Glasgow Film Festival: Man living in isolation attends film premiere

Ken Smith lives in Loch Treig, Lochaber without running water or electricity and lives off the land, fishing for his supper, chopping wood and brewing his own tipple. 

He had to get up at 4am to walk for two hours to the nearest road from his home to start the journey to attend the premiere of a film documenting his life.

The 74-year-old arrived in Glasgow for the first time in decades to see The Hermit of Treig on Saturday, March 5.

Ken Smith. Credit Amy Muir/Glasgow Film Festival.

Speaking of city's transformation over the years, Ken said: “When I’ve been up in my place for about 30 or 40 years, it’s certainly different from my former life, I’ve never seen so many people!

“From where I am, where I live, I can go weeks and never see anybody.”

It’s changed so much to what it used to be, it’s really different.

“And I don’t know any of the places or anything like that, whereas before in the past I did.

“So now it’s like wandering around and, ‘Where’s this place? Where’s that place?'”

Ken Smith and Lizzie MacKenzie. Amy Muir/Glasgow Film Festival.

The Hermit of Trieg was directed by filmmaker Lizzie McKenzie, who first contacted Ken in 2012 after hearing stories about his life when she was working in a cafe in the Highlands.

Lizzie filmed Ken at his home for a BBC Scotland documentary over two years. 

Ken, from Derbyshire, took an interest in the wilderness after being attacked by a gang at the age of 26 and left unconscious for nearly a fortnight. 

Ken Smith and Lizzie MacKenzie. Credit: Amy Muir/Glasgow Film Festival

He found Loch Treig, also known as the 'Lonely Loch', and built himself a log cabin there.

The Hermit of Treig will be available online via Glasgow Film at Home from March 8 to 11 and will then released in UK cinemas from March 25.