NATURAL ARCH, COVE—LOW TIDE.
2.Excursion to Fionn Loch.—This excursion (so far as beyond Inveran) can only be made by special permission of Mr O. H. Mackenzie of Inverewe, and that certainly cannot be obtained after July. Cross the bridge at Poolewe and turn to the right. The road follows the course of the River Ewe pretty closely. There is a picturesque little crag on the left calledCraig an Fhithich, or "the raven's crag." The flat peat bog a little further on is called the "Shore." Between the road and the river, on the right, is the remains of the iron furnace called the Red Smiddy (Part I., chap. xx.). The next hill we pass, on the left, is calledCraig Bhan. It was on this and other hills to the left and further on that Donald Maclean saw the visions of soldiers in red uniforms described inPart II., chap. xv. Observe the beautiful peeps of the river Ewe and Loch Maree, and the wooded hills often called the Trossachs of Loch Maree. The road soon enters the Inveran woods, and after passing the Inveran farmhouse, where there is a fine view of the lower end of Loch Maree, arrives at a wooden bridge over the Inveran river or burn, the outlet from Loch Kernsary. To this point the road has been on the property of Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, but now enters that of Mr Osgood H. Mackenzie. The gate at this bridge is kept locked. A small loch (Loch an Doire Garbh), with abundant water lilies, is soon passed on the right, and then Loch Kernsary is reached, a fine sheet of water about a mile long. There is an artificial island, or crannog, with a grove of trees on it, now nearly destroyed by the rooks that nest here. Turning to the right the farm of Kernsary, with its sheltered fields and smiling woods, is reached. The small river is spanned by a frail foot-bridge, below which is the ford for carts and carriages. The cottage and byre on the hillside to the left are the place called Innis a Bhaird. A house was built here in the first half of the eighteenth century by the bard named Cross, who was called "Bard Sasunnach" (Part I., chap. xiv.). From Kernsary the almost Alpine road constructed by Mr O. H. Mackenzie about 1875 gradually ascends to a height of 600 feet above the sea level. Both at Kernsary and for a mile further, near the road, are the remains of cottages or shieling bothies. The patches which were formerly cultivated are now mostly overgrown with bracken. The varied colouring of the landscape, especially to the right of the road, is wonderfully fine at any time of the year. At a distance of about six miles from Poolewe the road terminates at Fionn Loch, which is admirably described by Mr Jolly inchapter xiv. of this Part. This fine loch is 550 feet above the sea level, and contains some picturesque little islands, mostly wooded. Some of them are mentioned inPart III., chap. vi. The chief attraction of Fionn Loch consists in the amphitheatre ofmountains round the head of the loch. Beinn Lair, broken off towards the north-east in a series of remarkable precipices, is the central object (seeillustration, page 54); whilst the Maighdean to the east, andMeall Mheannidhto the west, form noble guards on those flanks. The horns of the crescent are completed byBeinn a Chaisgeanon the east ofFionnLoch andBeinn Aridh Charron the west, the latter presenting a series of magnificent escarpments. The south end ofBeinn a Chaisgeanhas two fine spurs,Scuir a LaocainnandScuir na Feart. BelowBeinn Lair, and slightly to the east, are the lower eminences ofCraig an Dubh Loch(a spur ofBeinn Tarsuinn Chaol), streaked by veins of pegmatite, showing white even at some miles distance. Return to Poolewe by the same route. This excursion may be made also from the Gairloch Hotel, but in any case special permission must be obtained for it beforehand.
Other excursions by road from Poolewe Inn may be made in either direction towards Gairloch or Aultbea, and the excursions from Aultbea described in the next chapter may be accomplished from Poolewe.
Of water expeditions there are the voyage on Loch Maree (Part. IV., chap. xiii.), which can readily be done from Poolewe Inn, and boating expeditions on Loch Ewe either for purposes of angling or exploration.
Of walks and strolls there are many. Rambles on the west shore of Loch Ewe, or about the township ofLondubh, or to Inveran farm and bridge, or to the splendid points of view of Loch Maree above Tollie, are all replete with interest. The old track continued from Tollie pier along the south-west side of Loch Maree is well worth following for a mile or more. Expeditions for angling purposes to any lochs which are open to those staying at Poolewe Inn furnish additional walks. There is a walk from Poolewe Inn to Craig Bhan which I particularly recommend. Cross Poolewe bridge; turn to the right, and follow the Inveran road (as if you were going toFionn Loch). It is about a mile to the first small detached strip of natural birch wood just opposite the house (on the other side of the river) furthest away from Poolewe.Craig Bhanis the low hill that rises close above the road on the side you are on. Near the top, about one hundred and fifty yards from the road, you will find on the one hand a magnificent view of Loch Maree, and in the other direction of Loch Ewe. I know no finer point of view in the district. One of the brochs, or Pictish round houses (Part I., chap. xxi.), is to be seen onCraig Bhan.
Threedrives are recommended to be taken from Aultbea.
1.To Mellon Charles.—After leaving Aultbea Inn the road crosses the burn, which gives its name to the place, and after passing the post-office, and further on the Free church and its manse, reaches Aird House, on the promontory which forms the bay and is called Aird Point. The tiny hamlet below Aird is calledCuilchonich. Further on the village ofBuaile na luibis reached, with its board school. The road now becomes rough, and the rest of the journey may perhaps be better accomplished on foot. The first village after leaving Buaile na luib is called Ormiscaig, and then the township of Mellon Charles is entered, with its sandy beach. It is an interesting Highland place, and, like Cove on the opposite side of Loch Ewe, gives one the idea of being near the end of the world. There are fairy stories connected with this neighbourhood (seePart II., chap. xiii.). Above the village risesCraig an Fhithich Mhor, or "the great raven's crag," 395 feet in height. The rocky coast on either side of Mellon Charles contains some fine caves inhabited by blue-rock pigeons. This excursion may perhaps be better made on foot.
