THURSDAY - Bryan's Aunty Lois had told us that a few of our descendants were buried at some country churches to the south east of Inverness - Dalarossie and Moy. The Dalarossie church sits in a peaceful location by a river. Bryan's distant relatives worshipped here. Some left their native country and travelled to Australia in the 1850's. Why would anyone do that? There were so many unknowns in Australia. Apparently times were very tough in this part of the world during the mid 1800s - famines and clearances (the landlords moving people off their properties).
At the church grave yards we were able to discover some ancestor information which has filled in few missing pieces to the 'jigsaw puzzle'. An elderly local man directed us to one of the last McQueens in the area. David and Joan warmly welcomed us and invited us in for afternoon tea. They are Christians which was an added blessing. We could not prove that we were related however as David pointed out, there are not many McQueens in this area so it is almost certain that we are related. We will continue working on this puzzle. It was such a special thrill to visit places where relatives had lived and also the meet David and Joan. Family research is much more than finding where names fit into a family tree.
Loch Ness is not far away so we headed that way and found a bed overlooking the Loch.
FRIDAY - We continued south west along Loch Ness and then took a detour east to drive into the Cairngorms National Park. This is also where the popular BBC TV series, Monarch of the Glen was filmed. Nancy and I watch the series at Lajamanu earlier this year. After working in the 40 plus degree heat we would come home, turn the air conditioning on and watch some of the Monarch of the Glen. Being set in the Scottish Highlands, it was such a contrast to the Tanami Desert. Seven months later, here we were, in the Highlands.
The weather was looking threatening as we headed for Glencoe to find a bed for the night. Back in the 1700s some McDonalds were massacred here. More about that in the next blog.
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| Dalarossie church accessed by driving across a sheep paddock . The rural location and the babbling stream gave this place a peaceful feel. |
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| It is common to see many graves in church yards in the UK. The river runs right by the church yard. |
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| People have fellowshipped here for many years. They have also been many baptisms, marriages and funerals here. |
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| The elements have done their work on the old head stones making them difficult to read. |
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| The valley just upstream of the Dalarossie chuch. That is the church in the distance near the middle of the photo. |
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| Further up stream the valley becomes narrower and the hills steeper. |
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| The Moy church yard. |
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| David and Joan. Probably earthly relatives but certainly spiritual relatives. |
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| David and Joan's house. This part of the house dates back to the 1600s. |
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| Loch Ness on Thursday evening. It is an impressive body of water - 37 kms long, 2.5 kms wide and at its deepest is over 750 feet deep. It holds more water than all the lakes and rivers in England and Wales. |
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| We have been getting into some Scottish food. Here is a cooked breakfast including some haggis and black pudding. |
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| Friday morning breakfast, looking over Loch Ness. Tough life!! |
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| Highland cattle. |
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| The gatehouse and bridge. Those who have seem the Monarch of the Glen will recognise this. Unfortunately, tourists were not allowed passed this point. |
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| The castle viewed from the other side of the loch. |
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| This sand area at the end of the loch featured in many scenes. |
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| From Glenbogle looking west along the loch. |
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| Approaching Glencoe the rain and clouds rolled in. |
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| The poles along the sides of the road are for when it snows in the highlands. |
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