Man with the Sore Feet

A trip to the Highlands is often bookended for us with a stopover in Fort William, a place to sleep, eat pizza, replace snapped laces, buy books or a new waterproofs or do a last holiday Lidl stockpile before heading up higher.

For many, it's a place to start a walk, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, wending your way to Ben Nevis. For lots, it's the place you're aiming for to end the walk!

The West Highland Way is a six to eight day walk from Milngavie in Glasgow to Fort William, taking in some beautiful landscape along the way. It's just shy of 100 miles, and one thing that's guaranteed when you arrive is that you'll have sore feet!

Sore Feet, often referred to as The Man withSore Feet is a bronze sculpture sitting innocuously at the top of the High Street in Fort William. He's a sprightly gent in his late 60s, early 70s even, maybe? In my head, he's a retired English Teacher from Edinburgh called Struan, who has saved up walking the West Highland Way until his retirement.

I like the look of him. I think he looks genial. The type of person who'd be interesting but not overtalkative. I like his neat appearance of a thin pullover, so as not to get too hot, and a polo shirt, to be practical and layer up. His walking trousers aren't flash, no designer labels or logos, and are maybe even plus fours at a push.

His hair is sparse. My dad used to say of clever older men whose hair was receding, that 'Grass doesn't grow on a busy street'! I think this is the case for Struan. He's done all his thinking and is now enjoying his third age at a slower pace. In my head, he took nine days to walk the West Highland Way!

He sits, contemplatively overlooking Loch Linnhe, alone with his thoughts, his laughter lines, fine in bronze. The details you must have to embrace as a sculptor.

Looking down, Struan is clutching his foot, maybe massaging his metatarsal. 96 miles is a long way to walk. His boots look stout and supportive, well laced and waterproof, but my concern kicks in when I notice that Struan has only one boot? Where's his other boot?

I was worried about his lack of two shoes, so I reached out to artist David Annand, who designed and made this magnificent piece. He had another story to tell...

And from this angle, he now suddenly looks a bit miffed!

What...no Struan? No retired English teacher. So who's the man behind the kind eyes?

So, he has no name and only one boot? What's that about? I've invested so much.

Art isn't for free. It takes time to research, sketch, make up designs and maquettes, trial materials, cast and fabricate the piece and do site visits and liaise with clients. Then there's installation and preservation, and time taken to tweak bits the client isn't fond of. Art is someone's job and not a hobby. Art is just an idea without an artist.

Walking 96 miles takes its toll on the body, so no wonder the man with no name has sore feet...if he's done it in only one boot!

I'm stuck between the romance of my story and the reality of David's.

I want it to be a happy ending, but some just aren't. I feel there needs to be a whip-round for Struan's other boot! But then there's no backpack either, or a glimpse of a walking pole. I'm beginning to worry about his welfare, then I remember that despite its incredibly lifelike appearance, size and stature, The Man with Sore Feet is a job. He's been commissioned to bring people to Fort William to finish the walk, and have their picture taken with this one booted, sore footed big man, and then dine out in a nearby Wetherspoons or refuel at the sandwich shop.

Around 50,000 people complete the route each year, making this Scotland's most popular long-distance trail.

It's sad there's no plaque or infographic board about TheMan with Sore Feet or the work of David Annand. I guess the artwork is what people make of it. It seems that sitting next to him is meaningful enough, symbolic of their seismic strides across Scotland.

When we visited, a busload of people from Yorkshire were being tipped into the street for a tour from their bus. A lady walked past with her son and clocked immediately that he was short of a boot and wanted to know why. She locked eyes with us and asked, “Do ya know why he's only got the one shoe on, love?” I explained what David had told me, and she replied, “Weyyyyy, worra swizz. Fancy the fella not being paid right. There should be a write-up on him and his work, and fancy giving the guy only the one boot. I make no wonder his rubbing his toots!”

We stood for a while and chatted about what she thought of the piece, and she said she liked it. She thought it brought life to the street, that it was a talking point, but she seemed aggrieved by his lack of two boots!

Artworks all tell a different story. They make choices about what we choose to commemorate or shine a light on. In this instance, it's distance travelled, but inadvertently it is a tool to place your pennies in the pockets of Fort William's collective trousers.

I like that David Annand stuck to his guns. I like his other work too. There's something about the stance of the people he represents, their gait and stature, that draws me in to want to look a little closer. There's humour behind the eyes too...maybe the artist escaping?

He's clearly a beloved character on the High Street. People seem to know he's there, stopping and taking pictures, checking him out or hugging him up like he's a member of their gang. One man shouts over when I'm taking photos, “You be careful, see, he's been known to nip the bums of passers-by” and laughs loudly at his own joke. Surely not.

The previous end marker was an anticlimactic completion of a whack of a walk. Hikers would stumble their way into Fort William, pausing at a busy roundabout to snap a selfie of a sign, unceremonious and uncelebratory! You even had to pay for a certificate to say you'd completed the hike.

Erected in 2010, The Man with Sore Feet is made of bronze and is life-size.

He sits alone on his bench until joined by other celebratory walkers who've completed the West Highland Way, eager to pose for a picture.

He enjoys a spectacular view over Loch Linnhe to Ardnamurchan, a whole other land of adventure, and despite my vivid imagination, he has no name or backstory

The names of places pepper the pavement, places passed on the trek to Fort William. As part of the same 'Routes West' town enhancement project, the names of specific points and places of interest are engraved into the pavement in the shape of a map made of Caithness stone, illustrating the route many walkers will have just completed.

David Annand, the artist, meanwhile, has a number of really impressive sculptures dotted about Scotland and further afield. He's known for his work depicting figures from history, the world of entertainment, racing drivers, people in precarious places, as well as poets and animals.

His work depicts the lives and stories of many. His work gives a sense of place and a strength in stories and identity. He lives in Fife and has been commissioned as a sculptor since 1988.

His work is prolific, and you will have seen his sculptures on your travels without knowing it. He is the winner of many esteemed competitions and commissions, and he continues to work at his studio as he approaches 80 with no signs of slowing down and a great sense of humour. No time to sit on a park bench like Struan when there's sculpture to be made.

Struan, I'm sticking with Struan.