2.To Mellon Udrigil.—Take the road leading north-east from Aultbea. On the left isTighnafaolinn, a straggling township on the hillside. On the right, after crossing the burn, is the hamlet of Badfearn. The road ascends for about a mile and a half. On both sides are rough moorland, with moraines of ancient glaciers. Soon after passing the brow of the hill the road descends toLaideHouse, a small but neat dwelling, with a few trees about it, noticeable more for their present rarity in this part of the country than for any merits of their own. The straggling village ofLaide, or more fully theLaideof Udrigil, is now entered. The first building, on the left, was used as a place of worship some few years ago, but has been lately unroofed. A little distance from the road, to the right, is the board school. At the merchant's shop turn to the left, leaving the ruin of the ancient chapel to the right below. The road is rather rough, but quite passable. For about a mile it runs along the top of low cliffs; the picturesque salmon station of Mr Hogarth, of Aberdeen, is seen on a small promontory. The curious red cliffs (the only trias hereabouts,Part III., chap. ix.), the picturesque ridges of rock jutting into the sea, and the salmon station itself, are well worth an exploration on foot. The road descends as it passes round the base of the hill calledMeallan Udrigil(298 feet), and then ascends, passing Udrigil House, a little way above which is the hamlet of Achagarve. The road now strikes somewhat inland, behind the hill calledMeall nam Meallan(478 feet). On the left is the Loch of the Beast, the haunt of the celebrated water-kelpie (Part II., chap. xiii.). A mile further, through a narrow pass, we enter the little village of Mellon Udrigil, with its board school, which, though small,is sufficient for the place. An examination of the village, and a stroll on the sands, will be found interesting.Meall nam Meallanforms a series of fine cliffs along the coast to the south of Mellon Udrigil. During the whole of the drive fromLaidethere have been magnificent views of the hills and islands around and within the bay of Gruinard. On a fine day, at any time of the year, these views are enchanting. It was from Mellon Udrigil that the vision of the great fleet, with boats manned by red-jackets, was seen (Part II., chap. xv.). The bay of Gruinard, or Loch Gruinard, is described in a separate chapter by Mr Jolly.
CURIOUS ROCKS, SAND OF UDRIGIL.
3.To Second Coast and intermediate places.—The road toLaideis the same as in the last drive, but instead of turning off to the left at the merchant's, keep straight on in an easterly direction. The scenery and surroundings are described in Mr Jolly's chapter on Loch Gruinard (seepage 355). The ruined church or chapel of Sand (Part I., chap. xxi.), standing in a crowded graveyard, is well seen to the left, and is worth a visit. In my memory there were the remains of a mullion and tracery in the little window in the eastern gable. This little church, called the chapel of Sand, is said to have been one of the earliest Christian churches on the west coast (seeillustration, page 70). The straggling collection of cottages called Sand adjoins Laide; here, as the name implies, there is a fine stretch of sandy beach, beyond which a wonderfully diversified rocky shore extends. A little beyond Sand, in a cove on the sea-shore close below the road,and accessible from it by a winding footpath, are two caves and some curious detached rocks. One rock is a sort of rugged pyramid, and another resembles a sphinx (see illustration). This latter is particularly remarkable, and is overgrown with beautiful lichens. The larger cave is used for public worship, and the small one as a dwelling. The first hamlet or village after Sand is called First Coast, and the other, further on, is Second Coast. The Gaelic name of the former is "Bad an t' Sluig," or "the clump of the gullet;" and of the latter, "An t' Eirthire Donn," or "the brown side or edge." The word "eirthire" is here spelt according to the local manner; it is in other parts of the Highlands spelt "oirthire," which is said to be more correct.
The villages of First and Second Coast differ from most of those in the parish of Gairloch in having the habitations all together, instead of being scattered in their respective crofts or allotments, as is the usual arrangement. This is due to the "run-rig" system of cultivation having been retained here to a comparatively recent date (Part II., chap. viii.).
Second Coast is bounded by a considerable burn, which joins the sea in the bay below the village, sometimes called Mill bay, because of the mill which formerly stood at the foot of the burn. Proceeding by a long ascent the summit ofCadha Beagis at last attained, with a most lovely view of the horseshoe bay of Fisherfield. At the foot of the steep road downCadha Beagis a bridge over the Little Gruinard river, which flows out of Fionn Loch, and is the northern boundary of the parish of Gairloch. Here, on the Gairloch side of the river, is a black bothy, which is a licensed house, kept by one William Gunn, the humorous father of a numerous family. The farm, with arable land on both sides of the river, is called Little Gruinard.
The continuation of this drive to the Meikle Gruinard river is well worth taking; a picturesque burn is crossed half-way between the two rivers, and the horses may perhaps be baited at the Fisherfield farmhouse. This road may be used as an exit from Gairloch (Part IV., chap. ii.).
The return journey to Aultbea is by the same route. All the comparatively low ground of the Greenstone Point is called the "Laighof Loch Broom,"i.e.low ground of Loch Broom. It is curious that this part of Gairloch parish should be spoken of as if it were part of the adjoining barony of Loch Broom. In former days Gairloch and Loch Broom were considered to form one district, and this may have originated the confusion perpetuated in this name. "Laigh" is a Scotch, not a Gaelic, word.
Excursions by water from Aultbea are mostly what can be made by boat on Loch Ewe, and may be either for the purpose of sea-fishing, which is very good, or with the object of exploring the rocky headlands and numerous caves at the north end of Isle Ewe or on the mainland beyond Mellon Charles. There is a fine sandy bay, with an out-of-the-world little village called Slaggan, where the great bard of Slaggan (Part II., chap. xxi.) had his abode, and this maybe made the subject of a boating excursion. In fine weather a sail on the wide bay of Gruinard will reveal magnificent views of the mountainous coast round its shores, and further north and east.
For walks I can recommend either shore of the Greenstone Point. Mr Forbes, at the inn, will suggest pedestrian rambles, as well as make arrangements for boats on sea and on fresh-water lochs.
Thesteamer on Loch Maree affords a means of viewing the beauties of this queen of Highland lochs in a thorough and luxurious way.
The route from the Gairloch Hotel past Loch Tollie to the junction with the Tollie road is described inchap. vi. of this Part. Proceeding down the estate road past Tollie farm, the tourist will be delighted with the views of Loch Maree andBeinn Aridh Charr, and will soon arrive at Tollie pier in the north-western corner of the loch, where trees and rocks mingle in lovely confusion beneath rugged grey cliffs.
LOCH MAREE FROM ARDLAIR.
