432 INVERLOCHY CASTLE-GLENFINNAN. 1284. GLENFINNAN was the place where Prince Charles Edward first unfurled his standard in 1745. It descends 4 obelisk, 1 mile below Bannavie, adjacent | was signed in it by one of them; and the to Corpach, was erected to the memory of same tradition alleges that an ancient Colonel Cameron, who fell at Waterloo. city stood adjacent to it, was visited by 1283. INVERLOCHY CASTLE, on the many Frenchmen and Spaniards, but was left side of Lochy Water, 2 miles south-eventually destroyed by the Norsemen, east of Bannavie, is a ruined, ancient, and then allowed to become extinct. A quadrangular edifice, measuring 120 feet severe conflict was fought at Inverlochy each way within the walls. Round in 1428, between a body of Islesmen under towers, with a mean height of about 30 Donald Balloch, a cousin of the reigning feet, rise at the corners, and overtop the Lord of the Isles, and a body of King intermediate walls; but they are not James I.'s troops under the Earls of entire or alike high, and one of them, Mar and Caithness; and some of the called Comyn's Tower, is larger than the chief incidents of the action, though with others, and appears to have been not less poetic licence, are graphically told in fir than 50 feet high. All were constructed Walter Scott's "Legend of Montrose." in three storeys, with one or two windows for each room, and were pierced, besides, with loop-holes. The masonry of towers and walls varies in thickness from 10 to 8 feet, and is all solid and strong. A moat, from 30 to 40 feet wide, encompassed the castle at the distance of 36 feet from the walls, and enclosed an area of nearly an English acre and a half. The principal entrance is on the south-a small plain. Its mouth is crossed by a east side, and was well defended by iron road from Bannavie, up Loch Eil, toward gates and a heavy portcullis. The sally- Arisaig; and contains a post office under port is directly opposite, and was sur- Fort-William, an inn, and an erection mounted by a guard-room. The entire called Prince Charles' Monument, raised pile, while differing widely in character by the Macdonalds of Glenalladale to from all the old fortalices of the High- commemorate the event of 1745, and conland chiefs, shows a close resemblance to sisting of a sort of tower, surmounted by the castles which were built by Edward a statue of the Prince. The lifting of I. of England in North Wales; and it the standard bere sung by Professor may be presumed to have been erected Aytoun in his "Lays of the Cavaliers." either by his own troops as a garrison-Loch Eil House, the old seat of the chief strength, or by his partisans in the Great of the clan Cameron, and Fassfern House, Glen, the powerful Comyns, with the aid the seat of Sir Duncan Cameron, Bart, of his engineers. A fabulous tradition stand 4 and 83 miles to the east, at the asserts that it was a palace of the Pictish side of Loch Eil, on the way to Bankings,—that a treaty with Charlemagne navie. miles southward to the head of Lo Shiel, at a point 14 miles west of Barnavie. It is at first narrow, wild, and rocky; but it afterwards expands in four directions, somewhat in the manner four divergent streets, and terminates in of Pars graph Road to Glengloy, 5 miles distant, left.......1280 Kilmanivaig Church, left; Keppoch, left; mouth of Glenroy, and road up that glen, left........1286 1285. GLENSPEAN commences at the | with the convexity to the south; and foot of Loch Laggan, and brings down then goes 9 miles northward to GlenSpean Water 20 miles, chiefly west- spean, at a point 6 miles above the Bridge south-westward, to the Great Glen, about of Roy. Treig Water traverses all its a mile below the foot of Loch Lochy. curvature, then expands into a narrow Its screens are grandly mountainous, lake, 7 miles long, then passes on to the and all its upper and central parts are Spean. moorish and desolate. Many spots, particularly opposite the influx of the Treig, show scratchings and polishings of rock, done in the old geologic periods; and a place high on the hill side, several miles further down, exhibits an ancient line of water-level. The run of the Spean, for two miles above the Bridge of Roy, is a deep and tumultuous rush along a rocky gorge; and here the public road passes at a considerable elevation, shaded with coppices of oak and birch. Salmon ascend the stream to within 8 miles of Loch Laggan, but are prevented from going further by rocky obstructions in the channel. 