A most glorious area

Charles Douglas explores Argyll, Loch Lomond, Stirling and the Trossachs.

The glorious region of Argyll and Bute, with its administrative centre at Lochgilphead, embraces the second largest local government area in Scotland. It covers more than 3,000 miles of coastline, and from the north at Ballachulish on Loch Leven, the wild and dramatic landscape, tumbles inland south into Glen Coe , and, following the coastal road, coils through Appin and Benderloch towards Loch Etive and Oban, the sea gateway to the Hebrides.

In the wilderness of Glencoe, where a long steep-sided pass is encapsulated by high mountains, a political event of historic proportions took place over 300 years ago and shocked the Scottish nation. On 13th February 1692, thirty eight clansmen of the Clan MacIan of Glencoe, a branch of Clan Donald, were ruthlessly slaughtered by their house guests, a troop of Government soldiers under the command of Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon.

In a bid to establish loyalty to the incoming British monarchs King William and Queen Mary, the Government of the day had decreed that all Highland chiefs should swear an oath of allegiance to their rulers.

The elderly Alastair MacIan, twelfth Chief of Glencoe, was unintentionally late in doing so, but it was decided that an example should be made of him.

To begin with, it seemed that nothing much was amiss. Around 120 soldiers of Argyll's regiment of Foot were billeted on the MacIans, but that was a normal enough occurrence in the Highlands, and besides, MacIan's youngest son was married to Captain C...

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• By : Charles Douglas
• In : Regional Focus
• Issue : 51
• Page : 31
• Words : 3,168