15 April 2023
Wow – this country has such spectacular scenery. We set off early from Inverness, heading towards Ullapool in the north west, about a two hour drive. There were lots of walks and tracks on the way but we only stopped at one – it was called Rogie Falls so we couldn’t really just drive past it. The falls had a really large 13 m drop and amazingly salmon swim up them, but not today. On the drive to Ullapool we passed a number of lochs. The weather was perfect so the lochs were like mirrors reflecting the very tall hills/mountains on their edge. Very spectacular, and the photos just don’t do it justice. Ullapool itself was a lovely place. People were so friendly, and it was so warm sitting out in the sunshine. It hit 10 C while we were there and even later in the day it maxed out at 16 C. We did however suspect that Ullapool would be quite bleak on a rainy/windy/snowy day. Lots of whitewashed cottages and obviously a strong affinity with the water. It is primarily a fishing village and also the departure point for the car ferries that go out to the Lewis Isles. The original church is still standing and is now a museum. Some of Roger’s Stewart family members were married in the church, so it was special to be able to go inside. Upstairs in the museum, there is a genealogy section. We were able to just explore by ourselves – quite a contrast to looking at records in Inverness, where we had to request in writing every document that we wanted to see!
After spending time in Ullapool, we once again hit the road and drove
further on to Badenscallie. This is the tiny fishing village where Roger’s 2nd
Gt Grandfather, Donald Stewart, was born. His Stewart family (and Donald’s mother’s
McLean family) originated from this area. The drive to Badenscallie was on a
single lane road with lots of passing areas. High peaks and lochs surrounded
the road and it very much reminded us of Otago scenery. Badenscallie itself was
just a collection of crofts nestled between the mountains and the water. Today
you are able to see many ruins of the croft buildings, with holiday homes and
farm houses now dominating the area. The Badenscallie burial ground is on the
water’s edge, and we found many Stewart and McLean headstones in there – plus lots
of rabbits who are busy digging burrows throughout the burial ground. During
the Highland Clearances, Badenscallie and the adjacent settlements were largely
left alone. The troops arrived via boat to clear the crofters, but only found
woman along the shoreline and could find no men. It turned out that the men had
dressed in women’s clothing, and then ambushed the troops. Some women were hurt
in the fighting and this was considered an embarrassment to the Government, so
it was decided to leave this area alone to prevent any more damage to the Government’s
reputation.
We decided to return to Inverness not via Ullapool, but instead took
another one lane road through Rosehall and Balblair. Balblair is located on the
banks of the Kyle of Sutherland, and is where Roger’s 2nd Gt
Grandmother, Catherine Ross the wife of Donald Stewart, died in 1865. Close by
is the Kincardine Parish Church at Gledfield. This is where Donald and
Catherine married in 1859. From Gledfield, we travelled up a valley (on yet
another one lane road) to the Braelangwell Estate. This is where Catherine’s
family were from, and where Donald and Catherine were in the 1861 census. We
carried on up this dead-end road to Croick Church. This church played a
significant role in the Highland Clearances, and sheltered members of the Ross
family when they were evicted from their homes. We were there early evening, so
it was very quiet and serene – a very special place.
A very long day, as we didn’t get back until 8 pm – and had deep pan
pizza at a genuine Pizza Hut.
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