The agony and ecstasy of the Scottish independence referendum

Jane Phillips was among the archetypal radical to ballot successful the Scottish independency referendum.

A teacher from Dundee, she was 2nd successful enactment astatine her section polling presumption erstwhile it opened connected the greeting of 18 September 2014.

Then aged 58, she was dreaming of a Yes triumph that for months had seemed astir inconceivable.

A decennary on, she tells BBC Scotland News: “I conscionable retrieve the benignant of tension, the excitement.

“There was a existent consciousness that we could bash it - a groundswell. A feeling that we were going to borderline it implicit the line.”

It was an affectional time successful the No campy too, says Cat Headley.

A 30-year-old solicitor making her archetypal foray into authorities astatine the time, she campaigned for Better Together successful Edinburgh.

“The vigor that existed was an astonishing happening to beryllium portion of and I uncertainty I’ll ever acquisition that again," Cat says.

Malcolm Andrew, a 20-year-old No activistic successful Inverclyde successful 2014, recalls some excitement and fearfulness for those campaigning to support Scotland successful the UK.

"We were warring for our country's place, which had been unchangeable for hundreds of years," helium says.

Malcolm remembers agleam skies connected 18 September, continuing what had been a sun-soaked summertime for overmuch of Scotland.

But for many, polling time brought unreality and rain, arsenic good arsenic the curtain down connected a singular campaign.

Referendums people breed entrenchment. And everyone wanted to person their say.

From US President Barack Obama to Wetherspoons brag Tim Martin.

From royalty - Queen Elizabeth - to Scottish royalty - Andy Murray.

Rory Stewart, an MP implicit the border, adjacent helped physique a cairn adjacent Gretna to beforehand “mutual respect and affection”.

But it was besides a clip of large fluidity.

Radicals and right-wingers coalesced connected the Yes side.

Party authorities - and inter-party authorities - were forced to instrumentality a backmost spot successful Better Together, nary substance however overmuch tensions bubbled towards the surface.

The Yes campaign, with Big Country's One Great Thing arsenic its unofficial soundtrack, took an unexpected lead successful an sentiment poll conscionable implicit a week earlier the referendum.

Three days retired from the vote, independency supporters gathered successful the Usher Hall successful Glasgow to beryllium serenaded by immoderate of the cause's personage backers - including Frightened Rabbit, Amy MacDonald, Mogwai and Franz Ferdinand.

Following a locomotion down Byres Road successful the city's westbound extremity - filled with stalls, flags and activists handing retired Yes badges - Jane remembers her son, Tom, telling her: “We’re going to bash this aren’t we?”

Louise Thomason Drever, who campaigned for Yes successful Shetland, remembers a "mood of possibility".

“We conscionable felt similar we had a existent shot," she tells BBC Scotland News.

That benignant of exuberance was not ever felt connected the No side.

Former Better Together activistic Alan Grant, past a 26-year-old authorities graduate, says that by polling time helium was conscionable "relieved it was coming to an end".

Although helium had nary doubts astir the outcome, helium describes the run arsenic "long, exhausting, tiring".

Ian Thomson, an organiser for Yes Berwickshire, describes polling time arsenic “probably the busiest time of my life".

Then aged 60, helium did Borders "valley dashes" - co-ordinating stalls connected colony greens and ferrying radical to voting booths.

The archetypal factual denotation that specified efforts would beryllium successful vain came retired of Clackmannanshire astatine 01:30.

Eva Comrie, a lawyer who campaigned for Yes, had been "absolutely certain" of triumph successful her section area. Instead, it was won by No with 55% of the vote.

"It was incredibly depressing, embarrassing, shameful," says Eva.

"It was 1 of the astir large disappointments of my full life."

Agony for some, ecstasy for others.

Cat, who spent the nighttime astatine the Edinburgh count, says: "You could consciousness it from the Yes campaigners - from that infinitesimal connected they knew what the effect was apt to be."

The No broadside past secured thumping, if unsurprising, wins successful Orkney and Shetland, earlier a constrictive triumph successful the Western Isles.

Louise and her friends, filled with "nervous excitement", gathered successful Shetland to ticker the results.

She called it a nighttime aboriginal aft things started to spell "badly wrong".

"I was reasoning I would beryllium up each nighttime but I retrieve reasoning really I can't look this," she says.

The large play came from Inverclyde, wherever No won by conscionable 86 votes, sparking groans and hands connected heads among the Yes ranks successful Glasgow.

Malcolm says it was axenic alleviation for the Better Together squad astatine the count.

Soon Alan was cheering a "delightful” triumph for No successful his autochthonal East Lothian.

When the nationalist effect - 55.3% for No, 44.7% for Yes - was confirmed, Cat describes a country of "exhilaration" astatine the Edinburgh count.

She adds, though, that it was "impossible not to consciousness for those who felt arsenic passionately arsenic you but that weren't getting the result that they had dreamt of”.

Consolation came successful the signifier of Yes cities Glasgow and Dundee - of which Jane says she was arrogant - but the 2014 imagination was over.

Better Together grandees toasted their occurrence astatine the Marriot Hotel successful Glasgow, portion Yes chiefs attended what Nicola Sturgeon described arsenic a "wake" successful different portion of town.

Meanwhile, occupation flared successful the metropolis centre aft a radical of national supporters charged astatine independency activists successful George Square, with dozens of arrests made.

Though that was a uncommon lawsuit of disorder, tensions had inevitably tally precocious passim the run - some connected Scotland's streets and successful the nascent Twitter-sphere.

Ian successful Berwickshire complains of "aggression" from the No side, portion Cat says Better Together activists were sometimes accused of being "traitors".

“It wasn’t each being shouted astatine connected thoroughfare stalls," she adds, reminiscing astir radical from crossed the UK turning up successful Edinburgh connected the time of the ballot to enactment the union.

The Better Together activistic sensed Scotland was connected the "cusp of something", adding: "But the benignant of caller opening that we were connected the cusp of wasn't what I was hoping it would be.”

Such sentiments hint astatine a cardinal contradiction of the referendum - neither broadside walked distant wholly content.

While No was victorious connected the night, Better Together activists lament what they spot arsenic a nonaccomplishment to decently determination governmental sermon connected from September 2014.

"That’s been the lasting, scarring bequest of the full atrocious mess," says Alan.

The Yes broadside did not get the effect it wanted, yet it has claimed a triumph of sorts.

Louise recalls fondly a play erstwhile she feels Scots were capable to "imagine thing different than the presumption quo".

"It was hugely positive," says Ian of the campaign.

Jane adds: "It has changed my presumption connected what is possible. It's fixed maine anticipation and aspiration for the future.”

A decennary on, memories whitethorn person faded, but feelings stay raw.