1288. LOCH LAGGAN extends 7 miles from north-east to south-west, and has a mean breadth of about a mile; and it is so much indented by long narrow headlands as to look, in many views, like a séries of lakes. The lands around it are mountainous, but ascend gradually from base to summit, clothed on their skirts with natural wood, and opening upward into spacious corries. The lake contains large trout, of peculiar external colour, some of them upwards of eight pounds in weight. Loch Laggan is said to have been a favourite sporting retreat of the most ancient Scottish kings; two islets in it bear names supposed to have been derived from a royal residence, and a royal kennel; and a mound on its shore, within the garden of Ardverikie, is alleged to be the grave of Fergus and four other kings. 1286. GLENROY descends 14 miles south-westward to the Bridge of Roy, rarely exceeds half a mile in width, is winding and mountainously deep, and has the character of a grand ravine. A large proportion of its sides, down to 1289. ARDVERIKIE, at the head of about 3 miles from its mouth, is marked a little bay on the right side of Loch with three lines of ancient water-level, Laggan, was built as a hunting-lodge by popularly called the Parallel Roads of the Marquis of Abercorn in 1840, and Glenroy. The three lines exactly cor- occupied by the Royal Family in August respond, on the confronting sides of the and September 1847. It has an irreglen, pair to pair; the lowest runs at angular outline, as if it had been built at elevation of 1184 feet, the highest at an elevation of 1266 feet; and they all form terraces, varying in breadth from a few feet to 20 yards. A line corresponding to the lowest one appears also at one or two towering detached rocks. 1287. GLENTREIG commences at the east side of Ben-nevis; makes a semicircular curve of about 8 miles, different periods, from different designs; and presents a rather plain appearance, somewhat in the cottage style, with little other ornament than a deer's head and antlers above each of its front windows. The hunting grounds connected with it sweep out to a circumference of 40 miles, and contain about 2000 red deer. 434 LOCH MOIDART-LOCH NEVIS. CIV. THE COAST BETWEEN ARDNAMURCHAN AND LOCH ALSH. Good roads, with inns or hostelries at intervals, but not travelled by any public coach, go from the interior to the principal places on this coast;-from Fort-William, past Glenfinnan, to Kinloch-Aylort, Kinloch-Moidart, and AriBaig, 21, 31, and 31 miles; from Invergarry, through Glenquoich, to Lochhournhead and Glenelg, 31 Paragraph Paragraph and 44 miles; from In- Glencluany, to Shiel- 1290. LOCH MOIDART holds in its mouth two wooded islets, and strikes 4 miles to the west among low heathy hills. Kinloch-Moidart House, at its head, is the residence of William Robertson, Esq. Castle Tirim, on a low peninsular rock at its south side, is the ruin of a strong, ancient, pentagonal fortalice, the stronghold of the Macdonalds of Clanranald, burnt in 1715, by its proprietor of that time, to prevent it from being seized against him by the Campbells during his absence with the army of the Chevalier. Shiel Water, falling into the loch below the castle, descends 2 miles from the south-east; and Loch Shiel, whence the stream issues, ascends 16 miles northeastward, with narrow width, to the mouth of Glenfinnan. The flanks of stream and lake consist of ends and shoulders of convergent mountains, and display some striking groups of grand landscape. 1291. LOCH AYLORT opens with a width of 4 miles; forks into two parts, Loch Aylort proper on the south, Lochna-Nuagh on the north; has a total length westward of 9 miles; and receives at the head a short stream from an isleted freshwater lake, 5 miles long, called Loch Rannoch. The road from Arisaig to Fort-William goes up Loch-na-Nuagh, past the head of Loch Aylort, along Loch Rannoch, toward the head of Loch Shiel; and is flanked or overhung, over great part of the way, by picturesque scenery. Borrodale House, on the north shore of Loch-na-Nuagh, is the seat of A. Macdonald, Esq. of Glenalladale. Prince Charles Edward set foot on the Scottish mainland first at Loch-na-Nuagh, walked by Kinloch-Moidart to Loch Shiel, and went up in a boat to raise his standard at Glenfinnan. See 1284. 1292. ARISAIG village stands on a small sea loch, is regularly called at by the Skye steamers, and contains a post office under Fort-William, an inn, a Roman Catholic chapel, and about 100 inhabitants. Arisaig House, in its vicinity, is the seat of F. D. P. Astley, Esq. Loch Morar, 4 miles to the north, is a mountain-girt, fresh - water lake, 10 miles long, and from 5 to 14 furlongs wide, sending off its superfluence by a very brief run to the sea. 1293. LOCH NEVIS penetrates 13 miles to the east, and is from 23 miles to 1 mile wide. The grounds around it rise suddenly into mountain; are clothed far up, in many parts, with wood; and display a large amount of picturesque feature. Inverie House, on its north shore, 5 miles from the mouth, is a curi. LOCH HOURN-LOCHALSH. 