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babysackville · 5 years ago

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Sunday 20th July 1828

8 10/60

Cleaned teeth and a very little motion then some time talking to her and got into bed again for twenty minutes and finally up at nine –

Breakfast at 10 ¼ - we have really been made very comfortable here – our dinners nicely cooked and clean beds – our landlord, Angus Cameron, yesterday recognised Miss McLean remembered herself long since in Charlotte Square Edinburgh – delighted to see her – 20 years since he settled here, on Friday. 1 of his sons drove us yesterday – off at 11 ¼ to cross the ferry – the little white inn on the South side, the ferry kept too by an Angus Cameron, but born Angus Mc. Master and changed his name because he liked Cameron better -

In the cart and off from the South side the ferry at 11 25/60 – fine drive along Loch Leven – surrounding mountains very fine - At 12 40/60 having for sometime lost sight of the loch ‘Duror Inn’ nice little white Inn – apparently plenty of good stabling – a gig standing out near the stabling at a little distance from the house – surely one might sleep there comfortably – nice neat white church and school house ? manse? and a row of 3 or 4 white blue slated cottages and scattered straw thatched (the thatch everywhere here abouts kept down with long sticks or sometimes straw cords) huts, and stream and nice green wooded glen – Glen Duror –

At 12 50/60 crossed 1 arch stone bridge over the Duror water and (left) another of those upright stones (memorial stones?) as at Altyre near Forres and views of Loch Leven again – at 1 leave Glen Duror, come down upon Loch Linnhe and pursue our road close along the water’s edge – very fine drive – the Loch and down to its western edge the lofty rugged bare [precipitous] mountains of Ardgour, very fine – at 1 50/60 road still along the water’s edge, shaded (left) by the word of Appin house Robert Dowie Esquire M.P. (Scottish Tourist 381/415) who according to Miss McLean made his money in India – a low mean, vulgar man – at 2, green bare Shuna, divided from us by very narrow water observed the blocks of micaceous granite and at 2 5/60 gate to Appin – at a little distance farther on, the other entrance gate – goodish white, 3 story house – handsomish grounds –

At 2 20/60 at the south end of Shuna and at 2 25/60 Trossachy head (north end) of Lismore (Scottish Tourist 381/415 and 275-6/415) and ruin of Stalker castle (381/415) square tower on little low rock just big enough for it and surrounded by the loch, tho’ near shore (must be very shallow water) and near to us – finely situated – loch and its mountains and Lismore and little inlets very fine – at 2 27/60 down on the little white Inn of Portnacroish (F.McColl) with its ferry and village – a few little white blue slated cottages ditto ditto church and manse – look back upon the loch fine – leave it behind and enter Invernahacil glen – rather wooded fertile enough – neat straw thatched cottages and a few scattered neat white houses – at 2 ¾ Aunette Lodge neat little rather gothicized place built about 20 years ago by Campbelle of Lochend who ruined himself and went with his wife and 12 children 4 or 5 years ago to new Holland – the property sold 2 or 3 times – little white church at a little distance from Aunette Lodge and a little farther forward (left) peat moss and peat stacks –

At 2 50/60, road glen Haeil (hae pronounced) – at 3 turn rather round and come in sight of Loch Creran, and at 3 25/60 alight (to bait – no horse to be had on the other side) at Sheun ferry house D.Calquhoun – nice looking enough little 2 story white house outside – but nobody ever stops here and curious place within – on going upstairs queer poor beds in the 2 goodish front rooms – no furniture – straw on bedstocks in a little dark sort of closet not a chamber pot in the house – everybody obliged to go outside. From 3 ½ to 4 ½ wrote out the above of today – off from Shean ferry house (north) at 4 50/60 – 5 minutes getting all into the boat – over in 26 minutes – rained all the way till just at the last and we sat under the cart for shelter – landed at 5 21/60 off again in the cart at 5 ½ very poor place on this side the ferry merely 2 cottages under 1 roof 1 for drams, the both for tea tobacco and snuff – Loch Curan pretty little loch, finely surrounded by magnificent groups of mountains towards the head of the lock and Glencoe the look back up the loch towards this way and on [?] right the mountains have seen nothing finer –

At 5 10/60 lose sight of Loch Creran and see Lock Nell house (General Campbell) and the little loch Nell whence the name of the house and Estate – at 5 55/60 pass the neat entrance lodge – large, good looking house – beautiful place says Miss McLean certainly handsome looking well wooded – the view from the towers (summer house) on the torso of the high wooded ridge jutting out from the house and forming the west side of the little must be very fine – Miss McLean says, it is very fine – began to rain about 6 – at 6 10/60 little picturesque village and fine bold rocks just above us right – at 6 ¼ site of the old Bergonium (left) vide Scottish Tourist page 268 Dunstaffnage castle in view and soon after you the sound of mull and very fine lines of surrounding coast mountains – but alas! it now (6 ¼) rained heavily and without intermission till we alighted for shelter at Connel ferry house at 6 ¾ - luckily not wet beneath our coats and cloaks and sent these to be dried and ordered tea –

General Campbell maternal uncle to Miss Sarah Riddle – divorced his first wife, widow of Sir George Ramsay, by mutual consent on account of bad temper – he continued to keep away from her for 7 years – she begged him to return – he refused and she divorced him for non adherence to conjugal duties declaring when it was over there was no man she would sooner than Duncan Campbell i.e. her late husband by Lochnell who then married a sister of the present Sire Peter Murray, Ochtertyre, near Crieff – no children by either wife – a 5th cousin must have the estate – the branch gone to the dogs by low marriages &c – brought up a son and put him in the army – expelled – a great raff – died of drinking – Locknell took his son at 5 year old and brings him up not allowing him to see his mother grandfather still living, or any of his family –

At 7 ½ had just written the last 25 lines – tea at 7 50/60- off again for Connel ferry (north) at 8 ¾ - 10 minutes in crossing Loch Etive tame in comparison with the magnificent mountain surrounded Loch Creran – seated in our cart again and off from the south side the ferry (merely a cottage for the ferry house) at 9 – soon lose sight of the loch Drearyish up and down hill road have shut out by rock and moor – very fine rocks (right) close to Oban where we alighted at the New Inn, Argyle Arms A. Menzies (pronounced mingis) – several showers this morning from Ballahulish to Shean ferry – heavy rain enough from there and from Loch Null to Connal ferry and rain but not much from Connel to Oban – just upon leaving Shean ferry house heard the rumbling of thunder

Went to her bed double bedded room at twelve and a half, she was feckless and not quite well, talking quietly for a good while then she not objecting at heart had a kiss better to her than usual good to me – and went to my own bed after washing myself at two

Ballahulish ferry (north) to Shean ferry (north) 16

Shean ferry (north) to Connel ferry north) 5

Connel ferry (north) to Oban 5

(Dairy reference: SH7MLE110036)

#1828 #July #scotland #anne lister #sibella mclean #anne lister code breaker #gentleman jack

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