VII.TheFionnandDubh Loch.—This double loch is remarkable, and eminently worth visiting, not only for its scenery, elsewhere described, but also for its geology. Both lakes are enclosed in Hebridean gneiss, which here very powerfully exhibits its usual characteristics, reaching its highest in the picturesque peak of Coire Chaoruinn, above the centre of the loch. The Torridon sandstone appears on Ruadh Stac or Red Peak, which bears an appropriate title, and possibly on the very crown of the Maiden. The pale rock which catches the eye from far on the front ofCraig an Dubh Loch, at the head of theFionn Loch, is a remarkable species of granite, known by the French term Pegmatite, which consists of quartz and felspar, often with small quantities of silvery mica. It abounds in the Hebridean gneiss in other parts of the west coast, but in our district, it is comparatively little developed except at theDubh Loch, where it also appears on the Maiden's shoulders, and onCarn Bhanor the White Cairn, to which it gives name. It should be examined on the great cliff ofCraig an Dubh Loch, where it traverses its face and head in serpentine lines and masses, like injected lava. The rare mineral epidote is also found here, and near the top ofBeinn a Chaisgean, on the north shore of the lake.
The smaller upper part of the loch is almost entirely separated from the lower, and forms an Alpine chamber, strongly contrasting with the rest in form, feature, colour, and surroundings, which has given rise to its most appropriate name of theDubhor Black Loch. This loch is an excellent example—none better—of a moraine-dammed lake, being held in by an uncommonly pronounced moraine, which marks the last boundary of the ancient glacier that filled its deep pot. This moraine begins on the left side, under the grand cliff ofCraig an Dubh Loch, curves finely round the lower end of theDubh Loch, crosses the loch to the other side, forming in its passage the narrowwaist that separates the two lakes, and then runs along two-thirds of the Dubh Loch till it gets lost in the general rubbish of the hills, the path to Loch Broom which crosses the causeway taking advantage of its terraced line for some distance. The moraine consists of a long circular ridge of loosedébris, enclosing large protruding blocks, having a general height of from twenty to thirty feet, with steep sides, like a kaim or esker, and considerable breadth. It is quite continuous, except for three hundred yards at the union of the lakes, where it has been cut through to water-level, but descends so little below the surface that stepping-stones, forming a causeway, are carried across the strait. On the north side, the moraine widens greatly, and encloses a lochan, beyond which rises an isolated steep hill,Carn na Paite, some three hundred feet high, which has formed a hugeroche moutonnée. Over this the ice of the old glacier has passed, and smoothed it, the same ice having crushed and striated the steep front ofCraig an Dubh Loch, on the other side of the glen.
Other telling proofs are apparent all round of the more general glaciation of Scotland, when it was a veritable Greenland, with a huge ice sheet enveloping mountain and glen, in the numerous perched blocks placed in most striking positions. One large boulder is set right on the very head ofScuir a Laocainn. Others crest the surface ofCarn Bhanand the Maiden, and give the sky-line of their summits the appearance of a broken-toothed saw, so numerous are these deposits of the great ice sheet of the severer Glacial Period. The remarkable gathering of blocks seen from the lower end ofFionn Lochhas already been noted, and the height near the stable there should certainly be climbed to view them. The jutting capes and islands, as well as many exposed surfaces on the way back to Poolewe, all tell the same tale.
VIII.The Trias at Loch Gruinard.—Another series of rocks—the comparatively recent Trias—may be seen by the traveller not far from Loch Maree, on Loch Gruinard, some miles to the north of the moraines already described. On the way to Aultbea, the road rises to a considerable height above Loch Ewe, and overlooks its waters. Here, from the Torridon sandstone, a magnificent view may be had of the whole remarkable country, with its striking scenery and interesting geology, exhibited at a glance. In front, stretches a rolling plateau of the bare Hebridean gneiss, which attains its greatest altitude in the graceful Maiden and her powerful fellows at the head of theFionn Loch, and in the pointedBeinn Aridh Charr, Beinn Lair, andBeinn Alligin. Beyond, rise the dark domes of the Torridon Red, inSliochand his compeers; and then the bright peaks of the Quartzite, in the shiningBeinn Eayand other mountains, the Quartzite being seen finely cresting masses of the lower red sandstone. Behind these, stretch the undulating hills of the Eastern gneiss far into the background of the wonderful picture.
On the shore of Loch Gruinard, to the east and west of where the road touches the loch, are found two isolated patches of the Lower Trias, the lowest of the Mesozoic series, and the second above theCarboniferous. This Trias is the second rarest series in the Hebrides,—rarer than the next strata, the Lias and Oolite of Skye, Mull and Brora, and than even the Cretaceous or Chalk, on the shores of Mull and Morven. The only rarer, if not unique, rock in the Hebrides is the one patch of Carboniferous on the tide line of Ardtornish in Morven, opposite Oban.
The Trias here consists chiefly of a thick-bedded sandstone of uncommon redness, which recalls the bright tints of the Old Red of Fochabers and the Permian of Dumfries. It is well exhibited in cliffs and reefs along the shore, by breccias and conglomerates, thin shales, yellow and greenish sandstones and flags, and concretionary limestone.
