Day Fifteen - Loch Lomond

Today is a memorable day for me as we drive past an aristocratic home and an old castle, somewhere there among the trees, on the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond. This place is the present home of the descendents of a family who have lived there for generations. Over a hundred and fifty years ago, the Lord of the house had an illegitimate child with a woman from the house, perhaps a serving maid, and this child was given to one family but eventually raised by a family in Glasgow, the Mackies. He took the Mackie name and began a trade in the dairy industry and was successful. ( I even saw a sign in a shop as we passed by in the bus. It said: "Mackie's Cream".) He was our great great grandfather (Pop Mackie's grandfather) which indicates that we, the Mackies, are all descendents of this Loch Lomond Scottish house and clan also. It gave me goose-bumps to realize that our family can trace its roots back to this amazingly picturesque place. His mother, Catherine, went to Australia with her family while her son was given out to the foster family. Later, one of his sons came with his large family to Australia in 1910.
On our boat trip over the waters of the loch, I mentioned to Peter that my great

great grandfather was born in the area and he said "Welcome home!" and offered to take my photo with my ancestor's territory behind me. Then he urged me to have another coffee and rum. Which I did! I wondered how many other descendents of illegitimate children from this place come back to call this place home.
Then we travel along the banks of Loch Ness, of course, keeping an eye out for the monster. "I see something!" says one of our group. "No, just a few branches on the water." A few sighs or guffaws.
We also visit the site of the 1692 massacre at Glencoe and pass Fort William at the foot of Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis. At Glenfillan, we see the monument to the final Jacobite Rising, and the famous viaduct which has featured in the Harry Potter films. We drive across the bridge to the breathtaking Isle of Skye where we stay at one of the few hotels there.