Indeed, some people have said that Whithorn was in reality Scotland’s first town. Its reputation grew to the extent that, by the middle ages, the shrine that it had become was visited by kings and queens from Robert the Bruce to Mary Queen of Scots, who were numbered among the thousands of pilgrims who visited annually.
In those heady days, all roads led to Whithorn. Just last year Aileen McLeod and I attended—as she mentioned—a truly remarkable event that was the culmination of a project called, “All Roads Lead to Whithorn.” There was an open-air showing of a film that documented the skills, talents, lives, hopes and aspirations of Whithorn folk of all generations, which concluded an ambitious project that involved local schools and other community bodies in taking the project forward. As I said at the time, I cannot help but feel that the project is the start of something good, and I look forward to the next stage with eager anticipation.
The project seemed to give added impetus to the existing proposal to create—or, I should perhaps say, to recreate—the St Ninian ways, which ran from Paisley abbey to Whithorn, taking in other sights of great importance and significance to Christian history such as Dundonald castle, Crossraguel abbey and Glenluce abbey. Trails or ways such as those were once relatively commonplace routes that were used by pilgrims on their annual journeys, and I agree that the time is absolutely right to look at reopening some of them. Like other members, I congratulate James Brown of Cormack Brown on the work that he has carried out on the feasibility of the project and on his continuing interest in it. I also congratulate the Whithorn business association and the Whithorn Trust for the way in which they have supported and encouraged the project.
There is a huge and growing interest in Christian history, and there can be no better place to foster that interest than Whithorn. I firmly believe that the recreation of the St Ninian ways as a European cultural route is—to put it in modern-day terminology—something of a no-brainer. Perhaps we will soon be able to say once again that all roads lead to Whithorn.
17:14
First, I congratulate Aileen McLeod on securing the debate and express my support for her request for assistance from the cabinet secretary.
Ms Hyslop might remember that I wrote to her last year on the subject of financial support for the Whithorn Trust and the development of the St Ninian ways pilgrim routes. I was prompted to do so by the aforesaid James Brown, and I pay tribute to him and his wife Susie Cormack Brown for their outstanding development work on the Ayrshire way, which is also known as the Ayrshire pilgrims way and which can be regarded as the first, and perhaps foremost, of those routes.
Indeed, it was the Browns who first introduced me to the concept of religious tourism and the fact that Scotland is an underexploited market. In 2010, James was the driving force behind celebrations in Scotland to mark the founding of the Burgundy-based Cluniac order 1,100 years ago. The abbeys of Paisley and Crossraguel—which, for the uninitiated, is just outside Maybole—are integral components of the Europe-wide network of Cluniac sites, which is a well-established European cultural route in its own right.
I was honoured to take part in a ceremony at Crossraguel, representing the Scottish Government, along with many visiting guests from Cluny and others from elsewhere in Europe. We were all treated to a historical tableau of medieval times followed by insightful tour of the abbey complex. That experience opened my eyes to the marketing potential of a pilgrims trail, even for a non-religious person such as myself. It also made me wonder why we do not, as a country, make more of our religious heritage.
It is true that it has been a touchy subject. Post reformation, pilgrimage was outlawed and second offenders even faced execution. Thankfully those days are long past and forgotten now. In June 2011, all our mainstream denominations signed an inter-church declaration in support of pilgrimage and the development or restoration of pilgrim routes.
There also seems to be a growing appetite for a slower type of tourism combining the physical, such as walking or cycling, with the spiritual and connecting with nature or the past. Perhaps people are trying to define who we are and what our place is in the world.
To end on a more materialistic note, however, according to VisitScotland walking and cycling tourists spend more than the average holidaymaker, bringing £40 to £60 a day to the local economy, so pilgrim traffic is worth investing in. I commend the motion.
17:18
I begin by congratulating both Aileen McLeod on securing the debate this evening and those who are involved in promoting the idea of making Whithorn this particular focus. I hope that they have great success, and I will explain why in a second.