These Triassic rocks extend for about three miles, from Sand, on the east, to a point beyond Udrigil House, on the west. They are continuous, except near Udrigil, where the Torridon sandstone that encloses them comes to the surface. They are reckoned to be about a thousand feet thick. No fossils have as yet been found in them, but their age has otherwise been satisfactorily determined.
These rocks are extraordinarily interesting. They are the most northerly examples of the Secondary Geological Period on the west coast, and they form an isolated fragment of the deposits of this period, which once extended from Gruinard to the Ross of Mull to a depth of over a thousand feet, and which have been entirely swept away by enormous denuding forces, except at a few scattered points. Their protection has, in all cases, except at Gruinard, been due to being covered by volcanic outbursts on the grandest scale, which took place in the late Tertiary Period, and mainly formed the beautiful islands of Skye and Mull. At Gruinard, they were preserved from destruction by enormous faulting, by which they were dropped down at least a thousand feet into the Torridon Red. They are represented on the east coast of Sutherland, and, according to Professor Judd, by the famous reptiliferous sandstones of Elgin.[10]
By ProfessorW. Ivison Macadam, F.C.S., F.I.C., M.M.S., &c., Edinburgh.
Thefollowing minerals were obtained in the localities mentioned, but the list is very incomplete. Time has not permitted of analyses being made of many samples, but such are now under examination, and will be available for a further edition of this work:—
Agalmatolite—Black Rock, Tollie.Albite feldspar—Loch Fionn.Agaric limestone—Coppachy.Agate—Tollie Rock.Barytes—Black Rock, Tollie.Biotite—Loch Fionn.Calcite—Black Rock, Tollie, &c.Chalcedony—Glen Logan, &c.Chalcopyrite—Coppachy.Chlorite—Loch Gruinard, &c.Dolomite—Glen Logan, Slioch, &c.Epidote—Loch Fionn, Tollie Rock.Galenite—Glen Logan limestone.Garnet—Loch Fionn.Heliotrope, or Bloodstone—Glen Logan, &c.Hornblende—Loch Gruinard, Loch Fionn, &c.Limestone (Massive)—Glen Logan, &c.Limonite (Bog iron ore)—South Erradale, &c. &c.Marcasite—Glen Logan, Coppachy, &c.Muscovite—Loch Fionn, &c.Oligoclase feldspar—Loch Fionn, &c. &c.Pyrite—Glen Logan, Coppachy, &c.Pyrolusite (Dendritic markings)—Loch Fionn.Quartz—Common.Quartzite (common)—Glen Logan, &c.Rock crystal—Black Rock, Tollie (small crystals).Serpentine—Black Rock, Tollie.Smoke quartz—Tollie Rock.
Agalmatolite—Black Rock, Tollie.Albite feldspar—Loch Fionn.Agaric limestone—Coppachy.Agate—Tollie Rock.Barytes—Black Rock, Tollie.Biotite—Loch Fionn.Calcite—Black Rock, Tollie, &c.Chalcedony—Glen Logan, &c.Chalcopyrite—Coppachy.Chlorite—Loch Gruinard, &c.Dolomite—Glen Logan, Slioch, &c.Epidote—Loch Fionn, Tollie Rock.Galenite—Glen Logan limestone.Garnet—Loch Fionn.Heliotrope, or Bloodstone—Glen Logan, &c.Hornblende—Loch Gruinard, Loch Fionn, &c.Limestone (Massive)—Glen Logan, &c.Limonite (Bog iron ore)—South Erradale, &c. &c.Marcasite—Glen Logan, Coppachy, &c.Muscovite—Loch Fionn, &c.Oligoclase feldspar—Loch Fionn, &c. &c.Pyrite—Glen Logan, Coppachy, &c.Pyrolusite (Dendritic markings)—Loch Fionn.Quartz—Common.Quartzite (common)—Glen Logan, &c.Rock crystal—Black Rock, Tollie (small crystals).Serpentine—Black Rock, Tollie.Smoke quartz—Tollie Rock.
NOTE.
In addition to the references to preceding Chapters given in this Part, the reader is recommended to consult theIndexfor other references to pages where the various places and persons noticed have been previously mentioned.
Thereis no town, in the ordinary acceptation of the term, in the parish of Gairloch, and there is no village that, properly speaking, bears the name of Gairloch. Of villages or townships there are about thirty-four. They contain the greater part of the population of the parish, which according to the census of 1881 numbered 4594. Many of these villages are so small that in the lowlands they would only be termed hamlets. They have no separate legal existence as villages or townships; but in those which are townships there is a bond of union, in so far as the crofter inhabitants have their hill pasture in common, and club together for the purpose of herding their cattle and sheep thereon.