Loch Maree is a magnificent sheet of water, rather over twelve miles in length. Pennant in his "Tour" (Appendix B) says it is eighteen miles long, and this error has been repeated in the New Statistical Account (Appendix E), and in most of the guide-books. The Old Statistical Account (Appendix C) gave the correct length, which can now be attested by any one who will take the trouble to refer to the Ordnance Survey.
Pennant described the scenery of the loch as "making a most beautiful appearance." Dr Arthur Mitchell, adopting the opinion expressed in Anderson's excellent guide, characterises the scenery as "utterly savage and terrific," though he admits that the islands make the loch "an exquisite picture of calm beauty."
Thus doctors disagree! Without claiming to have anything new to say on the question, I must express the opinion, which I share with many others, that the scenery of Loch Maree is not surpassed in the United Kingdom for both wild and gentle beauty.
Perhaps its leading characteristic is the frequent contrasts it exhibits between barren, often precipitous, rocks and mountains on the one hand, and calm lochs, smiling woods, or richly-coloured moors on the other. The unconscious, or unanalysed, impressions of these contrasts produce the most pleasing effects on the spectator's mind and feelings.
The Rev. Mr Small refers to the charms of contrast, exemplified in the scenery of Loch Maree, thus:—
"In rugged grandeur by the placid lake,Rise the bold mountain cliffs, sublimely rude;A pleasing contrast, each with each, they make,And when in such harmonious union viewed,Each with more powerful charms appears imbued.Even thus it is, methinks, with mingling hearts,Though different far in nature and in mood,A blessed influence each to each imparts,Which softens and subdues, yet weakens not, nor thwarts."
"In rugged grandeur by the placid lake,Rise the bold mountain cliffs, sublimely rude;A pleasing contrast, each with each, they make,And when in such harmonious union viewed,Each with more powerful charms appears imbued.Even thus it is, methinks, with mingling hearts,Though different far in nature and in mood,A blessed influence each to each imparts,Which softens and subdues, yet weakens not, nor thwarts."
The derivation of the name Maree from StMaelrubhais discussed and conclusively established by Dr Mitchell (Part II., chap. xi.). Other references to the loch incidentally occur in several parts of this book.
At Tollie pier (erected 1883) we step on board the little steamer, and commence the tour of the loch. It will be more convenient to describe the left or north-east shore on our way up the loch, and the other side on the return voyage. As the steamer leaves Tollie pier the Fox Point (Gallicé,Rudha mhadaidh ruaidh) is seen on the left. It is a low and small promontory, terminating in grey-white rocks, deriving its name from some story of a fox closely pursued by dogs taking to the water here, or from some fox of unusual size being killed at the place.
Observe the extreme clearness of the water of Loch Maree. Owing to the rocky and gravelly nature of the bed and shores of the loch, its waters never acquire that dark peaty tinge which characterises the water of Loch Katrine. The Fox Point has long been the resort of persons suffering from various ailments, who have come to drink of the marvellously pure water of the loch, which is, or was, believed to possess valuable health-restoring qualities (Part II., chap. xiii.). The traveller casually tasting Loch Maree water, especially in the summer when it is slightly warmed by the sun, may be disappointed with its flavour, or rather want of flavour, and may think it lacking in freshness. Remember that the fresh sparkle ofmuch spring water, so agreeable to the palate, is due to a certain amount of mineral or other impurity.
Behind, or to the north of, the Fox Point the River Ewe leaves Loch Maree. Here are Inveran House and Inveran farm (Miss Maclennan), situated on the estate of Sir Kenneth S. Mackenzie, Bart. of Gairloch, to whom both sides of the River Ewe and, as we shall see, most of the shores of Loch Maree belong, as well as all its islands and the sole right to the salmon and sea-trout fishings, not only of the loch but also of the river and contiguous sea.
This end of Loch Maree has its Ossianic legend (Part I., chap. i.). "The sweetheart's stepping-stones" are said to have been placed in their present position in the water near the Fox Point by Fingal himself; they render the navigation difficult to those ignorant of their localities.
CLACH A MHAIL, ARDLAIR.
From the Fox Point to a burn a mile further up, the estate of Mr Osgood H. Mackenzie abuts on the loch; then commences the property of Mrs Liot Bankes. The scrubby wood on the hill side sloping to the loch is called An Fhridh dhorch, or "the dark forest." The sheep have been removed from this ground, so the wood here will now have a chance of growing. As the steamer emerges from the comparatively narrow part of Loch Maree the new mansion-house of Ardlair (Mrs Liot Bankes) comes in view, situated in natural pleasure grounds of peculiar beauty. The charms of this place, embracing sloping lawns, shady glades, dense thickets, graceful trees, masses of grey rock, and a shingly beach, edged by a belt of feathery wood, the whole reposing at the foot of magnificent precipices, seem to constitute a sort of garden of the Hesperides, and fully justify the title bestowed on the spot by a Scotch poet, whotruly called it "the sweet Ardlair." The name Ardlair signifies "the mare's height." It is derived from a stone, rather like a horse's head, which stands in the loch a few yards to the south of the pier below the house.
A little past the cultivated land, to the east of the house of Ardlair, is the "Cave of the king's son" (Part I., chap. iv.); near it is the stone still called the "Minister's stone" (seeillustration, page 81), where tradition has it that the Rev. Farquhar MacRae (Appendix A) used to preach.
UAMH A MHAIL, ARDLAIR.
Beyond the woods of Ardlair may be seen a large boulder on the beach, calledClach a Mhail, or "the stone of rent or tribute" (seeillustration), at which the proprietor of the Letterewe estate used to gather his rents, and where a whisky market used to be held. A small cave a little above, calledUamh a Mhail(seeillustration), was used by the proprietor if the weather were too stormy for his business to be conducted at the stone. Further on is a long bluish-looking point calledRudha Chailleach, or "the old woman's (or witch's) point," where it is supposed women accused of witchcraft used to be ducked, or more probably drowned.
On the side ofBeinn Aridh Charr, about half way up aboveRudha Chailleach, is a conspicuous mass of quartz, called the "White horse." Its shape justifies the name.
Our notes on the islands, among which the steamer passes when oppositeRudha Chailleach, shall be deferred until the return journey.