Unlike other colleagues who will speak in the debate, I do not represent the south of Scotland, but I can claim some connection with the area, having worked in Galloway for a number of years and having visited Whithorn on a number of occasions. It is a very special place.
As we have heard, the history of St Ninian is somewhat shadowy. I suppose that that is only to be expected of a figure about whom there are no contemporary written accounts. Archaeology suggests that there was a settlement at Whithorn by the fifth century and that its people were trading and importing luxury goods from the Mediterranean, while working the land to produce food together. In the context of the debate that we have just had about the European Union and our shared agenda, it occurs to me that Whithorn was a very early example of that kind of experience.
Of course, the Latinus stone, the earliest Christian monument in Scotland, shows that the community was Christian. It is also clear that, by 731, St Ninian’s fame was sufficient to be written about—as we have heard—by the Venerable Bede, and that Whithorn was a place of pilgrimage by the seventh century.
It seems that St Ninian studied in Rome and was ordained a bishop there, but that he also studied with St Martin of Tours, for whom his episcopal see was named. Ninian seems to have brought a number of Roman influences home with him, as his church—the Candida Casa or Whit Herne—was reputed to have been built with stone, which was a fairly unusual building technique in Scotland at that time.
Although Bede may have been one of Ninian’s earliest known chroniclers, Aelred of Rievaulx, who wrote “The Life of St Ninian” in the 12th century, may be responsible for the international reputation that Ninian was to enjoy because of Aelred’s connections to the widespread Cluniac and Benedictine family. That may account for the international reputation and appreciation of Ninian that steadily grew and enhanced Whithorn’s reputation as a centre of pilgrimage. To this day, churches and other religious and ecclesiastical buildings are named for Ninian. For many years, I was a parishioner of St Ninian’s church in Knightswood, in Glasgow, and I was married there some years ago.
The current project to re-establish the pilgrimage route that was lost to us at the time of the reformation, which included Dundonald castle, Crossraguel abbey and Glenluce abbey, seems to be very worthy of support. The 75-mile route would provide a spiritual pathway for many and would take in some of the most beautiful parts of our country. Having taken part in a number of pilgrimages, I can think of only one that could rival the scenery and inspiration that one might get on that journey. I hope that it will draw in visitors from areas of Europe where St Ninian is recognised and revered, re-establishing Whithorn and Galloway as a centre of pilgrimage once again. Someone would have to be very hard hearted not to be inspired as they walked along the route.
The infrastructure that would accompany such a route needs to be considered, and I am mindful of the fact that the needs and aspirations of pilgrims might be a little different from the needs of tourists, who would have a less spiritual approach to their journey. However, each group of travellers would need somewhere to stay and a way of accessing transport that suited their needs. Historically, that balance has always been a difficult one for pilgrimages and pilgrim routes.
When I was thinking about the debate, it occurred to me that, a few years ago, we had a very similar example of this kind of work in the joining together of Hadrian’s wall, the Antonine wall and the Limes in Germany, along with other Roman walls throughout Europe, to have them jointly considered as having a particular value. I wonder whether the work that Historic Scotland did in that regard might be helpful in taking forward this particular agenda.
I ask the member to draw to a close.
The approach that Aileen McLeod outlined, developing the project in an organic way, seems to be the right one. With the right promotion and consideration, a European cultural route as described by Aileen McLeod in her motion would be very worthy of support.
17:23
I, too, congratulate Aileen McLeod on securing the debate. The story of Whithorn is an excellent example of the rich and ancient heritage of the region that she and I represent, and the debate is most welcome as a means of highlighting places in South Scotland that are sometimes overlooked despite their obvious attractions.
In the fourth century, Scotland’s first saint, Ninian, began his holy mission to the southern peoples of Scotland two centuries prior to St Columba’s journey to the Western Isles. Whithorn’s proximity to the sea, which was the motorway of the day, meant that the south-west of Scotland was a hive of activity in ancient times. For almost a millennium after Ninian’s death, thousands embarked on the pilgrimage to Whithorn, bringing considerable prosperity to the small community.