All these villages are on the sea coast except the five first named. They are as follows:—
Near the head of Loch Maree—Kenlochewe.On the north-east side of Loch Maree—Coppachy,Innis Ghlas, andFuirneis.On the south-west side of Loch Maree—Talladale.At the south-west extremity of the parish—Diabaig(part of).On the south or south-west side of Gairloch (the sea loch)—South Erradale, Openham (or Opinan), Port Henderson,Bad a Chrotha(Badachro), and Charlestown.On the north side of Gairloch—Gairloch (the hotel, Free church, &c.), Achtercairn, Strath (including Smithstown, Upper and Lower Mioll, and Lonmor), Sand (or Big Sand), North Erradale, and Melvaig.On the west side of Loch Ewe—Cove,Meallan na Ghamhna(Stirkhill), Inverasdale (including Midtown, Brae, Coast, and Firemore), Naast, and Poolewe (including Londubh).On the east side of Loch Ewe—Aultbea (includingTighnafaoilinn), Badfearn,Buaile na luib, Ormiscaig, Mellon Charles, and Slaggan.On the west side of the Bay of Gruinard—Oban, Mellon Udrigil, Laide, Sand, First Coast, and Second Coast.
Near the head of Loch Maree—Kenlochewe.
On the north-east side of Loch Maree—Coppachy,Innis Ghlas, andFuirneis.
On the south-west side of Loch Maree—Talladale.
At the south-west extremity of the parish—Diabaig(part of).
On the south or south-west side of Gairloch (the sea loch)—South Erradale, Openham (or Opinan), Port Henderson,Bad a Chrotha(Badachro), and Charlestown.
On the north side of Gairloch—Gairloch (the hotel, Free church, &c.), Achtercairn, Strath (including Smithstown, Upper and Lower Mioll, and Lonmor), Sand (or Big Sand), North Erradale, and Melvaig.
On the west side of Loch Ewe—Cove,Meallan na Ghamhna(Stirkhill), Inverasdale (including Midtown, Brae, Coast, and Firemore), Naast, and Poolewe (including Londubh).
On the east side of Loch Ewe—Aultbea (includingTighnafaoilinn), Badfearn,Buaile na luib, Ormiscaig, Mellon Charles, and Slaggan.
On the west side of the Bay of Gruinard—Oban, Mellon Udrigil, Laide, Sand, First Coast, and Second Coast.
There are the following churches in the parish of Gairloch:—
Of the Church of Scotland (Established) at—(1) Gairloch, the parish church; (2) Poolewe, the church of thequoad sacra(or ecclesiastical) parish of Poolewe.Of the Free Church of Scotland at—(1) Kenlochewe; (2) Gairloch; (3) Poolewe (meeting-house); (4) Aultbea; (5) North Erradale (meeting-house); and (6) Opinan (mission church).
Of the Church of Scotland (Established) at—(1) Gairloch, the parish church; (2) Poolewe, the church of thequoad sacra(or ecclesiastical) parish of Poolewe.
Of the Free Church of Scotland at—(1) Kenlochewe; (2) Gairloch; (3) Poolewe (meeting-house); (4) Aultbea; (5) North Erradale (meeting-house); and (6) Opinan (mission church).
Gairloch is one undivided civil parish, but has been divided for ecclesiastical purposes by the erection of Poolewe into aquoad sacra(or ecclesiastical) parish.
The minister of the parish of Gairloch is the Rev. Duncan S. Mackenzie, of the manse at Strath of Gairloch, and he officiates at the parish church at Gairloch.
The minister of the Poolewequoad sacraparish is incapacitated, and his duties are performed by an assistant-minister. Thequoad sacraparish of Poolewe includes the west side of Loch Ewe, the east side of Loch Maree, the River Ewe, and Loch Ewe, and all places in Gairloch parish lying to the east of Loch Ewe. It extends along the north-east side of Loch Maree as far asFuirneis, Letterewe. The rest of the parish of Gairloch is attached to the old parish church of Gairloch. Gairloch is in the Presbytery of Loch Carron and Synod of Glenelg.
There are two Free Church ministers, viz., the Rev. John Baillie, who officiates at the Gairloch Free church, and at Opinan and North Erradale, and who resides at the Gairloch Free Church manse; and the Rev. Ronald Dingwall, who officiates at the Aultbea and Poolewe Free churches, and resides at the Aultbea Free manse. Mr Baillie has the assistance of Mr John Mackenzie, of Melvaig, as catechist; and Mr Dingwall is assisted by Mr William Urquhart, of Cove, as catechist. A catechist can conduct ordinary services, just as a minister can. Mr Dingwall also officiates occasionally in a room in the old schoolhouse at Inverasdale, and in the caves at Cove and Sand, as well as in rooms at Mellon Udrigil and Slaggan.
The parishes or districts attached to the Free churches, are the same as those of the Established churches.
A Free Church minister is provided at intervals, as can be arranged, for the church at Kenlochewe, but there is no manse.
There are ten and a half schools in the parish of Gairloch, all conducted by certificated teachers. They are situated at Kenlochewe, Achtercairn, Opinan, Big Sand, Melvaig, Poolewe, Inverasdale,Buaile na luib,Laide, Mellon Udrigil, and Diabaig, where the school is shared with the parish of Applecross.
The School Board of Gairloch has the management of these schools, and consists of nine members, who meet periodically at Poolewe, with the Rev. John Baillie as chairman. Mr John Ross, of Strath, and Mr Mackenzie, of the post-office, Aultbea, are the officers appointed by the School Board for looking after the attendance of the children.
Mr James Mackintosh, postmaster, Poolewe, who is clerk of the School Board, has furnished me with the following information regarding the ten principal schools in Gairloch relating to the year 1884:—
Besides the above about twenty Gairloch children attend the school at Diabaig.