An enormous rock, or rather lump of rocks, on the southern shoulder ofBeinn Aridh Charrrises (just beyondRudha Chailleach) to the height of 1000 feet. It consists of a number of large rounded masses of stone descending sheer into the waters of theloch, and is calledCraig Thairbh, or the "Bull Rock," from a detached stone in the water at the base of the rock supposed to resemble in shape a bull. After passing the Bull Rock the shores of the loch are more or less wooded for a distance of some four or five miles.
On a wooded knoll opposite Isle Maree is an artificial cave, called Uamh an Oir, or "the cave of gold," about forty yards from the margin of the loch. It is an old excavation, made by searchers for the precious metal, which is said to have been found there but in unremunerative quantity. Dr Cochran-Patrick, in his "Early Records relating to Mining in Scotland," gives many interesting facts on the subject of gold mining. Gilbert de Moravia is said to have discovered gold at Durness in Sutherland in 1245. The Scottish Parliament granted to the Crown in 1424 all the gold mines in Scotland. Gold mines were commenced on Crawford Moor during the reign of James IV., about 1511. During the minority of James VI. Cornelius de Vois, a Dutchman, obtained in 1567 a license from the Regent Murray to work gold and silver for nineteen years in any part of Scotland. Cornelius de Vois had several partners who held shares in the adventure. The gold is said to have been found by them principally in the glens and valleys. This "cave of gold" may have been made by them. Many later attempts were made to find gold as well as silver. There is nothing whatever to shew when the search which resulted in the formation of the "cave of gold" took place. According to the New Statistical Account (Appendix E), this excavation was made by some one seeking a vein of silver, and several old people now living say the same, but the name "cave of gold" seems to connect it with the more precious metal.
A rounded mountain to the east ofBeinn Aridh Charr, calledMeall Mheannidh, is seen above the craggy eminences of Letterewe; and just beyond it Beinn Lair rises in a flattish undulating form, with one small point shewing to the summit. This hill is as it were broken off towards the north in a series of remarkably fine precipices, not discernible from this side (seeillustration, page 54). At the back of Beinn Lair are the Claonadh, or "slopes," mentioned in the story of the "Gillie Buidhe" (Part I., chap. xiv.).
The woods of Letterewe begin about half way up the loch. At the commencement of the policies may be noticed the mouth of a canal, and, on the hillside above, the track of a tramway in connection with it. These were constructed by the late proprietor for the purpose of bringing limestone from an extensive and picturesque quarry further up. The quarry is now disused.
To the east of the tramway track notice a fine cascade. Letterewe House (Mr C. Perkins) is an old mansion of the Mackenzies of Letterewe, and is now the property of Mrs Liot Bankes, whose estate extends from the burn (already mentioned) between the Fox Point and Ardlair up to another burn on the west side of Slioch.
A mile beyond Letterewe House the Furnace burn falls into Loch Maree. The hamlet of Furnace takes its name from the iron-smelting furnace (Part I., chap. xx.) established here by Sir George Hay in or about 1607.
The hamlets or places from Letterewe to the head of Loch Maree are in the following order:—Furnace,Innis(or Inch)Ghlas, Coppachy, Regoilachy, andSmiorsair. Above them rises the lordly height ofSlioch,—notBeinnSlioch, if you please,—whose name signifies a spear-head; the conical shape of the mountain, as seen from Talladale and Slatadale, resembles the form of the rather thick head of an ancient spear or lance, and still more closely that of an ancient flint arrow-head.
Slioch loses this conical form as the steamer approaches the mountain; it now assumes the appearance of a vast wall, furrowed and grooved by the natural agencies of ten thousand generations. The rills and burns which trickle down its steep sides become in wet weather foaming cataracts. The upper part of the mountain is fluted by deep weather-worn channels, thus forming the range of grand summits that nobly cap this chief feature of Loch Maree. WhilstBeinn Aridh Charris remarkable for its graceful contour,Sliochstands pre-eminent for its barren wildness and grandeur.
At the foot of theFasaghburn, which flows into Loch Maree to the east of Slioch, are, on the one side (at some little distance), the old burial-ground called theCladh nan Sasunnach, or "English graveyard" (Part I., chap. xviii.); and, on the other (the east side of the burn), the remains of ancient ironworks, where large quantities of slag may still be seen (Part I., chap. xx.).
From the head of the loch, which the steamer is now nearing, stretches away to the south-east the partly cultivated strath of Kenlochewe, with the farm of Tagan in the foreground. On the left of the strath, towards the north-east, is a spur ofBeinn a Mhuinidh, called the Bonaid Donn, with its waterfall, which, during or immediately after heavy rains, is a fine cascade of the mare's-tail type (Part III., chap. i.). On the south-west side of the strath isMeall a Ghuibhais; and exactly below it, near the head of the loch, the steamer pulls up at the pier on a shingly beach—a "silver strand"—which forms the promontory generally known asRu Nohar, or "the giant's point." The full spelling of the Gaelic name is "Rudha an Fhomhair" (see "Glossary"). The name of the giant after whom this point is called is not recorded. Can he and his fellows have been buried in the large graves in theCladh nan Sasunnach?
After a ramble on shore, where many a pleasant nook amid woods and rocks may be found by the roadside suitable for a brief pic-nic (including the consumption of the lunch which the thoughtful voyageur will have provided before starting), we again embark on the steamer for
The Return Voyage.
Our notes will now describe the right or south-west side of the loch, and also the islands which add so much to the beauty and romance of Loch Maree.
Observe, as theMabelgets under way, the slopes and undercliffs of Meall a Ghuibhais, clothed with extremely beautiful woods. They consist for the most part of birch and pine raised by nature,and therefore more picturesque than if planted by man. The oak, the ash, the rowan, the sallow, the hazel, and the quivering aspen, are mingled with the firs and birches, and are all indigenous. Black game and roe-deer abound in these woods, and may often be observed near the margin of the loch. Above the woods are rocky heights; in one place a yellow scar is noticeable, where a landslip occurred many years ago, illustrating the effect of water and frost in disintegrating the hardest rocks.
The woods ofGlas Leitire, as this fragment of the old forest is named, extend along some two miles of our return route. As they become thinner, individual trees display their characteristic shapes more freely (see Her Majesty Queen Victoria's remark about these trees quoted inPart IV., chap. iv.).