In the 16th century, as anti-Catholicism grew, pilgrimages were banned and the town went into decline. Perhaps knowledge of Ninian went into decline as well. However, that was not the case for me, as I attended St Ninian’s primary school in the town of Gourock, on the west coast. The hymn “Ninian of Galloway” is imprinted on my brain, and the Candida Casa was the badge on our school blazers, so I was very familiar with St Ninian and Whithorn, although I had not visited the place.
Today, the historical significance of Whithorn and of St Ninian’s influence on the growth of Christianity is overshadowed by the popular fame of Iona, but it should not be. Whithorn’s geographical position puts the town at a disadvantage when it comes to economic development. It is largely isolated from Scotland’s centres of population and does not lie on popular tourist routes. The recreation of the St Ninian ways as an ancient pilgrim route following an historical trail from Glasgow via Govan, Paisley and Ayrshire to Whithorn is therefore an exciting opportunity to stimulate economic growth throughout the entire region.
As has been said, throughout continental Europe, pilgrimage routes are an increasingly integral part of tourism and have been proven to be especially beneficial in bringing much-needed economic activity to rural areas. It is for that reason that special efforts are now being made in different parts of Scotland to re-establish ancient trails. As has been said, the St Ninian ways is a community-led initiative by Cormack Brown Ltd, with the aim of developing all the pilgrimage trails to Whithorn and Galloway as a single entity. I welcome that ambition and the development, which seeks to encourage visitors to spend more time in the region and to enjoy its natural heritage, local food and wide range of visitor attractions. The trail will follow several strands and will be open to all forms of traveller—on foot or by bicycle, car, coach or train.
I, too, hope that the route will eventually be recognised by the Council of Europe as a European cultural route. The cultural routes programme was launched by the Council of Europe in 1987 with the objective of demonstrating how the heritage of the different countries and cultures of Europe contributes to a shared cultural heritage. The routes have achieved noteworthy progress in the past two decades and have been shown to encourage widespread community participation in cultural activities. Small and medium-sized enterprises all over the south-west of Scotland, such as artisan and craft businesses, could really benefit from an influx of such tourists who, as my colleague Adam Ingram said, spend more money than others.
As I said, I grew up with the badge representing St Ninian on my school blazer. It is strange that, despite spending a lot of my childhood doing religious activities, I never actually visited Whithorn, because there was no tradition of pilgrimage at that time. A couple of years ago, all the St Ninian’s schools in Scotland were invited to walk through Edinburgh with His Holiness the Pope. It strikes me that there is a huge potential for children right across Scotland to reconnect with the area. Perhaps the cabinet secretary will think about that. I know that money is tight, but it is a nice idea for children to have the opportunity to find out about that aspect of their heritage.
17:27
As other members have done, I congratulate Aileen McLeod on securing the debate. To pick up on a point that Adam Ingram made about funding, I renew my request to the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs to earmark the Whithorn Trust as being eligible for core museum funding, which would give it opportunities to get funding to help with its good work.
It might be curious to some people that an ancient religious centre such as Whithorn should be in what they might think of as a remote part of Scotland, but St Ninian’s time was post Roman—in the dark ages—and I imagine that to travel across land in those times was not the easiest thing to do. The seas, however, were the motorways of the dark ages, which might have been to Whithorn’s advantage at the time. It is therefore hardly surprising that St Ninian is reputed to have landed in east Donegal, that he gave his name to St Ninian’s point on Belfast Lough or that goods from the Mediterranean have been extracted from the site at Whithorn, which gives proof of the channels of travel in those times.
St Ninian is reputed to have travelled much further than Ireland—to Rome, itself. The famous Northumbrian monk Bede refers in his chronicles to Ninian’s having been educated in Rome. It is thought that Ninian was the son of an early Christian king, which is likely; I doubt that a person who had had a humbler upbringing would have been able to afford the journey to Rome for their education in the dark ages. We will probably never know what led the noble Ninian to follow the calling of the cloth, but he was ahead of his time, because it was 150 years or so later when St Columba converted the northern Picts and famously landed on Iona. Perhaps St Ninian was not the first to start converting the southern Picts, but he certainly must have dedicated his life to doing so at a time when Christianity was not the norm.
