Scottish Highlands - West Highland Line

---

---

The Scottish Highlands

Do you keep a bucket list? We do not keep a formal one, that is one written on paper, but the Scottish Highlands is a region that has been on our mental bucket list for many years. In actuality we did not believe we would ever have the opportunity to see this beautiful part of the world. We had read that people over 70 could not rent a car there and had pretty well given up the idea of exploring the countryside without a car. We had no idea of the wonderful thing that would happen to us this fall. Happily our disappointment about that dream changed when our friends Jim and Jennifer invited us to stay with them in Glasgow for nine days which gave us the opportunity to visit a number of places in Scotland. Another great thing happened to us our first day in Glasgow when Jennifer took us to enjoy a lovely museum, garden and manor house. One of the many very friendly Scots working in the manor house realized we were visitors from another country and told us we HAD to take the famous train ride to Mallaig on the west coast of Scotland. He told us of a magical trip on that same train that he had made with his son when the boy was young. When we got back to Jim and Jennifer's she agreed that was a good idea and checked the weather. The very next day was supposed to be sunny and lovely which would be excellent for seeing all the wild and magnificent countryside the trip promised to show us.

The Train -- The West Highland Line

Train travel in Scotland, like most of Europe, is an excellent idea. If we had known that, we would never have worried about a car. It is comfortable, not expensive, especially for folks over the age of 55, and the views from the windows are often breathtaking. There are several trains a day from Glasgow that travel up the west coast of Scotland through the Highlands. We wanted to arrive in Mallaig as early in the day as possible. With this in mind we caught the 08:20 morning train from the Glasgow Queen Street Station to Mallaig, arriving there about 13:30 Mallaig is the end of the line, the place where travelers can catch a ferry to the Isle of Skye as well as ferries to other lesser known islands, such as Eigg or Rum. My guess is these can be rough passages during stormy weather.

after leaving Glasgow we were pleased to find ourselves riding beside the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond ....







Do you remember the song that begins?



By yon bonnie banks,



and by yon bonnie Braes



Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond







I, Bill, did not realize the banks of Loch Lomond are so steep. In my mind I had always pictured Loch Lomond as being set in gentle rolling hills. It isn't. It is set in steep, wild, untamed and wonderful hills. Whoa, I was wrong. We did see several places where there was enough level space for Inns to be built, but they were the exception and not the rule.

Sparsely Settled

The Scottish Highlands are one of the most sparsely settled regions of Europe. There are fewer people living in this region now than in centuries past. There are a number of reasons for this. One was the passage of the Highland Clearances when tens of thousands of Highlanders were forced to leave the land to make way for landlords who wanted to convert the land from farming to the raising of sheep. It is not clear just when this practice of forcing people from their land began. Three names stand out, Admiral John Ross of Balnagowan Castle and Macleod of Dunvegan and MacDonald of Sleat. In 1732 and 1739 the Macleod's sold selected Clan members as indentured servants to landowners in the Carolinas. I guess it is an example of the landlords having complete power over their tenants.



I asked our friend how such poor people found enough money to buy passage to the New World. The reply was, "They didn't. The landlords paid their way."



To me, paying their way is one thing, but being sold by a relative or a landlord as an indentured servant is quite another matter. I suppose that not only did those landlords who sold clan members pay their way to the New World, but made a profit in the process. What an example of man's cruelty to men and women and children as well. Surely this era is not one that brings pride to the clans.

Abandoned Cottages and Homes

Just ahead of us on the train were four teenage boys. Across the aisle from these young fellows were four men, their fathers. At a lonely stop in the Highlands they got up, and gathered their belongings to get off. Two buildings were in sight; a small train station and an abandoned stone cottage. The stone cottage was roofless, but otherwise looked quite sturdy ... ready to move into once a new roof was in place to keep out the weather. "How long are you going to hike?" we asked. "We will hike for four days," one of the men replied, "we will be hiking from abandoned cottage to abandoned cottage." "We've done this each year for five years with our sons." The boys must have been only about 10 years old the first time as they looked around 15 now.





Remains of these homes can still be seen standing quite lonely in fields far separated from each other. The stone walls will continue to stand for centuries showing where people once lived with their hopes and dreams. It must have been rough living. The land looks poor for gardening or general farming. Now the raising of sheep dominants agriculture. Along with the ancient stone homes, nearby the walls of small stone sheep enclosures dot the land. Boundaries can be seen where old walls still stand. Some are in need of repair while others appear to be in good shape. What hard work it must have been carrying these thousands upon thousands of stone to build these well constructed walls.

The Landscape

This is wild, mountainous country with great beauty. This being the fall of the year we saw not just green but the colors of autumn. There was one kind tree which looked like an evergreen, but all the needles/leaves had turned yellow. Obviously it was not an evergreen in that it is not green year round. Later we were talking with a lady. When we started telling her of this tree she cut in and said, "It is a larch." It turns out the Larch is a conifer and is the dominate tree across Russia and Canada. Obviously they can survive well in cold places.







Some of the hills are rounded and others are very craggy. Hiking through these hill would be difficult at best and in places traveling by horseback would be almost impossible. The armies that fought here in centuries past must have had a miserable time. Not only would the terrain be difficult, but the weather, the rain the cold would also present multiple problems. It seemed to me that hiding would be easier than in finding those not wanting to be found.





If you have read Kidnapped by Robert Lewis Stevenson, then you have some idea of what these highlands were like for David Balfour as he crosses these hills and mountains as he attempts to evade those trying to capture him. Also you have some idea of the hatreds between the Jacobites who supported the House of Stuart and the Tories who supported King George. Regardless of the side you choose you did not want to be captured by your opponents.

The Photographs

The photos were taking from the moving train. It is really difficult to take photos this way as the train is moving and it is just about impossible to not get reflections. But we try ...........

---

Photos

An ancient cottage
This cottage has a roof, so perhaps it has been restored. Perhaps it is a resting spot for hikers. Did you notice the abandoned sheep enclosure?

Lonely homestead
Sheep farming is still the king in the Highlands. How lonely these farms must have been centuries past.

Harry Potter Viaduct
This viaduct appeared in a number of the Harry Potter movies. It was once famous as it was the first viaduct built entirely of concrete.