The county road towards Gairloch, also described in that chapter, runs along the side of the loch we are now noticing. It may be seen here and there winding through the trees, or surmounting some rocky point on the edge of the loch.
After passing theGlas Leitirewoods, GlenGrudidhopens out; the transition from the lovely woods to this wild lonely glen is indeed a transformation scene! The view looking up Glen Grudidh is one of the finest in the country; the herbage assumes, particularly in autumn, a ruddy golden hue, contrasting wonderfully with the blue-grey boulders scattered upon it, and the steep blue peak ofRuadh Stac—the highest summit in Gairloch parish—and of Liathgach which form the background.
Further on, at a distance of five miles from the head of the loch, isGrudidhIsland (Eilean Grudidh), in a small bay renowned for its sea-trout fishing, and where now and then a salmon is hooked. This interesting little island (Part I., chap, xxi.) was originally a stronghold of the MacBeaths, and was afterwards held by the Macleods (Part I., chap. xii.).
Rounding a promontory, calledAird na h' Eigheamh, or "the calling point," which considerably narrows the loch, we come in sight of the main body of the islands. They are said to be twenty-four in number, but no one can accurately number them. When the loch is high from recent rains many parts become detached from the larger islands, which when it lowers again are reunited. The principal islands are Isle Maree,Eilean Suainne("the everlasting island"), Eilean Dubh na Sroine ("the black isle of the nose or promontory"),Garbh Eilean("the rough isle"), andEilean Ruaridh Mor("the big island of Rory"), with its pendicleEilean Ruaridh Beag. Another considerable island is called "the planted island." These islands are part of the Gairloch estate of Sir Kenneth Mackenzie; they are the resort of red deer, which swim across from the mainland; and of black game, sea-gulls, and wild fowl, as well as occasionally of roe-deer. In a hard winter wild swans repair to Loch Maree (which is never frozen over), and frequent the islands. A specimen may be seen in the Loch Maree Hotel. Wild geese (the grey lag goose), wild ducks, mergansers, goosanders, black-throated divers, and countless sea-gulls, visit the islands during Mayand the following months for the purpose of nesting and rearing their young. The sea-gulls are of four kinds, viz., the great black-backed gull (two or three pairs), the lesser black-backed gull (in great numbers), the herring gull (very few), and the common or winter gull (a few pairs).
The islands are for the most part beautifully wooded,—some of the trees being the remains of the ancient forest, which their insular position protected from the axe of the ironworkers; others self-sown in recent years; and others again planted by the lairds of Gairloch, to whom all the islands have for four centuries belonged. It is pleasant to notice young trees springing up along the north-east shore of the loch, no doubt the result of seed blown from the islands.
Isle Maree is the best known and most interesting of the islands (Part I., chap. ii.; andPart II., chaps. xi.andxii.).
The following verses by Mr James G. Whittier, the American poet, though not quite exact in descriptive details, refer so touchingly to the holy well of Isle Maree (seepage 151et seq.) that I must quote them here:—
"Calm on the breast of Loch MareeA little isle reposes;A shadow woven of the oakAnd willow o'er it closes.Within a Druid's mound is seen,Set round with stony warders,A fountain, gushing through the turf,Flows o'er its grassy borders.And whoso bathes therein his brow,With care or madness burning,Feels once again his healthful thoughtAnd sense of peace returning.O restless heart and fevered brain,Unquiet and unstable,That holy well of Loch MareeIs more than idle fable!Life's changes vex, its discords stun,Its glaring sunshine blindeth,And blest is he who on his wayThat fount of healing findeth!The shadows of a humbled willAnd contrite heart are o'er it;Go read its legend—'Trust in God'—On Faith's white stones before it."
"Calm on the breast of Loch MareeA little isle reposes;A shadow woven of the oakAnd willow o'er it closes.
Within a Druid's mound is seen,Set round with stony warders,A fountain, gushing through the turf,Flows o'er its grassy borders.
And whoso bathes therein his brow,With care or madness burning,Feels once again his healthful thoughtAnd sense of peace returning.
O restless heart and fevered brain,Unquiet and unstable,That holy well of Loch MareeIs more than idle fable!
Life's changes vex, its discords stun,Its glaring sunshine blindeth,And blest is he who on his wayThat fount of healing findeth!
The shadows of a humbled willAnd contrite heart are o'er it;Go read its legend—'Trust in God'—On Faith's white stones before it."
Eilean Suainne is the largest of the islands. It is nearly a mile long. Within it is a small loch, with two small islands, on one of which is a large fir tree. Beneath this tree the fairies used to assemble (Part II., chap. xiii.), and in its branches an osprey used to build its nest. Another osprey built on a headland of this island (Part III., chap. vi.). There are traces of the remains of the residence of Alastair Breac, laird of Gairloch, and of some of the older chiefs ofthe Mackenzies, on this island, as well as of bothies where illicit distillation used to be carried on.
Eilean Ruaridh Moris called after a celebrated chief of the Macleods. On this island, as well as onGarbh EileanandEilean Suainne, the illicit distillation of whisky was extensively conducted in the early part of the nineteenth century.
To the west ofEilean Ruaridh Moris the small island known asEilean Ruaridh Beag(or "the little island of Rorie"), formerly the residence ofRuaridh M'Leod, and subsequently of John Roy Mackenzie (Part I., chap. xxi.).
The steamer passes between Eilean Suainne and the mainland to the south of it, and soon reaches the Loch Maree Hotel (described inchap. iv. of this Part).
There is a fine view from the steamer, looking up the glen down which the Talladale river flows. To the right is the eastern shoulder ofBeinn an Eoin. The mountain further back, and some distance to the right, isBathais(or Bus)Bheinn. It is better seen from further down the loch.
After a brief call at Talladale the steamer proceeds in a northerly direction. For a mile or so the Talladale woods continue alongside, and then comes the Garavaig water, where the Slatadale farm begins. About three hundred yards from the loch may be seen through the trees the Victoria Falls (Part III., chap. i.). Close to the loch, at this point, are remains of iron-smelting (Part I., chap. xx.).
The Slatadale farm-buildings are a quarter of a mile further on. Above this farm the road to Gairloch is seen climbing the hill, but taking advantage of a depression.