The dark ages were called “dark” because there was little writing of events, unlike in Roman times and in later years, when Bede chronicled the arrival of the Vikings. Stories were passed down not on parchment but through the spoken word, often with rhyme to aid the memory. Bede would have been aware of those rhythmic stories, but there may have been some elaboration from generation to generation as the story of Ninian was passed down the line.
There may have been no contemporary writing about Ninian, but his story and the proof of worship at Whithorn left their mark as, some 700 years after him, there was a huge cathedral at the site and Whithorn had grown into a major destination for pilgrimage. By then, there was a long history of miraculous cures being attributed to St Ninian, as people had prayed to him and made the pilgrimage to Whithorn.
Unsurprisingly, it was not until the reformation that Whithorn’s visitors declined. However, they never stopped. Even to this day, many people make their way there to recognise St Ninian’s importance. Therefore, I agree with Aileen McLeod that Whithorn should be recognised for its importance. St Ninian was Scotland’s first saint. He converted many southern Picts and there is no doubt that his influence has gone further than these shores, with dedications to him found not only extensively throughout Scotland from Shetland down to Galloway, but over the pond in New Scotland—Nova Scotia—and in many places in northern England.
St Ninian is, without doubt, of great significance to our history and to that of Europe. I agree that it is only right that he be given further recognition by the creation of the St Ninian ways as a European cultural route. His influence can still lead to improvements in the south-west by attracting visitors and highlighting the importance of Whithorn’s place in history.
17:32
I congratulate Aileen McLeod on securing the debate.
Members must be wondering what on earth I am doing in a debate about Whithorn and St Ninian. Forty years or so ago, I could not have predicted that there would be a Scottish Parliament or that I would be here contributing to a members’ business debate; I was looking out of Victorian classroom windows in Whithorn secondary school, where I had gone to teach as a newly married young woman.
I had little knowledge of Galloway, let alone of Whithorn, before that, but I came to realise that what was then to me—I apologise to Whithorn—a Sleepy Hollow sort of a place, because I had come from urbane Dunfermline, was still a royal burgh and had been a busy centre of pilgrimage on account of its connections with St Ninian, who is Scotland’s premier saint. As others have said, we forget that the seas and rivers were the highways and byways of the time.
I recall a debate in 2009 in the name of Alasdair Morgan that recognised and underlined the historical significance of Whithorn. It is more the cradle of Christianity here than is the more famous Iona. It predates the time of St Columba by 150 years or so, but little is known about the historical life of Ninian, who is known as the apostle to the southern Picts.
I congratulate the Whithorn Trust on how much it has done to publicise and preserve sites that are connected to St Ninian. It should cast its eyes to Wigtown and the success of the book town festival, which I thought would never succeed but which has blossomed, as has Wigtown.
Not only have I been to Iona—in my youth, which was unfortunately not misspent, I stayed in the commune there before it had running water and electricity—but I have been to St Ninian’s cave, which may well have changed considerably in the past 40 years due to erosion and the ingress of the sea on the pebbly beach. I say to Adam Ingram that I think that I have been an accidental religious tourist.
I took my class to St Ninian’s cave or, rather, they took me one bonnie spring day through the farmyard through which one goes and to a glorious Physgill glen where, for the first time, this erstwhile townie saw wild iris, daffodils and hyacinths and waxed lyrical over the banks of wild primroses, much to the embarrassment and amusement of her secondary 1 class. We came out from the dappled light into bright sunshine and the rough pebble beach strewn with driftwood and then turned to the small, dark and dank cave that is purported to have been the shelter for St Ninian. It was one of those days that I can never forget—absolutely perfect and unexpected, and a bit magical. That was when the well-kept secret history of this part of Scotland—the mystery of it—first caught my imagination. It was also when I became aware of the early days of archaeological excavation in Whithorn.