435 ous Celtic mansion, built and inhabited | bosoms some fine scenery; while that by the late Colonel Macdonell of Glen- along Loch Duich is eminently picturgarry. esque. The road from Kyle-Akin to Inverness goes along the north side of Lochalsh, crosses the neck of Loch Loch Duich, and ramifies into two lines, towards Strathaffrick and up Glenshiel. Balmacarra House, the seat of J. Lillingstone, Esq., Balmacarra Inn, and the 1294. LOCH HOURN penetrates 14 miles to the east; makes three successive sweeps, each with a considerable diverg-Ling at the village of Dornie, goes up ence from the preceding; and contracts from a commencing width of 3 miles to a concluding one of only about a furlong. The scenery around it is Alpine, with grand mixtures of wood, rock, and pin-key post office and church of Lochalsh, nacle; and presents details and groupings of singular force and magnificence. Benscreel, on the north side, near the mouth, is itself an object worth twenty ordinary landscapes. A wild road goes from the loch's head, over the Pass of Corryvarligan, about 2000 feet high, into Glenshiel at Shielhouse; and commands, from the summit-point, a very striking and glorious view. stand on the north side of Lochalsh; Ellandonan Castle, the ruined, ivy-clad, ancient seat of the Barons of Kintail and Earls of Seaforth, stands on a rocky islet at the forking of Loch Ling; and Kintail Church and Shielhouse Inn stand at the head of Loch Duich. Ellandonan Castle occupies the site of a vitrified fort; figures in history so early as the time of Alexander III.; and sustained a famous attack in 1537, by the fifth Baron of Sleat, which is the sub 1295. GLENELG village stands on a small bay, at the mouth of a pleasant hill-screened glen, adjacent to the Kyle-ject of a ballad in the Scottish MinRhea Ferry to Skye. It contains a post office under Lochalsh, an inn, two places of worship, and about 400 inhabitants; and it gives the title of Baron, in the peerage of the United Kingdom, to the family of Grant. The ruin of a fortified barrack, built by Government in 1722, stands in the neighbourhood; and two well-preserved Scandinavian round towers, 25 and 30 feet high, and 54 and 57 feet in circumference, stand in Glenbeg, 7 miles to the south. The road from Glenelg to Glenshiel passes over the mountain of Mam-Rattachan, and commands there a very grand view. 1296. LOCHALSH goes 5 miles to the east, with a maximum width of 3 miles; and forks into Loch Ling, going 4 miles to the north-east, and Loch Duich, going 6 miles to the south-east into the mouth of Glenshiel. The surrounding country, variously hilly and mountainous, em strelsy. A skirmish was fought in Glenshiel in 1719, fatal to an insurrection of the Jacobites. A curious, ancient, subterranean structure, similar to the Picts' houses of Orkney, occurs near the roadside, 1 mile from Shielhouse Inn. A profound water-fall, amid impressive accompaniments and abysmal ravine, occurs on Glomack Water, 8 miles northnorth-east of Shielhouse, or 5 from Kintail Church. The descent of the fall is 350 feet, nearly all perpendicular, but split about the middle by a projection of rock; and the depth of the ravine at the abyss below is not less than 750 feet. The fall's volume, in times of drought, is too trivial to be striking; but the precipice, the ravine, and the overhanging heights are themselves so imposing as to repay well the fatigue of a visit. A guide is necessary to show the way from Loch Duich. 436 SKYE AND THE OUTER HEBRIDES. SEVENTEENTH DIVISION. SKYE AND THE OUTER HEBRIDES. THIS Division comprehends all the Western Islands north of the latitude of Ardnamurchan Point. A few of the islands lie dispersedly north-west of Ardnamurchan; a grand group, comprising Skye and some islands near it, lies further north, interlocked with the mainland; a still larger group, comprising a multitude of islands in a compact band from south to north, lies considerably to the west; and a tiny group, comprising St. Kilda and three islets, lies in solitude upwards of 50 miles further west. More than half of all the attractions of the region exist in Skye. This island is 47 miles long from south-east to north-west, and from 7 to 25 miles broad; it suffers intersections by sea-lochs so deep and many as to possess no point further than 3 miles from some shore; it presents to the sea many a piece of imposing cliff, crag, and bold, high headland; it contains some tracts of arable plain, and extensive stretches of pastoral hill, but consists chiefly of high moors and soaring mountains, the last arranged more in groups than in chains, and exhibiting much diversity of form and character; and it gives to observation such an assemblage of rocks, both in the number of their classes and in the curiosities of their superposition, as to be a museum of geology. But whatever is interesting in the other islands, as well as in Skye, we shall take care to notice. |