The steamer now passes betweenGarbh Eilean, on the right, andEilean Ruaridh Mor, on the left. Notice the fine views ofSlioch.
Beyond Slatadale,i.e.to the west and north-west of theMabel'scourse, not a dwelling of man is to be seen, except a shepherd's cottage (now uninhabited) at a place called Doire. The old road, which was formerly the main road to Poolewe, may be traced here and there, until it disappears behind the range of Craig Tollie.
A large bay now opens out, with a small wooded island; it is calledOb Choir 'I,i.e."the bay of the island corrie." This name is Anglicised into the "bay of Corree." Here, in the summer of 1868, I was fishing with a friend, who succeeded, after a struggle extending to forty minutes, in landing a magnificent yellow trout of twenty-one lbs. (Part IV., chap. xvii.).
Leaving Corree bay well to the left, we reach the point called Rudha aird an anail, or "the high point of breathing," this being a favourite spot for a few minutes' breathing-time when rowing up or down the loch. Observe how the rocks are rounded by ancient glacial action.
From this point the first spur of the range of rocky hills called Craig Tollie begins to rise. A quarter of a mile further on is a rugged cliff, with a precipitous face, 300 feet high, which descends sheer into the loch (here thirty fathoms deep), and is often calledthe "Black Rock," from its generally dark colour. The peregrine falcon builds her nest on a tiny ledge of this cliff, on which the young falcons are reared, unless the wary keeper shoots or traps the old birds; or else, let down by a rope fastened round his armpits, robs the nest of eggs or young, as I have witnessed.
On the Black Rock it is said there was formerly an eyrie of the golden eagle, until the ledge where the nest used to be built was destroyed or detached by a flash of lightning.
In the face of the Black Rock, on the northern end, is a cave, hidden by a mass of ivy, about twenty yards above the water, and almost inaccessible. The hardy and sure-footed Highlander, John Mackenzie,—who was the last post-runner from Dingwall to Gairloch, and was calledIain Mor am Post(Part II., chap. x.),—succeeded in entering this cave, and reported that twelve men might sit in it. The cave is called in GaelicUamh gu do roghiann, or "the cave for your choice," a name supposed to refer to some love story now forgotten.
The steamer proceeds alongside the slopes and below the crags of Tollie. The highest point of this range is 1123 feet in height. Some forty years ago a sad event occurred on the side of Craig Tollie. Heather burning, which is carried on in the months of March and April every year, in the interests alike of grouse and sheep, was in hand, and a newly engaged fox-hunter or trapper was assisting. Smothered by the smoke and overtaken by a sudden rush of flame, he was burned to death. Grand effects, as if blazing lava were pouring down the hillsides, are often witnessed during the annual seasons of heather-burning.
Stepping on to Tollie pier, we have completed the tour of Loch Maree, and again enter the carriage or "machine," which returns to Gairloch by the way we came.
ByWilliam Jolly.
Thereis no royal road to learning, and there is no "royal route" to our finest scenery. The common tourist, like the sheep, meekly follows the beaten tracks, missing the better bits, which only the hardier and more adventurous pedestrian finds, like the more independent goat. There are a hundred nooks of rarest beauty and wildest grandeur hidden away in our mountainous land, far from the sheep runs of coaches and hotels, and their mere enumeration would be longer than a Gaelic song or a Highland sermon.
One of these nooks may be found not far from Loch Maree. Immediately to the north of the lake stretches one of the least frequented tracts in broad Scotland,—the region that surrounds the beautiful, many-islanded, salt-water Loch Gruinard. Here, rightacross the high range which skirts the north shore of Loch Maree fromBeinn Aridh CharrtoSlioch, lies theFionn Loch, with its upper chamber, theDubh Loch.Fionn Loch—that is "the fair lake"—is so called from its contrast to its darker portion, the Dubh or "black" Loch. Its name contains the word that has become classical in the famous name of the heroic Fingal, "the fair stranger" of some interpreters; and in the less known but real name of the equally famous Flora Macdonald,Fionnghal, "the fair one."
The Fionn Loch may be reached by the hardier climber by crossing Loch Maree from Talladale, and dropping down on it through the pass behind Letterewe. But the easier, and in a scenic point of view better, way is to go from Gairloch or Poolewe by the good road which runs to its very shores. From Gairloch the way is unusually fine, commanding one of the best views of the queen of Scottish lakes, from the very spot rendered famous by Horatio Macculloch's great picture; passing the sweet sea gulf of Loch Ewe, and skirting the picturesque banks of the swift-flowing Ewe, which carries the waters of the great lake to the ocean. Leaving this clear stream you enter on a wild heathery region, till lately trodden only by the firm foot of the hunter or the pedestrian in search of game or the picturesque. You soon catch a view of Loch Kernsary, holding its prehistoric artificial island, and of its knots of trees, a pretty picture, with Loch Ewe looking like a lake, and the sea in the distance. You soon leave the Torridon sandstone and enter on the ancient barrenness of the Hebridean gneiss, covered by innumerable erratic blocks, the representatives of the Arctic era when ancient Caledonia was a Greenland and Fionn Loch was swathed in ice. From an eminence on a spur of the Rowan Tree Hill, you at last look down on Loch Fionn. It is a large sheet of fresh water, seven miles in length, enclosed within winding shores, diversified by islands, and surrounded by a magnificent range of mountains, which stand about it on every side but the one next the sea. In fine weather it forms a splendid mirror set in a fretted frame of alpine carving, seldom surpassed for wild and picturesque beauty. In storm it becomes a furious sea of crested waves, under driving rain, rolling mist, and howling winds. These descend with uncommon strength from frowning mountains, which guard a scene then almost as wild, dark, and grand as Coruisk itself. From its character and surroundings the lake assumes either aspect with equal ease.