The debate has minded me to go back to Whithorn. However, perhaps it has changed now. I might find the glen less majestic, the cave a bit smaller, the pebbly beach a bit shrunken. I will recommend that others go and perhaps they will confirm that I need not fear that the passage of time has been other than true to my cherished memories of that day on my way to St Ninian’s cave.
17:35
I congratulate Aileen McLeod on bringing the debate to the chamber.
Members’ business debates are often occasions on which we get drawn to something about which we knew almost nothing. Of course, it is quite appropriate that Aileen McLeod should be the member who brings this debate to the chamber, since it was George MacLeod who reinstated Iona as a place of pilgrimage for St Columba.
Various members—most recently Patricia Ferguson—have talked about connections with St Ninian across Scotland. My ancestry is from St Ninian’s parish, which is, essentially, the parish of Bannockburn, so I claim that connection. The cabinet secretary will be able to claim a connection because of St Ninian’s kirk in Linlithgow, where my late mother-in-law used to worship. Right across Scotland we see the cultural and historical imprint of St Ninian. For my part—I suspect the same is true of many others—I have never questioned who this person is. If this debate has done anything for me, it has caused me to find out a bit about this person of whom I had no knowledge whatever.
In establishing the cultural routes across Europe, the Council of Europe seeks to reflect the complexity of our cultures and societies. The cultural routes website says that there are 29 such trails. I look forward in particular to visiting the iter vitaes—the ways of the vineyards of Europe. I think that I might be able to persuade my wife that one of our holidays could be anchored on that. As someone who is interested in family history, the European cemeteries route looks remarkably attractive, as does the thermal heritage and thermal towns route, especially if I decide that I need to address the increasing pain in my elderly bones.
With such great diversity in the routes, there is surely space for something that touches so many countries, that brings a new dimension to our understanding of early Christianity—not simply in Scotland or Pictland, but in all the places that St Ninian was involved with.
I must confess that I have not spent very much time in the south of Scotland. My family connections are to the north and the west, and I have never had family living there. I have been there, like many others, to catch a ferry to Ireland. If we can create a little magnet to deflect a few people from just driving straight to the ferry and instead get them to go to a place of interest at Whithorn, that would be well worth doing.
We have been able to make the island of Iona a place of cultural and spiritual heritage—when I have been there, it has been fair buzzing—even though it is actually quite difficult to get to. People have to take a ferry to Mull and then take a ferry from the other side of Mull to Iona. The Isle of Whithorn is a bit easier to get to, because the ferry there is free, as people can drive all the way.
This is a success story that is waiting for just a little bit of encouragement. I hope that the minister can tell us about some of the early steps that will turn it into a future success for Scotland, and for Whithorn and the south-west.
17:39
I congratulate Aileen McLeod on securing the debate and on an excellent opening speech.
In response, I would like to make three points: first, that heritage tourism plays a vital role in Scotland’s local and national visitor economy; secondly, that faith tourism is an important component of that; and thirdly, that by building on our existing partnerships, we can achieve even more.
I turn to the first of those themes. I am constantly impressed by the hard work, innovation and passion of all those who help to maintain Scotland’s vibrant visitor economy. Their impact is huge. Direct spend by overnight visitors is estimated to be worth £4.3 billion and supports 185,000 jobs in our tourism growth sector. I was intrigued by the figures used by Adam Ingram on the relative spend of ecclesiastical tourists.
I am sure that members will not be surprised to learn that a large share of the sector is comprised of those wishing to experience our world-class heritage. VisitScotland’s research bears that out, with 47 per cent of total visitors surveyed in 2011 choosing to visit an historic site. Heritage attractions now account for approximately one third of all visitor attractions in Scotland.
The heritage sector has been quick to embrace the Scottish Tourism Alliance’s industry-led tourism Scotland 2020 strategy and is developing joint working with the sector in support of the Government’s core purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth. The strategy recognises that we need to focus our efforts on collaboration to develop experiences created by elements unique to Scotland, which cannot easily be replicated by our competitors. Clearly, our historic environment has a big role to play.