The following are the present teachers of the ten schools:—Kenlochewe, Miss Maclean; Opinan, Mr A. Nicolson; Achtercairn, Mr M. Lamont; Sand, Mr J. Mackenzie; Melvaig, Mr J. MacRae; Inverasdale, Mr J. Maclennan; Poolewe, Miss Ferguson;Buaile na luib, Mr H. Murray; Laide, Mr H. Macleod; Mellon Udrigil, Miss Johanna Mackenzie.
Mr Mackintosh tells me that the number of scholars in all the school districts of Gairloch is decreasing, with the exception of Achtercairn, and perhaps Inverasdale. At the commencement of the Education Act in Gairloch, the number of children of school age for whom accommodation was then provided was 850.
There are also what are termed side-schools at Letterewe and Slaggan, for a few children at each of those places whose homes are at a considerable distance from any board school. The school-rate is one shilling and sixpence in the pound.
Those who are acquainted with the working of schools in the south, will consider the average attendance at the Gairloch schools rather meagre as compared with the numbers on the rolls; but allowance must be made for the great distances between the homes of the children and the schools, for the rough roads or tracks some of the children have to travel, and for the stormy weather, especially in winter.
Notwithstanding these difficulties several of the teachers succeed in passing 98 per cent. of the scholars they present at the annual examinations by Her Majesty's inspectors, and the average percentage of passes is about 80 per cent.
Mr Malcolm Lamont, Achtercairn, is registrar of births, deaths, and marriages for the parish of Gairloch.
Pauperism is too prevalent in the West Highlands. There are on the Gairloch roll of paupers one hundred and thirty-eight persons receiving parochial relief, viz., forty-six males and ninety-two females, besides fifty-three dependants, such as children, who are relieved alongwith the paupers. There are also six lunatics boarded at home, and nine in the joint-asylum at Inverness. The other paupers are relieved at home. The total outlay on these paupers, dependants, and lunatics was £1172. 14s. 10d. for the year ended Whitsunday 1886. The poor-rate is one shilling and tenpence in the pound, half of which is paid by the proprietor and half by the tenant. The poor-rate is administered by the Parochial Board, which includes the proprietors of the parish or their representatives and certain elected members. Mr Mackintosh is the inspector of poor for the parish, and has kindly given me the particulars here stated. Dr F. A. M'Ewen, who resides at Moss Bank, Poolewe, is the only general practitioner in the parish. He receives a fixed salary for medical attendance on the paupers of the parish. He is a duly qualified surgeon and physician. Dr Robertson is likewise a registered medical practitioner.
There is one highroad in the parish, viz., that which leads from Achnasheen, down Glen Dochartie, past Kenlochewe and Talladale, on to Gairloch, and thence forward to Poolewe and Aultbea, where it terminates. It has a branch from Kenlochewe towards Torridon. It is a county road, and is entirely maintained by the county, the cost being defrayed by an assessment averaging about fivepence in the pound. This road is generally kept in fair order by the local contractor. All other roads are private estate roads, maintained by the proprietors, with certain contributions from their tenants.
There are but two policemen in the parish, the one stationed at Achtercairn, the other at Aultbea. There is a lock-up with two cells at Achtercairn. There is little crime in Gairloch. The few offences are due either to the temporary presence of workpeople from other places, or to the too free use of the ardent spirits obtained at the licensed houses.
Several justices of the peace reside in Gairloch parish, but they seldom hold courts. When they have business they meet at Poolewe. Ordinary misdemeanours are tried by the sheriff at Dingwall.
There are six licensed houses in the parish, viz., the hotels or inns at Kenlochewe, Talladale (the Loch Maree Hotel), Gairloch, Poolewe, and Aultbea, and the small public-house atCadha Beagin Fisherfield Bay, at the northern extremity of the parish. The hotels are described in their places in the Guide. The license toLuibmhorinn has been discontinued.
There is a daily post, conveyed by Mr M'Iver's mail-car, from Achnasheen to Gairloch, and thence, by a smaller mail-car, also daily, to Poolewe and Aultbea. Letters are conveyed by runners three days a week to the villages on the north and south sides of the Bay of Gairloch and on the west side of Loch Ewe. There is also a runner who takes the post-bags three days a week (in winter, only two days a week) to the villages between Aultbea and Gruinard. Mr M'Iver's mail-cars leave and collect post-bags and parcels at all the villages and places along the line of the county road.
The telegraph to Stornoway runs alongside of the county road to Poolewe, and thence for six miles along the shore of Loch Ewe to Firemore, where it becomes submarine. There is a supplementalwire serving Kenlochewe, Talladale, and Gairloch, to and from which places, as well as to and from Poolewe, telegrams may be regularly transmitted.
The carrier of Messrs Wordie, of Edinburgh, conveys goods from Achnasheen to Kenlochewe and Torridon in the first half of each week, and from Achnasheen to Gairloch and intermediate places in the second half of each week.
The bank at Gairloch, a branch of the Caledonian Bank, is a substantial building, a little to the north of Charlestown, and nearly a mile from the Gairloch Hotel. Mr Alexander Burgess is the manager.
There are cattle markets held twice a year at Gairloch and Aultbea, and once a year at Kenlochewe and Tollie; they are of little more than local importance.
