Kelton The Belted Galloway

Kelton is a coooooo of epic proportions. He's a bull actually, amidst the china shops and takeaways and Tesco's.

Standing proud as punch on top of Market Hill in Castle Douglas, Kelton is a welcome visitor who's been on a cooooo tooooor of Scotland over the last few years.

He was designed and made by artist and sculptor Trevor Leat, who works out of his studio in Auchencairn, and has been producing sculptures in willow for over 30 years. From coffins to cows, he grows his own willow, and has beds planted with wide varieties to gain different textures, colours and techniques.

Kelton, or 'Keltie the Beltie' as he is affectionately known, is a feast of a beast and is several times larger than his real counterpart. He is named after the local parish of Kelton, which is close to Threave Gardens and Nature Reserve.

Belted Galloway is a breed of cow synonymous with this part of Scotland. With their charismatic looks and Oreo biscuit appearance, they are sandwiched in the middle...a darker head and shoulders with a striking white belt that holds them together visually. Although they are on the smaller side for bovine, they are beefy.

They have tight double coats often covered in small curly tufts, keeping out the cold, but the boys are broad shouldered and bulky. With a wide back and low slung chest, you'd not want to be caught between a style and skylark by this belter.

Trevor Leat has captured this bull's balance beautifully. The taurine arrogance and immovability of such a big beast is evident in his stature. He towered over me when I visited, and some comments on social media when he was unveiled claimed he was AI or photographically embellished because people couldn't get over his greatness! He is just hefty and huuuuuuuuuge.

Look at his solid stance. Despite being woven from willow, which is wispy and whippy, the structure is set on a steel frame and weighs in at around a tonne. He is 12 feet in height and has the tiniest beady eye.

Look at the detail in his wicker nose ring. Rings are essentially the breaks on a bull, and are used to control the power and unpredictability of the beast. Luckily, this one is just for looks. I'd not like to be the one to lead this bad lad to mart!

Following the line of his shoulder, the artist has skilfully sculpted the brawn over his back, helping with his huge, hulking look.

And then the cream in the middle, completing his biscuity burliness, is made from stripped willow all the way from Somerset and especially supplied for this commission.

Those fulsome flanks were taller than me, and his long tail swished in the wind, which made it a little life like.

Zoning in on the materials he's made from, the willow gives a texture to his fur which is so akin to the skin of a real Belted Galloway. Look at that tousled hair, waxy and windblown like the quills of a porcupine.

Keltie was originally commissioned as a piece for the Royal Highland Show back in 2021 and was made to represent a 'Gateway to Galloway', where the cows grazing is a common countryside sight. He had become a strong and solid symbol of the area, representing a sense of place, community connection, strength and resilience as well as being an emblem of the land, agriculture and tradition.

He went on a coooo tooooor of exhibitions and events around Scotland for three years and became a bit of a Galloway icon. However, nature took hold. Birds stole bits of the Beltie to make their own nests and wind damaged his good looks.

Not to be deterred, the people of Castle Douglas rallied and raised funds through public crowdfunding to build Keltie the Beltie back up to his original handsome self. He needed reweaving to ensure he kept his place on the hill!

The original artist set to work and was watched over by curious locals while Kelton regained his furry appeal.

And now, he's home for good, keeping a bullseye view from the top of Market Hill, a proper bovine gateway to Galloway.

Thanks to Niic Forsyth for this spectacular sunrise snap of Kelton in Castle Douglas.