Trip to Scotland 1983: Four and half months in the Highlands and Islands

[DCampbell16B]

£1.00 Auchendrain
£1.65 hostel
50p
72p [probably food and tea]

Picked up a ride to Auchendrain [outdoor museum]. Older couple from Aberdeen. She said her grandparents were from near here and spoke nothing but Gaelic. Try for Tarbert, Lochgilphead (Dunadd), and Ardrishaig. Lochgilp for Dunadd, Kilmory Castle, Ardrishaig.
Auchendrain: Argyll stone houses have gable ends. Building have black plastic under thatch. Nets over thatch and rocks with ropes hanging straight down.
(Inverness, Culloden, Candor Castle? Kingussie, Ft George - Queens Own Museum)[places I was thinking about going].

Cruck frame Perthshire/Argyll - down to ground
Wood and stone lintel
Old house Auchendrain c. 1700
Thatch ropes on sticks stuck in rocks. Wattle door
No windows north side. Inside wattle wall in middle
Inside about 10x25ft? 10x20ft?
Straight ropes and rocks over horizontal ropes tied to hooks on ends (wood or iron)
[All this makes more sense with pictures. Even more if you go there.]


Auchendrain old house

Auchendrain newer house


Tourists and Campbells, Stonework in many places around Dunadd rock. [I met several of the Campbells afterwards. They were on a tour prior to the gathering at Inverary]


View from Dunadd


The boar carved in the rock (very hard to see)


Ogam and footprint (why did no one think that the Coronation should be here?...)


Lift to Auchendrain, Auchendrain to Lochgilphead, Lochgilphead to Dunadd, Cairnbawn to Loch. Walked to Ardrishaig. Watched locks on Crinan Canal and Swing Bridge. Mountains in distance down Loch Fyne. Arran. Mrs Isa MacIntyre works advertiser's office Lochgilphead. Has Gaelic. Mr and Mrs Forsyth Hamilton. [He made kippers for the Queen. Quite a long talk with him and his wife. Saw the Loch Fyne kippers being smoked. She made me a cup of tea. I stopped as he was a cousin of Mrs Ramsey the hostel warden]

[While at Hamilton's] Met MacDonald family from Glasgow originally Barvas. Taught children Gaelic in Glasgow. Mrs H gave me a mug.