On the Banks of Loch Lomond: Touring Castles and Rob Roy Country

The quest to get in touch with Sandy's Scottish roots led us to take a one-day tour through Rob Roy country, going through Stirling, Aberfoyle, and the Trossachs. Sandy has distant ties to to Rob Roy MacGregor, an infamous outlaw with stories embellishing him to be in the same category as Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but for many that's debatable.

It was a sunny and warm day in contrast to yesterday's gloom. We started the day at Stirling Castle made famous by William Wallace - we know him as Mel Gibson in Braveheart. This is a smaller version of the Edinburgh Castle but since we were among the first people to arrive, it was as if we had the castle to ourselves. It was quiet enough to hear the sound of birds chirping carried on the softly blowing wind which made exploring fun and relaxing.

We stopped at a little town called Aberfoyle for lunch then headed to the Trossachs for the remainder of the day. I admit I'm a bit surprised at the often desolate landscape I've seen throughout the highlands, very brown with spurts of trees here and there nestled in between several lochs, the largest loch being Loch Lomond.

The sun glistened off Loch Lomond as we drove down the two-lane road built for one car. Some of our group went on a wee hike to the top of a hill through trees, streams, and moss-covered rocks only to show off a beautiful view of the loch. Our tour guide pointed out a pointy peak called Ben Lomond. I now know where the town Ben Lomond by Santa Cruz, CA got its name.

We hated to leave this vantage point but since this was a day tour, we needed to get back on the road. As we drove away from this beautiful loch, our tour guide played the following popular Scottish song inspired by the loch:

"By yon bonnie banks,
And by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love
Were ever want to gae,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

Oh! ye'll take the high road and
I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond."

If you don't recognize the words, you most likely would recognize the melody. Our tour guide explained while this song is played at sporting events and causes great camaraderie, its lyrics are sad. It's about two soldiers from the Loch Lomond area in the Jacobite rebellion who have been captured. One is going to be released but the other is going to be killed. The one that's going to die is singing the song. The high road refers to the life his friend will have and the low road is death, burial. It was often said once a person died, their spirit returned to their home, so in this case the soon-to-be dead soldier would beat his friend back to their homeland but only in spirit.
Seeing the loch and hearing the meaning of the lyrics gave the song new meaning.

Upon arriving back in Edinburgh, Sandy and I completed the MacGregor theme day by eating at the Royal MacGregor pub and tried a dessert called Cranachan, made with mixed berries, cream, and whiskey - quite light and tasty.

We arrived back at our b&b sadly knowing it was our last night in Edinburgh which meant we had to pack. We had washed clothes the night before, stringing our clothes on any surface that could be turned into a drying apparatus. We got quite inventive, especially because we had two radiators - one in the room and one in the bathroom. It must have been a sight for the cleaning people to come into our room and find towel racks and radiators covered with socks, shirts, and unmentionables. We found our items untouched and clean towels placed on our beds as the towel racks had developed a new purpose.

Our day in Rob Roy country couldn't have been better. It was funny to see locals running around in shorts and t-shirts as such sunny warm weather is rare. I don't know that Sandy learned anything new about her ancestors, but it does give the stories she's aware of new meaning when seeing, touching, and walking where her ancestors lived.