Country diary: Down the road from the Edinburgh fringe … a true local tradition of costume and whisky | Doc Rowe

South Queensferry, West Lothian: The Burryman procession is one of Scotland’s most remarkable customs – and a changing of the guard is about to occur

While the Edinburgh festival grabs the headlines, just 10 miles away, one of Scotland’s most remarkable traditions takes place every August – the Burryman procession.

In this, part of the Ferry Fair, a local volunteer is covered in thousands of hooked burdock seedheads, which are attached in dense patches like Velcro. He spends up to 10 hours perambulating a seven-mile route around town, accompanied by two attendants, pausing at some 20 stops to collect charitable donations and accepting a libation of unmeasured whisky through a straw. This year’s procession is especially significant, as the identity of the Burryman is changing.