All you need to know about ‘Whins’ aka Gorse!

Getting up close with Whins aka Gorse……..

Whichever name you know it as, either ‘whins’ in Scotland or ‘gorse’ from elsewhere, the prickly shrub smothered in sunshine – yellow blossom is an iconic plant of the heathland and rough open spaces when it is in blossom.

The hillsides in the Northern Highlands are a real treat to drive through particularly along the NC500 route – you can’t fail to notice the dramatic colour in the warmer months, commencing around Easter. It was the go-to plant to fulfil the many but simple needs of the ancients!

                  Whins along our Highlands roadsides

The flowers have a sweet coconut fragrance and are still used to make delicious drinks and desserts by enthusiastic foragers. The prickly shrub is a popular plant (read ‘weed’) and wherever it grows in quantity it is one of our great landscape vistas!

Whin bushes in flower make for great photographs in our Highlands countryside. Perhaps that is what inspired me to go foraging (during the long days of COVID lockdown before ‘easing’ started) and experiment for the first time with making whins ice cream last week……and my my wasn’t it gorgeous, as it tasted of coconut and a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’!

Top Tip: The flavour really matured by the second day!

By far the most popular household use was for dyes – green made from the bark and yellow from the blossoms. Did you know that dying cloth was considered a magical process, done only by women?  Meanwhile the men used it as a farm resource, and for hedging their fields to keep stock in and intruders out. Today you can still see it bordering many fields as you drive around the Highlands, and of course here in Caithness.

If driving north from Inverness to Caithness, do stop off the A9 on your way north, and take a walk over the hill to the clifftop ruins of Badbea clearances village on the clifftops!

The path to the ruins is lined with gorgeous whins!

The walk from the Badbea Clearance Village carpark over to the ruins can be a tad uneven – but the magnificent views of the North Sea and Oil Rigs, the dramatic cliffs, the sad Badbea ruins and monument, and the smell of coconut and amazing colours of the whins in flower make for a great photo opportunity. You’ll have some special memories when you become aware of the horrific story of the Highland Clearances – which was the reason people were driven here! Did you know that living on the clifftops was so dangerous that they had to tie children and young animals to stakes by ropes – to prevent them falling off the cliffs?

Talk about a super multi-purpose product! It was believed by the ancients that whins extended protective powers over the herds. They also boiled the seed pods, and used it as flea-repellent inside their wee butt and ben (2 room stone thatched cottage with dirt floors) which they shared with their few animals.  

Although a tedious task to grind the bush, it made great animal feed. However it was and still is an invasive plant and needs to be kept under control. By burning, it provided them with ashes which enriched the soil and encouraged plant growth. Ashes were also be mixed with rendered animal fats and made into multi use soap – but remember there were no bathrooms or baths as we know them!

Really, it was the first herbal tea and the seeds gave a ‘laxness to the bowels’!! It was also mixed with heather honey and used as a mouthwash. Can you imagine that as the honey probably helped to rot their teeth then causing more bad breath!

Burning torches of whins wood around cattle and other livestock was believed to enhance their fertility, and keep their coats clear of parasites. What self respecting bug would stick around! The wood was also used to carve eating utensils and provided great fuel for their cottage fireplace. The prickly bushes still make an important and safe habitat for birds, reptiles and many invertebrates.

It is a versatile plant! The best time to go foraging is spring to early summer – pick early when the sun has gently warmed the flowers. They can be eaten raw in salads, made into tea, cordial or syrup. It adds extra flavour and colour to beer, wine or spirits .

 

AND…….. it makes great ice cream as I just discovered last week!

The buds can also be pickled in vinegar and eaten like capers.

Whins can bloom for at least nine months of the year depending on the weather – hence the lovely old saying: ‘When gorse  is out of bloom, kissing is out of season.’

Don’t confuse whins and broom bushes, which both grow together in the hedgerows along the road and farms. Most people don’t realise there is a difference. When in flower both look much the same.

Broom (with English ancestry) has a soft tendril leaf and NO thorns, and was one of many plants used for sweeping and sometimes for thatching their cottages. With narcotic and toxic properties broom is now on the register of approved pharmaceuticals, and whins is not!

If you want to include the delights of whins in the Highlands or the horrific History of Badbea ruins and other Highland Clearance locations in your tours – CONTACT US 

♥ RobbieMac, Your Highlands’ Guide