Clabby-doos at Arrochar

Whereas it is a historical fact that the wild MacFarlanes frequently descended upon the fertile plains of Lennox to plunder and generally make a nuisance of themselves, it is less well known that natives of the Vale of Leven ~ in more recent times ~ occasionally invaded Arrochar in pursuit of other precious items!  I refer, of course, to the ubiquitous ‘clabby-doo’!

For those unacquainted with the creature and the ritual of its capture, let me explain.The upper stretches of Loch Long at Arrochar were noted breeding grounds of a large mussel, styled in the Gaelic language clab-dubh (clab = mouth, dubh = black), which was considered a great delicacy among Vale and Dumbarton folk, who generally called it ‘clabby-doo’, being near the true pronunciation.

Unlike the common mussel, which is usually found in great clusters on the outgoing tide, the elusive clabby (as large as a man’s hand) was more of a solitary creature, which remained in deeper water, and was generally anchored by its ‘beard’ to a large stone.  Moreover, it appears that the species is found only in certain areas around Scotland’s west coastal waters.

Summer months saw many Vale folk heading for Arrochar ~ and the neighbouring shoreline of Ardgarten ~ to picnic and bathe.  Even when the tide was out, the ‘clabby-doo’ remained under water and had to be dived for.However, the result was worth the effort; for just three such giants made a meal to behold ~ better still when boiled then fried in a pan with a rasher of Ayrshire bacon!  Aye…those were the days!

Extracted from Editorial “MacFarlane’s Lantern”,  Issue No.100 – December 2006