One or two members of the preventive service are stationed at Gairloch; their chief work is to detect illicit distillation.
Mr David Macbrayne, of Glasgow, provides a service of steamers on the west coast. One of his large steamers, with cargo and passengers, calls every Saturday at Gairloch, Poolewe, and Aultbea. In summer there is a regular service of swift steamers to or from Oban, and to and from Portree in Skye.
Mr Hornsby's little steamer theMabelplies on Loch Maree during the summer months.
Full particulars of these steamers are to be had at the hotels; and Mr Alexander Burgess of the bank, who is agent for Mr Macbrayne, is always ready to supply every information.
A company of rifle volunteers was organised by Mr Alexander Burgess (who was the first lieutenant) in 1867, and is still in a flourishing condition. Sir Kenneth Mackenzie was captain for nearly fifteen years, and was succeeded in the command by Mr Burgess, who, on his retirement from the corps in 1883, was permitted, after his long service of sixteen years, to retain his rank of captain. The present officers are, the writer as captain, and Mr Malcolm Lamont and Mr Anthony MacClymont as lieutenants. The sergeants are as follows:—Colour-Sergeant Alexander Macpherson, Opinan; Sergeant Roderick Macintyre, Strath; Sergeant John Maclennan, Inverasdale; and Sergeant Alexander Bain, Lonmor. The corps includes a number of fine tall men; the right-hand man stands six feet four inches in his stockings, and a number of the rank and file are fully six feet in height. The pipers are Mr A. Mackenzie, Mr W. Maclennan, and Mr W. Boa. The company is worked in three separate sections, viz., the headquarters section at Achtercairn, the "south-side" section at Opinan, and the Poolewe section. The sections meet occasionally for combined drill during the spring months. The disused schoolhouse at Achtercairn has been granted by Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, Bart. of Gairloch, at a nominal rent, for an armoury and drill-hall. There is a good drill-shed at Opinan, and the Poolewe Public Hall is hired for drills there. There are rifle ranges at each of the three centres. Each section has its annual shooting competition, the prizes being mostly provided by subscription, to which thegentlemen in the neighbourhood handsomely contribute. Besides money prizes, there are an antique challenge cup presented by Mr Bateson of Shieldaig, and a challenge cross given by Mrs Burgess, which are competed for periodically.
The principal houses in the parish of Gairloch are the Kenlochewe Lodge, Flowerdale House, Shieldaig Lodge, Pool House, Inverewe House, Tournaig, Drumchork House, Inveran, Ardlair House, and Letterewe House. Flowerdale House is occupied part of the year by Sir Kenneth S. Mackenzie, Bart. of Gairloch. It was built in 1738 by Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Bart., the ninth laird of Gairloch; it is an interesting old house, and has a curious façade (seefrontispiece). Its gardens contain some plants which exemplify the general mildness of the west coast winters. Flowerdale is usually let with shootings for the shooting season, from 12th August till the end of October. Inverewe House is the beautiful residence of Mr Osgood H. Mackenzie, situated in the north corner of the bay at the head of Loch Ewe. It is also usually let for the shooting season, and sometimes, with angling, for the spring and summer. Kenlochewe, Shieldaig, and Drumchork are also shooting-lodges, but Mr C. E. Johnston lives at Drumchork House during a greater part of the year than the ordinary shooting season. The Dowager Lady Mackenzie of Gairloch resides at Tournaig; and the writer at Inveran. Mr and Mrs Liot Bankes have erected a spacious mansion, with extremely lovely prospects, at Ardlair, beneath the cliffs of Beinn Aridh Charr. Mr Charles Perkins, the lessee of the Fisherfield deer forest, has enlarged the old house at Letterewe, where he resides during the shooting season, and he has erected a shooting-lodge near the head of the Fionn Loch. Sir Thomas Edwards Moss, Bart., is the lessee of Pool House, at Poolewe, which has been enlarged, and he rents shootings along with it.
Of other houses mention may be made of Kerrysdale, an old house, which has been frequently occupied by a younger brother or by a son of the laird of Gairloch. There is a roomy house at Carn Dearg, about three miles from the Gairloch Hotel. It was erected by Mr George Corson, of Leeds, and commands a fine view of the bay of Gairloch and the Minch with its islands. It is remarkable for its high-pitched and red-tiled roof. The old house on Isle Ewe is occupied by Mr William Reid, the farmer. The farmhouse at Slatadale is a modern building. The Established Church manses at Gairloch and Poolewe, and the Free Church manses at Gairloch and Aultbea, are substantial houses.
There is at Poolewe a building used as a public hall. It comprises a reading and recreation room, which is available for meetings, and though comparatively small is sufficient for the population. It was opened on 12th February 1884 by a meeting, at which Mr Osgood H. Mackenzie presided. It contains accommodation for a caretaker, and it is intended to provide an additional recreation room. The profits, if any, of this book are to be devoted to this little institution.
Thereare four approaches to Gairloch by road.
1.From Achnasheen.
