Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 2

INVERNESS-SHIRE.
37
At a short distance on the road to Fort- William,
there is another narrow ferry on the left, into Ard-
gower, called Corrak: which see. Beyond Corran
the country is little else than lofty mountains, rising
from this branch of the sea, whose base in several
places hardly affords room for the public road, — an
appearance which is frequently presented to a tra-
veller in the West Highlands of Scotland. At Fort-
William, however, the eye is gratified by the view
of a town in which the houses are covered with slate,
and form a regular street.
To catch the leading features, and form some con-
ception of this western part of the county of Inver-
ness, one must suppose a deep valley beginning at
Fort- William, and stretching across the whole county,
nearly in the middle, from south-west to north-east.
This valley [see articles Caledonian Canal and
Glenmore-nan-Albin] has a range of lofty moun-
tains on both sides, which, at the north-east extre-
mity, sink down into the sandstone strata of Nairn-
shire. The rivers, flowing between the openings of
these parallel mountains, meet one another, and dis-
charge their streams into the bottom of the valley,
as a common reservoir, and feed Loch-Lochy, which
falls westward, and Loch-Oich and Loch-Ness,
which fall north-east: See these articles. But after
we penetrate back through these parallel ranges of
mountains for several miles, either to the right or to
the left hand, we find other rivers, which flow in
a direction opposite to the former, and take their
course away from the great valley of the canal.
This range of mountainous ground between the
Great valley and the Atlantic, is the highest and
wildest throughout all the forbidding surface of this
county, and has got the name of ' the rough bounds.'
It extends from the head of Moydart, which joins
the county of Argyle, to Glensheil in Ross-shire, —
a distance of 70 miles or more. There descend
from this general range of elevated land, five or six
lines of lower but very rugged ground, which pene-
trate into the Atlantic, and form so many bold pro-
montories on that shore. Loch-Eil, on whose nor-
thern shore Fort- William and its village are set
down, penetrates 12 miles west, in addition to the
distance of 10 miles more from Corran to that vil-
lage. From the head of Loch-Eil, the waters flow
3 miles eastward into that arm of the sea. Going
down the valley of Arasaig, you pass the end of
Loch-Sheil, which falls southward into Morven, is
12 miles long, and divides Ardgower from Moydart.
Into Moydart there runs an arm of the sea, called
Loch-Moydart : which see. On the north of
Moydart a narrow lake of fresh water stretches 6
miles along the public road, which is called Loch-
Ailt; and the river flowing from it, after a course
of 6 miles, is lost in Loch-Aynort, an arm of the
sea. Then succeeds Loch-Nanua, — a beautiful bay;
and turning northward to the ferry of Arasaig on the
sea-coast, the branch of salt water is called Loch-
na-gaul. This line of communication from Loch-
aber to Arasaig is all black with gloomy heath, ex-
cept on the margin of the waters, until the road
descend towards Arasaig, where the hills are gen-
erally green on the north, but studded with rock in
such constant succession, from the bottom of the
valley to their summit, that their aspect puts one in
mind of the fine freckled sky which generally covers
the aerial vault of heaven, in the evening of a serene
day. The mountains of Moydart, on the south,
are more heathy and barren, but less rocky: See
Arasaig.
The next valley to Arasaig, northward, which
penetrates into the rough bounds from the moun-
tains bordering on the tract of the canal, commences
at Aehnacarry, and stretches westward by Loch-
Arkaig : See that article. Between the mouth
of this lake and Loch-Lochy, into which its con-
tents are discharged, the distance is hardly 2 miles.
From the west end of Loch-Arkaig there is a glen of
6 miles more, stretching forward to the highest sum-
mit of the rising ground, which is called Glen pean,
a beautiful green grazing. It is a singular feature
in the complexion of this country, that the lower
grounds are in many places covered with barren
heath growing on a poor soil ; while the tops of the
mountains, to their summit, are clad with a rich
carpet of green grass, springing from a fertile mellow
earth. From this station, at the head of Glenpean,
a noble landscape is presented to view. In front is
a wide expanse of sea sprinkled with islands, at
different distances and of different magnitude. Skye,
the chief of these, appears on the right, with Rum,
Egg, and Canua j and in the distant horizon the long
train of the Hebrides appears like a dark cloud rest-
ing on the bosom of the ocean. Turning to objects
more at hand, Loch-Morar, a fresh- water lake, whose
length is 14 miles, is beheld at the foot of the table-
land on which we suppose our spectator placed ;
while on the north, Glendessary stretches away in a
direct line 4 miles. At the head of this glen is the
pass named Maam-Chlach-Ard,* which leads down
to Loch-Nevis, an arm of the sea 12 miles in length,
having North- Morar on the left and Knoydart on the
right. Both sides of Loch- Nevis are very rocky ;
but the side next Knoydart has more green ground
than the other : See Loch-Nevis.
The next valley of consequence, whose waters fall
at right angles into the line of the Great canal, is
Glengarry, which is distinguished by the rude mag-
nificence of its old castle in ruins, situated on a rock
on the west side of Loch-Oich, and surrounded with
venerable old trees. The present family-mansion is
a modern house, built at a small distance northward.
Four miles up this glen you meet Loch-Garry, which
is 4 miles long, closely wooded with natural firs on
the south side, and birch and alder on the north.
The river flowing into the head of Loch-Garry,
reaches to the south end of Glenqueich, which
stretches northward, and to Glenkingie, which runs
southward. In the former is a fresh-water lake 7
miles long. The ascent from the head of these glens
is 3 miles, immediately above Loch-Hourn, — a
deep gloomy branch of the sea, with high rocky
banks. In all this stretch, from Invergarry, the
house of Glengarry, on the east, to Loch-Hourn on
the west, the lower ground is generally clad with
heath, but the higher mountains are covered with
green rich pasture : See articles Glenqueich, Loch-
Garry, and Loch-Hourn.
Glenmoriston is the succeeding entrance into the
rugged country which leads from the great valley to
the Atlantic. This glen may be entered by a Muam,
— or pass between the shoulders of two hills, — in
an oblique direction from Fort-Augustus, which
points north-west, and is 7 miles long; or by another
road, from Invermoriston, in the direct line of the
river. The latter is the easiest ascent; but the
former is the military road, and forms a much shorter
communication between Fort- Augustus and the mili-
tary post at Bernera in Glenelg. These two roads
meet a little below a place called Anoch. About
8 miles from Anoch is a small lake called Loch-
Cluany: which see. To the east end of Glenshiel,
— where the waters separate, some running east into
Loeh-Ness, and some into the Western ocean, — is 6
miles more. This point also forms the boundary
betwixt the counties of Inverness and Ross, and is
the northern extremity of that mountainous and ele-
* ' The Pass of the high stones.'