Heading South
FRIDAY - With only about a week to go before we will be leaving the UK and returning back to Australia and being at the very north of Scotland we really needed to start travelling south. We also had arranged to spend some time with some old NT friends, Donald and Bev in Inverness.
We initially took the road following the Strathnaver along the River Naver. We were told that fisherman pay 2500-3000 pounds for a weeks fishing on this river. Trout and salmon being the main target fish.
Sadly, fishing is not all that this area is remembered for. During the clearances in the 1800s, around 1,000 families were cleared off their crofts. Those who did not move by the notified dates were forced to move and their houses burnt. An eye witnesses to some of these events wrote;
"Many deaths ensued from alarm, fatigue and cold. Some old men took to the woods and precipices, wandering about in a state approaching to, or of, absolute insanity; and several of them, in this situation, lived on a few days. Pregnant women were taken with premature labour, and several children died. To these events I was an eye-witness."
One of the houses whose burning was witnessed by MacLeod was occupied by a tinker by the name of William Chisholm. When the posse arrived Chisholm's elderly bed-ridden mother-in-law was still inside. Donald MacLeod informed Sellar that she was too ill to move. According to MacLeod the reply was, "Damn her, the old witch; she has lived too long. Let her burn." On being carried from the house in singed blankets Chisholm's mother-in-law cried out," God receive my soul! What fire is this about me?" She did not speak again, and died five days later.
Numerous information panels along the river tell of those terrible events.
The further we travelled south there were more houses and more traffic.
Bev and Donald's house on the outskirts of Inverness has a pleasant view of the Firth with the Black Isle beyond.
SATURDAY - Bev and Donald showed us around the centre of Inverness and then out to southern side of Loch Ness for some lunch and a lookout which provided a great view of the 'Great Glen'.
On the way home we came via Culloden, the site of the famous battle between the Scots and English back in 1746. This was the final battle in the Jacobite Uprising.
Bev and Donald's son and daughter in law joined us which turned out to be a great evening chatting about Scotland and reminiscing about Darwin and the NT. Donald and Bev have spend many years in Darwin including going through Cyclone Tracey.
Donald has done a lot of work on his family history and was able to shares some tips.
SUNDAY - After a leisurely morning with Bev and Donald we continued south leaving behind the Scottish Highlands but taking with us many great memories. It was disappointing to be leaving the Scottish Highlands. During the time we have been here we had enjoyed meeting distant relatives and many other interesting folk, we had over dosed on a feast of grand scenery and learnt a little of the history of the Bryan's ancestors and what life was like for them. We stopped at a little place called Moffet which is just north of Lockerby, the scene of the terrorist attack on the Pan Am 747 many years ago.
MONDAY - Back onto the motorway and about 80 kilometres further south we crossed the boarder back into England. Apart from some roadworks we made good time. As we approached Horncastle we noted the changes since we were here about 10 weeks ago. The wheat crops had all been harvested and some fields had even been planted with the new season's crop. A lot of fields lay fallow though as this area of England has been very dry. Even though the summer is hanging around longer than usual this year, the leaves have started to change colour and drop. We stayed at a B&B on a farm a few kilometres out of Horncastle.
TUESDAY - After breakfast Nancy headed for the antique shops in Horncastle and found some bargains while Bryan visited the East Kirkby Aviation Museum. They have lots of interesting statics displays and a Lancaster that did a taxi run. The four V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engines make mean sound. In its day the Lancaster was the best heavy bomber. As a pilot, it is easy to be impressed by this aircraft, however it was a machine design to kill and destroy. A visit to the little Chapel at East Kirkby and looking down the rows of names of airman from this base who made the ultimate sacrifice, reminds us very quickly that there are no winners in war.
Tomorrow we are off to Norwich to visit some more of Bryan's distant relatives.
We initially took the road following the Strathnaver along the River Naver. We were told that fisherman pay 2500-3000 pounds for a weeks fishing on this river. Trout and salmon being the main target fish.
Sadly, fishing is not all that this area is remembered for. During the clearances in the 1800s, around 1,000 families were cleared off their crofts. Those who did not move by the notified dates were forced to move and their houses burnt. An eye witnesses to some of these events wrote;
"Many deaths ensued from alarm, fatigue and cold. Some old men took to the woods and precipices, wandering about in a state approaching to, or of, absolute insanity; and several of them, in this situation, lived on a few days. Pregnant women were taken with premature labour, and several children died. To these events I was an eye-witness."
One of the houses whose burning was witnessed by MacLeod was occupied by a tinker by the name of William Chisholm. When the posse arrived Chisholm's elderly bed-ridden mother-in-law was still inside. Donald MacLeod informed Sellar that she was too ill to move. According to MacLeod the reply was, "Damn her, the old witch; she has lived too long. Let her burn." On being carried from the house in singed blankets Chisholm's mother-in-law cried out," God receive my soul! What fire is this about me?" She did not speak again, and died five days later.
Numerous information panels along the river tell of those terrible events.
The further we travelled south there were more houses and more traffic.
Bev and Donald's house on the outskirts of Inverness has a pleasant view of the Firth with the Black Isle beyond.
SATURDAY - Bev and Donald showed us around the centre of Inverness and then out to southern side of Loch Ness for some lunch and a lookout which provided a great view of the 'Great Glen'.
On the way home we came via Culloden, the site of the famous battle between the Scots and English back in 1746. This was the final battle in the Jacobite Uprising.
Bev and Donald's son and daughter in law joined us which turned out to be a great evening chatting about Scotland and reminiscing about Darwin and the NT. Donald and Bev have spend many years in Darwin including going through Cyclone Tracey.
Donald has done a lot of work on his family history and was able to shares some tips.
SUNDAY - After a leisurely morning with Bev and Donald we continued south leaving behind the Scottish Highlands but taking with us many great memories. It was disappointing to be leaving the Scottish Highlands. During the time we have been here we had enjoyed meeting distant relatives and many other interesting folk, we had over dosed on a feast of grand scenery and learnt a little of the history of the Bryan's ancestors and what life was like for them. We stopped at a little place called Moffet which is just north of Lockerby, the scene of the terrorist attack on the Pan Am 747 many years ago.
MONDAY - Back onto the motorway and about 80 kilometres further south we crossed the boarder back into England. Apart from some roadworks we made good time. As we approached Horncastle we noted the changes since we were here about 10 weeks ago. The wheat crops had all been harvested and some fields had even been planted with the new season's crop. A lot of fields lay fallow though as this area of England has been very dry. Even though the summer is hanging around longer than usual this year, the leaves have started to change colour and drop. We stayed at a B&B on a farm a few kilometres out of Horncastle.
TUESDAY - After breakfast Nancy headed for the antique shops in Horncastle and found some bargains while Bryan visited the East Kirkby Aviation Museum. They have lots of interesting statics displays and a Lancaster that did a taxi run. The four V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engines make mean sound. In its day the Lancaster was the best heavy bomber. As a pilot, it is easy to be impressed by this aircraft, however it was a machine design to kill and destroy. A visit to the little Chapel at East Kirkby and looking down the rows of names of airman from this base who made the ultimate sacrifice, reminds us very quickly that there are no winners in war.
Tomorrow we are off to Norwich to visit some more of Bryan's distant relatives.
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| The River Ness runs from Loch Ness through Inverness out to the North Sea. |
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| Bryan, Bev and Donald - 'Territorians' in Inverness, Scotland |
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| A Lancaster taxiing at East Kirkby |
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| WW2 airmen quarters |
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| The King and Queen pay a visit to East Kirkby and chat to crew who have just returned after a mission. |
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| The changing colours of autumn. |
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