by 
An indefatigable search for the delightful sights of the Land of the Gaels has led me to something amazing: today I am going to see the Great Polish Map of Scotland. I recently found out about its existence and immediately became eager to see the huge concrete map built by a Polish soldier as a token of gratitude to the state which had provided him with political asylum and had become his new home.
What a great start to my little trip! I arrived in Eddleston village at a perfect time: the sun is kindly flooding everything with cheerful light, so I’m slowly strolling along, gazing around and admiring the amazing architecture of this place. Aren’t these old, low-rise houses with tiled roofs and grey walls just like something out of medieval fairy tales about good things?
A walk through Eddleston village
The wonderful, quiet village greets me with such hospitality; my mood lifts with every breath. Oh, I’d stay here longer – everything around is so peaceful. But my feet carry me forward, towards the main “point of interest” of my current journey. The stone map of Scotland is waiting, so I have to quicken my pace, treading along the swept streets of sparsely populated Eddleston.
Here everything is as if in constant expectation of a traveller: even benches to sit down on and rest is available! And what is amazing is that there are not only signs with street names here and there, but there is also a telephone booth.
… And the village continues to surprise me with its picturesqueness. Let’s admire its bird’s-eye view together. From above, you particularly feel the spaciousness and neatness of this settlement with a rich history.
Well, I am drawn further and further into Eddleston. What I came here for is to see the old Scottish mansion of Black Barony which houses a hotel called Barony Castle. But something waylays me before I get to this iconic place in Scotland.
And here they are – Alpacas
Slowly, moving deeper into Edleston I stumble upon peacefully grazing alpacas! I really did not expect to see these graceful animals. God how cute they are – just look at their thick, fluffy fur coat! For me alpacas are very exotic animals from Peru and I can’t get used to the fact that here in Scotland you can meet the legendary representatives of this fauna. Well, aren’t they wonderful???
Wow. I don’t want to take my eyes off these cute alpacas, but I have to make an effort to hit the road again. Fortunately it has almost come to an end: here is Barony Castle Hotel, an imposing castle from the Middle Ages. The monumental building was erected in the 16th century. Today it is a well-equipped hotel where locals go with pleasure to hold various celebrations, conferences and weddings
I am back on the right track thanks to a prudently placed sign: just a short run over a narrow wooden suspension bridge and here it is, the discovery of the day: the Great Polish Map of Scotland!
Great Map of Scotland
I approach a pond surrounded by a low metal fence and hear the mournful sounds it seems of bagpipes. The outlines of an unprecedented bas-relief appear on its surface, like duckweed. Lord, this is a tiny (scale 1:10000) model of Scotland – its exact copy reduced by several thousand times, as if taken from a satellite!
The landmark is called the Great Polish Map of Scotland for a reason: the man-made model is considered the world’s largest map relief, there is simply no other like it anywhere. And this miracle was created by the Polish soldier Jan Tomasik. As far as I know from open sources, it was like this: during the Second World War the Polish army settled in Eddleston, or rather here, 22km from the castle where the military school was located.
The Poles helped the Scots defend against the Nazis and one soldier remained in Scotland after the war ended. His name was Jan Tomasik, a sergeant in the 1st Armoured Division. Tomasik did not want to return to his homeland for political reasons: the sergeant was not satisfied with the communist regime which ruled in Poland so he remained in Scotland. The soldier wounded in the liberation battles was cared for by a Scottish nurse and they soon married.
Tomasik bought the castle and renovated it in 1968 (a little less than a quarter of a century later): by that time Barony Castle already had the status of a hotel. The new owner was fond of topography and this hobby led him to the idea of a grandiose structure: a large-scale map of Scotland, with the highest accuracy for recreating its heights, water bodies and lowlands. They say that a large model of Belgium (which Tomasik saw in 1958 at the Brussels World Exhibition) helped him to decide on the realisation of this idea. The future monument was supposed to carry, in addition to attracting tourists and local aesthetics, another important mission: to become a silent testimony of gratitude to the country that hospitably sheltered its defender.
Soon Jan Tomasik designed the map and in 1974 he began construction. The painstaking work was completed five years later in mid-1979. Despite its gigantic scale, measuring more than 50m in length and 40m in width, the bas-relief impresses with the accuracy of recreating the real cartographic features of Scotland. For security reasons it was protected by a low wall which surrounded artificial reservoirs – rivers and lakes filled with running water supplied through a well-thought-out system of underground communications.
I was very upset that Tomasik’s hopes of attracting visitors to his hotel did not come about during the lifetime of this grateful man. Alas, neither the locals nor the aristocrats (Tomasik was looking forward to visiting the royal couple) appreciated the invaluable contribution of a Pole naturalized in Scotland: the map did not interest anyone. Tomasik died and his castle was sold to another owner who made an excellent copy of his map. It got to the point that once the cleanest reservoirs dried up completely the mountains on the continent completely hid the grey moss and weeds from the sun.
Thus, the three-dimensional Great Polish Map of Scotland, phenomenal in terms of its skill in recreating the real landscape of the country, with mountains, seas and plains filigree worked in miniature has remained in undeserved oblivion for decades. Fortunately, in 2010, Mapa Scotland paid attention to the dying relic and a public group set out to revive the giant model in the national interest. The restoration process needed money and Mapa Scotland received a small grant from the state for restoration. Today the works of Tomasik and Mapa Scotland can be seen by everyone: The Great Polish Map of Scotland pleases with its appearance. The only pity is that it was not exactly like this back in 1979: the flowing river is no more and the original palette of colours has been irretrievably lost.
Back home
I turn back home with great regret having thoroughly enjoyed looking at this amazing artefact. What a blessing that I was able to see the Great Map of Scotland with my own eyes and now I’m a little sad I’m leaving.
Once again I admire the greatness of the Baroni Hotel – it is incredible. I hope that next time I can look inside. And here are the wonderful Alpacas nibbling the grass peacefully. Goodbye my good ones, I’m sure I’ll see you more than once!
Finally, here is the bridge. Wow! Where did these numerous yellow plastic ducks suddenly come from?? It looks like people near the shore are catching them, at least this is indicated by a stretched blue net at a distance. Strange occupation, don’t you think? I will try to ask the locals next time what it was – perhaps some kind of traditional fun. Maybe one of you, my viewers, will tell me what is going on here? I would appreciate that!
Well, I have to say goodbye to you. Goodbye, Edleston! You showed me amazing things today and I will remember the Great Polish Map of Scotland for a very long time – until my next visit here. And it will be, I’m sure, very, very soon.