This is indeed the mode of entering Gairloch by road most generally adopted. The traveller usually reaches Achnasheen by rail. No time-tables will be given in this book. Trains, steamers, and mail-cars run at different times, and those times are liable to continual variations. The traveller should consult the printed time-bills issued from time to time, and which may always be seen at the hotels. The route from Achnasheen is described in our next chapter. It has many advantages. It avoids the uncertainties of a sea-voyage, and is worked in connection with the trains on the Highland Railway.
2.From Loch Carron.
A new road has been made from Achnashellach, leading from the main Loch Carron road through the Coulin forest, past Loch Coulin, to Kenlochewe. This road is strictly private. It passes through magnificent scenery, but as it is not available to the ordinary tourist it is not necessary to describe it here.
3.From Loch Torridon.
There is a road from Loch Torridon (described inPart IV., chap. viii.) by which Kenlochewe may be reached. This road enters Gairloch parish about six miles from Kenlochewe. Drive from Strathcarron to Shieldaig of Applecross, where there is a humble inn, and proceed thence on foot, or horseback, or by boat to the head of Loch Torridon. There is a right-of-way up the loch side to Torridon, and part of it is a good road. There is no difficulty in procuring a boat at Shieldaig. This approach to Gairloch not only includes the scenery of Glen Torridon, but also that of Glen Shieldaig, which is very fine, and well worth seeing. The route is strongly recommended. There is no hotel at Torridon, nor is there any service of steamers into Loch Torridon. Those travelling in a yacht will find it a pleasant expedition to visit Loch Maree and the adjacent parts of Gairloch from Loch Torridon. All who enter Gairloch by this route must walk from Torridon to Kenlochewe, unless conveyances have been previously ordered to meet them at Torridon.
4.From Gruinard and the North.
The estate road between Gruinard and Aultbea having now been rendered passable by carriages, there is no reason why it should not be used as a means of ingress or egress to or from Gairloch parish.The principal difficulty in the way is, that there is no bridge over the Meikle Gruinard river, and it cannot always be forded. A minor difficulty, not however of much importance, is that a quarter of a mile of private road between the ford on that river and the commencement of the county road near Gruinard House is in a very bad state. The best method of using this route as an approach to Gairloch, is either to walk it, taking the ferry-boat across the Meikle Gruinard river, or else to drive to that river in a conveyance hired from Garve or from the Dundonell Inn at the head of Loch Broom, and to have another conveyance from the river to Aultbea, Poolewe, or Gairloch, as may be desired,—the second conveyance to be ordered beforehand from the hotel at one of the last named places. The distances are given in the "Tables of distances." Of course if this route be selected for leaving Gairloch, the conveyance for the road north of Gruinard must be ordered beforehand. The route from Garve need not be described here. The last part lies over Fain Mor, orFeithean Mor, to Dundonell and Little Loch Broom, and thence forward to Gruinard. The road from Gruinard to Aultbea is described inPart IV., chap. xii. When a bridge is erected over the Meikle Gruinard river this route will no doubt become popular. It reveals some grand scenery.
Besides these approaches by road there is Mr David Macbrayne's service of west coast steamers, by which a large number of tourists arrive at and depart from the Gairloch pier during each summer. Gairloch is reached from Oban in one day, and the arrangements are so complete that you may even visit Skye from Gairloch and have eight hours in that interesting island, returning the same day. I have myself done this.
There is an approach to Gairloch which is sometimes adopted, and has its charms in settled weather. It is to take a boat from Ullapool to Laide, where, by previous arrangement, a conveyance may meet the traveller from one of the inns or hotels in Gairloch parish, of which Aultbea is the nearest. Of course this route may be also used as an egress from Gairloch, by previously arranging for a boat to be ready at Laide. With a favourable breeze the part of the journey on the water is delightful, to those who are good sailors, affording as it does magnificent views of the mountainous coast and of the Summer Isles. The great drawback is the uncertainty. I remember once leaving Aultbea, after an early breakfast, walking to Laide, and owing to a dead calm not reaching Ullapool until 9 p.m.
The pedestrian who is able to take advantage of the rougher roads not traversable by carriage, and the canoeist who, in summer weather, can explore any part of the coast at his pleasure, will find other means of entering Gairloch. Ourmapwill shew all that is needed.
The roads within the parish of Gairloch are named in the "Tables of distances," which state also their condition. The main road from Achnasheen to Kenlochewe, Talladale, Gairloch, Poolewe, and Aultbea, which is maintained by the county, is usually in a good state of repair, and even the man on wheels—the bicyclist or tricyclist—will find this road yields him easy running. The great drawback is the steep hills, or "braes" as they are called, which have to be surmounted. These are for the most part unavoidable, though in one or two cases the gradients might be still further improved. The estate and private roads are also generally kept in good order. They are included in the "Tables of distances," which specify the parts where carriages will find it rough travelling.
Loch Maree is itself a sort of highway, and boats may generally be hired at Kenlochewe, Talladale, or Poolewe to traverse its length. But now that the little steamer plies on Loch Maree the tour of the loch is greatly facilitated. (SeePart IV., chap. xiii.)
Theparish of Gairloch communicates with the great railway system of the kingdom at Achnasheen; the nearest part of the parish is about four miles from the railway station.
