A sticky situation

FOR 900 years now the Burryman has taken to the streets of South Queensferry in a colourful and unusual festival.

Graphic designer John Nicol, 29, dressed as the Burryman and spent a day visiting pubs around the seaside area for the fifth consecutive year sporting thousands of sticky burrs.

After dressing in longjohns and a balaclava, the Burryman is covered from head to toe with 11,000 of the sticky seed pods from the burdock plant which are collected by organisers of the Burryman Festival.

Bringing good luck to everyone he met, the Burryman paraded around wearing a banner bearing a lion and carrying a bunch of flowers.

He walked from 7am until 6pm yesterday stopping only to drink whisky offered by local residents as a large crowd followed him.

Despite the strange ritual having been practised for centuries, the reasons behind it are clouded in mystery.