William Blair was born with spina bifida and is also an amputee. Rather than walk up Norman’s Law in Fife, which reaches 274m (900ft) above sea level, he was able to reach the summit in 45 minutes riding his 24hp John Deere X748 Ultimate lawn tractor.
The photograph taken at the top by his son Chris, an experienced hill climber who guided his father up the rough track, won first prize, A John Deere mountain bike worth £442. in their Keep Green newsletter competition. The summit provides magnificent views of six counties in Central Scotland, the Southern Highlands and the Grampian Mountains, and the Blair’s 220 acre family farm at Pittachope, Luthrie, near Cupar can be seen to the right.
“This was the first time I’ve been up Norman’s Law for 25 years, and it must be the first time a tractor’s ever been up there,” says Willie. “I did it just for the hell of it, really, and I certainly needed the tractor’s four-wheel drive to help get me all the way to the top. It was actually more difficult coming down than going up!”
The X748 is the latest in a long line of John Deere tractors Willie has bought from Cupar dealer The Double A Trading Co, including a couple of compact models as well as a series of lawn tractors.