Right in the centre of the view standsCraig an Dubh Loch, or the "black loch crag," a bare precipitous mountain, whose white front at once catches the eye and unifies the wide-sweeping view. On both sides of this central point there extends a semi-circle of mountains, a splendid range of rocky masses,—those to the right, pointed and craggy; those to the left, more rounded and sloping, and grassed to the summit. The striking peak farthest to the right is Beinn Aridh Charr, "the ben of the rough shieling." It presents a front of steep precipice, two thousand feet in height, and has a cairn of immense blocks at its base, called the Cairn of the Caves, till a few years ago an eyrie of the golden eagle. The hill next it isMeall Mheannidh, or the"middle mountain," so named as lying between it and the grander mass beyond. That isBeinn Lair, or "the ben of the mare," which rises right from the widest part of Loch Maree. From the left of the centralCraig an Dubh Lochstretches a series of mountains with different trying names. The fine peak next to it bears the pretty title ofMaighdean, "the Jungfrau, or Maiden." The highest isBeinn a Chaisgean Mor, and the farthest to the left isFhridh Mheallan. This long mountain screen is singularly varied in outline and aspect, being both precipitous and rolling, peaked and rounded, and greatly diversified in contour and colouring. The hills are separated from each other, especially those to the right, by deep narrow glens, which afford passage across the range, and increase their picturesqueness.
On the right hand, the loch is separated from the steep mountains by a narrow stretch of rough heathery moorland, containing many small lakes; to the left, the hills swell right from the water in green rounded slopes. At the lower end, the lake divides into several sinuous branches, with numerous tributary lochans, and its waters are discharged by a stream, a few miles in length, which falls into the sea at the head of Gruinard Bay.
It is nigh twenty years since I first visited this romantic spot, along with some scientific friends, intent on geologic and scenic pursuits; one of whom, Dr James Bryce, has since perished in the pursuit of science, near the Fall of Foyers, where a monument, subscribed by his admirers, marks the tragic spot. We followed the wild mountain track betweenBeinn Aridh Charrand the lake, up to its head, and had a glorious day.
Many years after I paid the scene a second visit, accompanied by other friends; one of these, the proprietor, Mr Osgood Mackenzie, whose unrivalled knowledge of the country, and especially of its birds, completed our enjoyment.
The morning was lovely, the sky blue and flecked with light fleecy clouds, though the air was electrical, with threatening masses of raincloud which darkened part of the day. The colouring was unusually fine, the shadows transparent, the sunshine warm and mild, and the sheen on the water such as our artist declared could be painted only by Alfred W. Hunt. The severity of the retreating winter was revealed in July in several patches of snow, which gleamed in some of the corries, chiefly in the group at the head of the lake. Everything was favourable to high influence and happiness,—the threatening possibilities of storm only adding new elements to the scene.
Embarking at the pier, we rowed slowly up the smooth lake, enjoying the scenery and passing several islands, the haunts of some of our rarer birds. Reaching a sandy bay, about half-way up the loch on the right, we landed beneath a projecting cliff called Rudha Dubh, or "the black cape," which bears a singular resemblance to a Highland bonnet, a perched block on its crest appropriately completing the likeness by way of tassel. We ascended till we came in sight of two other lochs with islands, calledLochanan Beannach, or "the lakelets of the bens." There we rested for lunch, in view alsoof the Fionn Loch and its opposite hills, and beneath the crags ofBeinn Aridh Charr. From this point the nearest of the peaks of thisBeinnpresents a perfect natural dome, which at once suggests a gigantic St Paul's. The pass between this peak and its neighbour, the Middle Hill, is unusually low, some two thousand feet under the enclosing mountains. It forms a grand inverted curve, almost as fine in sweep as the hollow of Glen Rosa in Arran, with the peaks ofBeinn EayandLiathgachon Loch Torridon, visible through it in blue distance.
The situation was simply charming, and luncheon there amidst such surroundings, with genial friends, pure pleasure. Its interest and beauty were increased by watching two black-throated divers (Colymbi Arctici) on one of the lakelets below, a very rare sight in this country. They had a pair of tiny babies, just hatched, whom they tended with pretty care, keeping them between them as they quietly oared themselves onwards, circling round them at times, and gently leading them to greater effort, and wider range,—altogether a pretty group of nature's nurslings.
Taking boat again and rounding the Black Cape, we left our artist and his wife at the next rocky point, which charmed them, there to sketch the remarkable mountains round theDubh Loch, while we explored the upper reaches of the lake. The precipitousness and grandeur of the hills increased with nearness. Fresh peaks rose into view, and the old took new and more striking forms with each new point of sight. Many tops, unseen before, opened up to the left of the Maiden,—theRuadh Stac, or "red peak," so called from its red Cambrian strata, a fine contrast to the Carn Bhan, or "white cairn," in front of it, formed of bare glistening pegmatite; and a remarkable hill calledScuir a Laocainn, which means either "Scuirof the calf-skin," so named from some ancient legend or fancied appearance, or, according to one of my friends, the "Scuirof the heroes."
We landed in a flat bay calledPoll Fraochainn, or "the heathery pool," on the right ofCraig an Dubh Loch, in order that I might reach the precipices ofBeinn Lair. The way to them, through a narrow pass right ahead, is steep and trackless, but the reward is well worth the toil. It skirts the base of a high cliff on the right, where you are greeted by the mountain sorrel, last seen on Ben Nevis, with its bright green and russet leaves, which will refresh your parched throat; the rareCornus suessica, or dwarf dogwood, occurring also near the big Ben; the beautiful European globe flower; and by abundant oak fern and other charms for the lover of wildflowers.
With stout heart you soon reach a green platform between two valleys, where a wonderful scene at once bursts on your sight,—a straight, narrow, long-drawn glen stretching for miles before you, with Loch Fada at its farther end, skirted all along its right side by a continuous wall of gigantic cliffs, which are the back ofBeinn Lair. These cliffs are practically vertical, forming a sheer precipice above fifteen hundred feet in height. They are singularly barren of vegetation except on the ledges of the rock, and strangely mottled in colour, with greylichen on dark rock. They are scarred and fissured with countless deep vertical cracks running from base to summit, which, by carrying the eye upwards, increase the apparent altitude. Their crest is jagged, pointed, domed, and battlemented, in a wonderful serrated edge. Seen from this point the long cliffs stretch down the glen in splendid succession, rampart behind rampart, which are separated by the vertical fissures of the gneiss. The whole is clothed in sombre deep purple, tending to black. Except for the trickling runnels from the rock, the scene is solitary and silent even to sadness, with a powerful grandeur which becomes painful from its impressiveness. In a thunderstorm it must pass conception. The Honister Crag, near Borrodale, in Cumberland, magnificent as it is in a dying sunset, is narrow and poor in comparison.
