Balquhidder - Rob Roy MacGregor & Kirkton Glen
A week after The Beast from the East snow storm brought Glasgow to a standstill, we left the melt and headed north to find some wintery remnants to explore.
Balquhidder was our planned destination for the trip. As the final resting place of folk hero and outlaw Rob Rob MacGregor, we figured we could pair history with adventure to get our dose of snow.
Rob Roy MacGregor was a Scottish outlaw – made infamous and enduring by a generous retelling of his life in Sir Walter Scott’s 1818 novel ‘Rob Roy’. Caught between the conflict of his rival neighbors, Red Roy (as he called himself) engaged in cattle stealing and blackmail, old and (at that time) honourable Highland practices.
His gravesite at Balquhidder Kirkyard reads – ‘MacGregor Despite Them’, a likely reference to the fact that Rob Roy changed his last name to Campbell when penal laws against the MacGregors (who were Jacobites, disloyal to the crown) were reintroduced in 1693. He died a legend in his own time and has since been celebrated as a symbol of the Scottish way to stand up to oppressors.
While the grave and dilapidated church are were interesting to visit, a plaque on site raised suspicion that Rob Roy’s body may in fact be buried somewhere else in Argyll, and not here with his wife and sons. True resting place or not, this was still a worthwhile pilgrimage to make, to perpetuate the memory of a folk hero while always learning a little more about Scotland’s rich history.
The real enjoyment from our day of exploring was walking up the hill, to the snow line and through Kirkton Glen. The glen is accessed via a path next to the kirkyard and follows an easy forestry track up the hill amongst the pines.
Beautiful trees, mountains and mist lined the climb, steep enough to get the heart pumping and layers shedding. Still, the walk would have been easy enough had the snow not come up to our knees!
Boots filled with snow, we abandoned the walk when we reached a picturesque waterfall to pause at and drink from. As we retraced our steps down the hill, the clouds lifted from the mountains around us making for a delightful walk back.
The still, surprisingly warm day made for a stunning drive home. The glassy waters of Loch Lubnaig and Loch Venachar so perfectly reflecting their nearby mountains forced us to pull over the car. This gave us a chance to appreciate all over again, what a beautiful country we live in.