The Dingwall and Skye Railway was opened about 1870, and is now a branch of the Highland Railway. Before 1870 the Gairloch mail-car started from the Dingwall railway station. The mail-car was worked at that time, as now, by Mr Murdo M'Iver, the much-respected and courteous landlord of the Achnasheen Hotel. At this hotel the traveller may obtain refreshmentsen passant, or may linger awhile. Notice the luxuriant growth of the lovely scarlet creeperTropæolum speciosum, on the hotel. The mail-car leaves Achnasheen for Gairloch soon after the arrival of the morning train from the south. In the height of the tourist season it is safest to bespeak seats on the car. More luxurious tourists may hire open or close conveyances from Mr M'Iver, whose postal address is "Achnasheen, by Dingwall." The name Achnasheen means "the field of storms," and is generally allowed to be appropriate. The obliging station-master may be relied upon to remedy as far as he can any of those casualties which frequently occur to travellers in the tourist season, who sometimes move about with an unnecessary amount of luggage.
To most people it is an agreeable change to lose sight of the railway, a consummation which is achieved a few minutes after you leave the Achnasheen Hotel. Over the bridge on the left goes the road to Strath Carron. Beyond the bridge is the Ledgowan shooting lodge, formerly the hotel. Notice here the wonderful straight terraces, resembling very closely great railway embankments. Geologists differ about their origin; they look like moraines of ancient glaciers or ancient sea-banks, broken through by the now small river from Loch Rosque, which must have had larger volume at some remote date. On the left we pass the old Loch Rosque lodge, and on the right the new one. Near the roadside, below the new lodge, areto be seen quantities of iron slag, the evidences of ancient iron-smelting. Similar remains of ironworks may also be observed by the roadside near the other end of Loch Rosque. These old ironworks belong to the ancient class treated of inPart I., chap. xvii. Loch Rosque is over three miles long, and is placed on our list of Gairloch lochs, inasmuch as its western end juts into the parish. Observe on the other side of the loch pieces of detached walls, erected to enable sheep to shelter from the cutting winds which often sweep through this glen. Most travellers get rather tired of Loch Rosque, yearning as they naturally do for the superior attractions of Loch Maree. A small burn near the west end of Loch Rosque is the boundary of Gairloch parish. Just after passing it is a cottage, and near it stands a square upright stone. The stone is calledClach an t' Shagart, or "the stone of the priest." The place is calledBad a Mhanaich, or "the monk's grove." It seems there was here a settlement of some of the early pioneers of Christianity. They say that baptisms were conducted at theClach an t' Shagart. The name of Loch Rosque itself is believed by many to signify "the loch of the cross." (See "Glossary.")
After passing the Gairloch boundary there is another humble dwelling (lately a licensed house), calledLuibmhor. It suggests what the inn at Kenlochewe must have been in the old days as described in Pennant's "Tour" (Appendix B). On the green at the head of the loch was the originalLuibmhorInn, the scene of the incident called "The watch ofGlac na Sguithar," related onpage 51.
The road now ascends; gradually the eastern hills pass out of sight; the rugged mountains of Coulin and Kenlochewe are in view during the drive along Loch Rosque; then they also disappear. At this part of the journey I always think of what occurred to myself some years ago. I was on the mail-car, traversing this road in the reverse direction. Near me sat a tourist, a clergyman of the English Church, who had amused himself during the preceding part of the journey by inquiring the name of every hill and place we passed. As soon as the mountain calledScuir a Mhuilin, to the south of Strath Braan, eastward of Achnasheen, came in sight, he asked me its name. I told him. When we got near Achnasheen he again inquired the name of the same hill, which now seemed larger and grander, and I again told him. Half an hour later he came up to me on the platform of the Achnasheen station, and asked quite seriously if I could tell him "the name of that hill." I said with some emphasis, "Scuir a Mhuilin!" I am bound to admit that the reverend gentleman tendered a humble apology for his unconscious repetition of the inquiry. Whether he remembered the name of the mountain I know not. There is no good to be gained by stating the name of every hill we notice.
Soon after leaving Loch Rosque a curious hill is seen away to the left, which is said in all the guide-books to resemble the profile of a man's face looking skywards, and by a stretch of the imagination any traveller may arrive at the same conclusion.
The ascending road now tends to the right. Near its extremeheight an improvement in the line of the road was effected about 1874. The original piece of road is visible a little above to the right. It is a pity some other Gairloch roads are not similarly improved.
At the head of the watershed, 804 feet above the sea-level, we enter Glen Dochartie, a truly wild Highland glen. Its stern character is greatly relieved by the exquisite distant view of Loch Maree, half-way down which, at a distance of about twelve miles from the spectator, Isle Maree may easily be discerned. There used to be a very good well just below the road at the head of the glen; the water still flows at the place, but the well is covered by the new road; this was formerly a favourite trysting-place of the Gairloch and Loch Broom men when they went out to lie in wait for the Lochaber cattle-lifters. Glen Dochartie, and the Great Black Corrie in Glen Torridon, were the entrances to Gairloch from the south and east. (See stories inPart I., chap. xiii.) Glen Dochartie has many attractions, especially in the great variety of colouring on both sides. Perhaps it is best seen on the return journey by this route. On the right isCarn a Ghlinne(1770 feet), and on the leftBidein Clann Raonaild(1529 feet). There are remains of ancient ironworks near the head and at the foot of the glen (Part I., chap. xx). We travel rapidly down the glen, passing at the foot of it, to the right, the farm ofBruachaig. Shortly before finishing this stageMeall a GhuibhaisandBeinn Eighe(or Eay), come into view, the latter being perhaps the most effective mountain, from an artistic point of view, in the kingdom. Leaving the Kenlochewe shooting-lodge to the right, and crossing the bridge over the RiverGarbh, we pull up at the hotel at
Kenlochewe.
