It is but seldom that the eye can rest upon so much soft beauty and
stern grandeur as can be seen at one moment in looking at this grand
loch. Rivalling Loch Lomond in length, it is much narrower, and while
richer, is perhaps less varied. In sailing over its clear waters, the
richly wooded islands and green banks suggest some large and placid
river. Crowded with islands, especially at its upper part, each one
with its ruin, its legend, or its sylvan beauty to attract, the loch
is in all respects charming. There is Inishail--the island of the
fair, immortalized by Hamerton,--Inis-Fraoch, the Hesperides of Celtic
romance, with golden fruit, a dragon, a lover, and a legend, all in
due form, Inistrynich, the island of the Druids, and many others. And
near the head of the loch is the peninsula on which stands Kilchurn
Castle, to whom we may say with Wordsworth,
'thy hour of rest
Is come, and thou art silent in thy age.'
This ruin is one of the favourite subjects of the Scottish landscape
painter, and its picturesque character is well seen in our view.
Though now a complete wreck, it was entire and served as a post for
the royal troops in the '45, and almost within living memory it was a
habitable mansion. It is said that an economical steward of the Earl
of Breadalbane fancied the roof timbers would be useful at Taymouth
Castle, and had them removed. It is certain that for long the gigantic
stronghold served as a common quarry for the surrounding district, and
that even the church in the adjoining Glen Orchy has in it some stones
from the old castle. On the high ground to the right is a circular
and somewhat rude yet effective stone monument to Duncan Ban
Macintyre, of Glen Orchy, who died in Edinburgh in 1812, aged 89
years, and whose fame as a Gaelic poet is unique.
At its upper end the loch forks into two arms, that to the right
receiving the Orchy and other feeders, while that to the left runs
through the dark Pass of Brander, and there, in the river Awe, the
loch finds its outlet. Formerly the saying that 'it's a far cry to
Lochow' had more significance, for now the railway has made this grand
loch easily accessible, and as the line skirts the upper end of the
loch (where a large hotel has been built) and proceeds on terraced
banks through the Pass of Brander, crossing the rapids of the Awe on a
high bridge, the traveller enjoys the beauties of the district in a
large degree. The sail on the loch is, however, a part of the Highland
tour which no visitor should forego.
Ben Cruachan, whose double peak (the highest 3667 feet) dominates the
district, is one of the most striking of the Scottish hills, in its
massive form, magnificently swelling contours, and unique position,
giving perhaps a greater idea of bulk than other hills of the same
height. On three sides it rises from the water's edge, Loch Awe in its
two upper branches, the river Awe, and Loch Etive, the sea-loch into
which the latter runs, washing its base. The ascent of this noble Ben
is best made from the Bridge of Awe, a scene rendered familiar in
Scott's _Highland Widow_, and the view from the summit is magnificent.
No one will ever regret the toil of surmounting
'yon sovereign lord
Huge Cruachan, a thing that meaner hills
Might crush, nor know that it had suffered harm.'