In returning by the top of the hill that rises above the pass to the south, I passed a great perched block, fifteen feet long and ten feet high, a standing witness of the Ice Age. An old hill fort on the head of this ridge, formed by a strong enclosing wall, was an unexpected sight in such a retired region, indicating more inhabitants in the old days. It commands an unsurpassed prospect over the whole lake country below, westwards to the open Minch with the dim Uists in the far horizon.
Descending, I caught the old road to Loch Broom, which crosses the Bealloch from Letterewe on Loch Maree, and which led me straight to the boat.
After embarking, we pulled till just under the front ofCraig an Dubh Loch, a precipice above a thousand feet high, whose remarkable whiteness had arrested the eye from the first. This is caused by the presence of the pale granite, called pegmatite, which runs over the face of the cliff in serpentine lines and masses, expanding and contracting, and stretching in tongue-like extensions to the summit, where it is again broadly developed. This curious granite gives the cliff the general aspect of the precipices of Cape Wrath or Skye, with their volcanic intrusions and contortions, as figured by Macculloch and Nicol.
The upper part of theFionn Lochglen narrows into a steep close corrie, occupied by the waters of theDubh Loch, and a higher greencul de sac, with its mountain streamlet, enclosed by Craig an Dubh Loch on the right, and the Maiden and her rugged companions to the left or north. TheDubh Lochis a dark, deep pool, grand in a scenic and most interesting in a geological view. It forms a marked contrast to the expansive and brighterFionn Loch, of which, nevertheless, it is merely an alpine chamber; and the contrasted names given by the old Celts to two parts of the same water, the "white" and the "black," are as true as they are descriptive. Their general aspect shows this sufficiently, but when viewed from any of the neighbouring hills, the truth of the description is more evident. TheDubh Lochalways bears a dark look if not a sullen frown, even in a calm, looking then like a pavement of black Galway marble.
TheDubh Lochforms a well-curved crescent, its concave side being occupied byCraig an Dubh Loch. Crossing the causewaybetween the lakes, the traveller should ascend the steep rocky hill, calledCarn na Paite, some three hundred feet high, which is isolated from the mountains beyond by a deep valley. Its top commands a wonderful view of the whole alpine scene, and enables you to see the steep silent corrie at the head of theDubh Loch, and thus complete your survey. The scenery from this central point of vantage is very grand, being wild, desolate, and imposing, unusually stern in character and colouring, and as lonely and separate from the world as Manfred or the most misanthropic could desire.
When we left theDubh Loch, a fierce thunder shower burst, the big drops being sent sharply into the lake like hail, with a pellet-like force and high upward rebound of water. Viewed through this wonderful screen of rain and mist, the great mountains became mere flat shadows. Then it changed to a misty gauze, returned again and again to a black obliterating denseness, and then cleared off till the hill-tops held the upper clouds like volcanic smoke from active craters, the whole scene passing through many grand and beautiful phases from thundery rain to sunshine. It was a splendid exhibition of the scene in its alpine aspects, and completed the pictures of the varied day.
In the middle of the falling rain we picked up our artists, drenched, but delighted, though with unfinished canvas. The wet prevented a visit to some of the islands in this part of the loch which we wished to see, the haunts of some of our rarer birds that still linger in this wild Highland loch. InEilean a Chuillin, on the north side, a heronry is said to have been destroyed by golden eagles from the rocks onBeinn Aridh Charr, one of the accused being poisoned in consequence. InEilean nan Corr-sgreach, that is the "heron's isle," the largest heronry perhaps in the country still flourishes on stumpy crooked birch and holly trees, the flapping wings of the birds being visible through the mist. On another island close by this one, the very rare goosander used recently to build, Mr Mackenzie being the first discoverer of its nest in Scotland. On another islet close by the opposite shore the white-tailed eagle nested more than twenty years ago. OnEilean Molach, near the pier, the black-throated diver still exists. The peregrine falcon then haunted the scene, having its eyrie on the cliffs ofBeinn Aridh Charr, and one flew over our heads, chased close to his nest by two angry curlews; but he has, it seems, now deserted the place. Other still rarer species yet linger in this retired spot.
It is devoutly to be hoped that they will long continue to do it honour, guarded by the proprietors, and all good and true men. Happily none are allowed on the lake unless under the care of sanctioned boatmen; and the whole has now been forested. These means of protection, we trust, will preserve these rare creatures as a beauty and a boast for generations to come. In this connexion, nothing shows the defects of the moral and æsthetic training of our people more than the prevalent desire, in even the so-called cultivated classes, to destroy such unusual visitants, some of them harmless. If individual kindliness and sense will not do it, publicindignation and penal enactment should be invoked for their preservation.
Our artist and his wife returned by carriage to comfort and shelter. Wishing to see more we crossed the rough country, covered with boulders, lakes and bogs, that lies between this and Loch Ewe. We were disappointed at not reachingLoch an Iasgair, that is the "loch of the fisher or osprey." This rare and interesting bird seems now to have quite deserted this alpine region, though once abundant both here and in the islands of Loch Maree. We visited, however, an immense block of gneiss not far from the loch, borne hither in glacial times, twenty feet long, ten broad, and fifteen high, with steep inaccessible sides, crowned by two feet of moss, and adorned with grass, heather and bushes. Forty years ago a pair of marten cats committed such havoc amongst the lambs that they were watched and followed, but they were always lost sight of just when their lair was thought to be reached. Both dogs and men were long at fault, till a pair of sharper eyes one day observed the clever martens leap to the top of our boulder in two bounds. That was, of course, the end of their history, of the Martens of Castle Marten, as they were called by my friend; for they were followed, and themselves and their young exterminated. This big block is but one of countless others of all sizes scattered over this rude mossy territory, in which they form a special feature; their glacial history being further corroborated by the abundant, well rounded, polished, and striatedroches moutonnées, here so abundantly scattered between the hills and the sea.
Reaching an eminence which commanded the whole of the Fionn Loch and its enclosing peaks, the last look we had of it revealed it in a bright, pearly light, exquisitely fresh after the rain, its now smooth surface reflecting a silvery sheen in the descending sun, and showing the appropriateness of its name, the "fair lake."