As members have so eloquently stated this afternoon, Whithorn is unique; it is the only place in Scotland where evidence can be found of every phase of the development of Christianity, from the 5th century AD up to the reformation and beyond. That cultural significance has long been recognised. The site has been in state care for more than 100 years and continues to provide the community with a strong sense of identity, as well as attracting a small but significant number of visitors each year.
Whithorn has been an important place of pilgrimage since the 600s and a significant ecclesiastical and lordly centre grew up around the shrine of St Ninian. Ninian was recognised as one of the native patron saints of Scotland. By around 1200, a new monastery was founded around his shrine. The pilgrimage was created at the end of the 1800s and Whithorn is now properly recognised as the cradle of Christianity in Scotland. That was acknowledged in a members’ business debate on 16 September 2009.
Joan McAlpine referred to the St Ninian’s day parade, which my department was pleased to be able to help organise and, indeed, fund. It took place on St Ninian’s day, which is when the Pope arrived in Edinburgh. Those members who visit St Andrews House will be aware that as they enter, on one side of the storm doors is St Columba and on the other side is St Ninian. That gives recognition to the place of St Ninian in our society.
I recognise that heritage and faith tourism to Whithorn is not a mass market. However, it is vital to the economic wellbeing of the area and has, in a small way, made Whithorn famous at an international level.
As we have heard, cultural routes are an excellent way of acknowledging the shared history, common links and stories that bind us to, and place us in, our historic environment. They are also a fascinating draw for visitors and locals alike and their value is far reaching.
The cultural routes programme was launched by the Council of Europe in 1987 to demonstrate how the heritage of different countries in Europe contributes to a shared cultural heritage. The Council of Europe has granted certification to 26 cultural routes. Those have been referred to today.
As members have noted, Cluniac sites in Europe, which include Paisley and Crossraguel abbeys in Scotland, received European cultural route certification in 2005. Historic Scotland is fully aware of the importance of developing those pan-European initiatives and became a member of the Cluniac federation.
On 14 May 2010, I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at a civic reception at Paisley abbey, hosted by Renfrewshire Council, to mark the 1,100th anniversary of the foundation of the Cluny order and abbey.
Historic Scotland has continued to engage with the federation by working to raise awareness of the medieval pilgrimage route through Ayrshire, which would have included Crossraguel and Glenluce abbeys and, as its final destination, Whithorn priory. Historic Scotland will continue to work in close partnership with the federation to promote our shared European cultural ties.
As members have noted, St Ninian ways is an initiative to develop all pilgrimage trails to Whithorn as a single entity. While gaining cultural route status is an admirable long-term aspiration, certification will depend on meeting the Council of Europe’s criteria. Therefore, Aileen McLeod is correct to try to identify some of the initial steps that need to be taken as we proceed.
I will ask my officials in Historic Scotland to work alongside the other groups involved in assessing the feasibility of establishing ways to Whithorn and St Ninian as a European cultural route. I have as a minister previously explored some of the issues involved in the St Ninian ways initiative. The challenges that I would identify may be less to do with the heritage or tourism aspects of the project and more to do with land and transportation issues. Therefore, I will certainly engage the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Paul Wheelhouse. Aileen McLeod is correct to identify that co-ordination will need to take place across agencies.
I draw to members’ attention the Scottish pilgrimage gathering, which took place on 27 September 2013. At that conference, VisitScotland, which promotes Scotland’s existing pilgrim routes on its website, recognised the importance of collaboration in the potential development of faith tourism in Scotland.
I firmly believe that through such partnership working and local initiatives we can embrace the opportunity presented to us by the faith tourism market. Such initiatives will benefit both Whithorn and the wider Dumfries and Galloway area in this our second century of caring for and promoting Scotland’s cradle of Christianity.
I have visited Whithorn and am very enthusiastic about the passion that people express for the area. However, there is more of this story to tell in terms of engaging people. We must think about the practical ways forward. By bringing this debate, Aileen McLeod has managed to bring together the chamber. We must think about what we can do and work co-operatively to try to take the initiative forward. It will not be without its challenges, but at least if we know what they are, we can embrace and address them.
Meeting closed at 17:47.Previous
Decision Time