While my parents were here for a visit Dad rented a van and we drove a bit around Scotland. One of our favourite places that we adventured to was Loch Lomond.
This lovely fresh water lake is located just to the north and west of Glasgow.
Scotland’s Monster, “Nessie” is rumored to spend her winter holidays there but we saw no sign of her. (I did look.)
We saw a pair of beautiful white swans instead.
There is a lovely song about Loch Lomond that is how many people know of this area.
“O’ ye’ll tak the high road and I’ll tak 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 o’ loch Lomond”
The song is based on a true story. Here is a summary of the story from the website http://scottishparodies.tripod.com/lyricsandfreesonglyrics/id43.html
Two Jacobites were captured by the English and due to be hanged at Carlisle. Then the English Lord decides to set free the unmarried man and hang the married man as an example. The idea was that the free man would tell everyone what would happen if they fought for their freedom again. But the Jacobite to be hanged said to the other “you take the high road, and I’ll take the low road and I’ll be in Scotland afore ye” The meaning of this is that to the Celtic man of Scotland the high road is the road of the living and the low road is the road of those who have passed into the spirit world through death. He believed that he would be with his wife before the free man.
GILESGATE JOURNAL 