The name of this place is in GaelicCeann-loch-iu. It signifies the head of Loch Ewe, by which name Loch Maree was called in the seventeenth century. Hugh Miller, in that interesting book "My Schools and Schoolmasters," says:—"The name—that of an old farm which stretches out along theheador upper end of Loch Maree—has a remarkable etymology; it means simply the head of Loch Ewe, the salt-water loch into which the waters of Loch Maree empty themselves, by a river little more than a mile in length, and whose presentheadis some sixteen or twenty miles distant from the farm which bears its name. Ere that last elevation of the land, however, to which our country owes the level marginal strip that stretches between the present coast line and the ancient one, the sea must have found its way to the old farm. Loch Maree, a name of mediæval origin, would then have existed as a prolongation of the marine Loch Ewe, andKenlochewewould have actually been what the compound words signify,—the head of Loch Ewe. There seems to be reason for holding that ere the latest elevation of the land took place in our island, it had received its first human inhabitants,—rude savages, who employed tools and weapons of stone, and fashioned canoes out of single logs of wood. Are we to accept etymologies such as the instanced one—and there are several such in the Highlands—as good in evidence that these aboriginal savages were of the Celticrace, and that Gaelic was spoken in Scotland at a time when its strips of grassy links, and the sites of many of its seaport towns, such as Leith, Greenock, Musselburgh, and Cromarty, existed as oozy sea-beaches, covered twice every day by the waters of the ocean?"
Kenlochewe is a thoroughly Highland village, with its shooting-lodge, hotel, church, school, smithy, and not far away the old burial-ground of Culinellan. The village is beautifully placed, near the head of the level strath which spreads south-eastward from the head of Loch Maree. It comes in for a good deal of rain, being the centre at which four glens meet, viz., GlenCruaidh Choillie(often erroneously called Glen Logan), Glen Dochartie, Glen Torridon, and the great glen of Loch Maree. The shooting-lodge is surrounded by a well-grown plantation; and other younger plantations are growing up near the village. The hotel is exceedingly comfortable, and visitors staying here have the privilege of fishing in the upper parts of Loch Maree. As the hotel is not large, rooms should be engaged beforehand. In Pennant's "Tour" (seeAppendix B) is his account of the accommodation he found at Kenlochewe; read it, and be thankful for the luxuries of the present well-kept house. The neat little church was erected in 1878 by public subscription; it belongs to the Free Church, but has not a regularly settled minister. There was in old days a church or place of worship at or near Kenlochewe. There is a large grove of tall ash trees in the Culinellan burial-ground, and a colony of rooks nests annually in them. Several of the stories and traditions given inPart I. refer to Kenlochewe or its neighbourhood. A little to the north of the Kenlochewe Free church is the hillock called Cnoc a Chrochadair, or "the hangman's hill," where some of the M'Leods are said to have been hung (seepage 45). Below the Culinellan burial-ground is the ford on the river called Athnan Ceann, or "the ford of the heads." The story relating the origin of this name is given on page 13. Kenlochewe is a favourite resort of artists, who find many subjects in the neighbourhood.Beinn Eighe, and the more distant Liathgach,—both in Glen Torridon,—are superb mountains, and they are best seen from Kenlochewe or near it.
There are two modes of reaching Gairloch from Kenlochewe. One, described in the next chapter, is by the county road past Grudidh bridge, Talladale, Slatadale, and the Falls of Kerry to the Gairloch Hotel. The other is to take the steamer from Ru Nohar, down Loch Maree to Tollie pier, and to proceed thence by road to Gairloch, as described inPart IV., chap. xiii. The mail, which, as has been said, is worked by Mr M'Iver, of Achnasheen, is not at present in connection with the steamer. Mr Hornsby, of the Gairloch Hotel, by previous communication, or Mrs Macdonald, of the Kenlochewe Hotel, so far as regards those who are staying in her house, will arrange for the conveyance of passengers and luggage to the steamer atRu Noharpier, which is two miles from Kenlochewe Hotel. In the busiest part of the tourist season there is a large conveyance awaiting the arrival of the mid-day train at Achnasheen, to carry toRu Noharthose who wish to avail themselves of the steamer route.
Leavingthe village of Kenlochewe we see the Torridon road striking off to the left. A mile further on the road crosses a burn, whose bed is composed of fragments of white quartzite washed down from the rocky heights ofBeinn Eighe.
Further on to the right is the farm of Tagan, a short distance from the road. Beyond and above it notice the precipitous spur ofBeinn a Mhuinidh, calledBonaid Donn, and the waterfall (Part III., chap, i.) on its steep face. In the distance, looking up the glen between theBonaid DonnandSlioch, may be observed a curious hill, similar to one noticed in the last stage; the outline is a silhouette of a man's profile facing skywards.