Scotia Depicta - Cavern in Glen Croe -Plate-

Glen Croe ( gd, Gleann a' Chrò) is a glen in the heart of the

Arrochar Alps The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the head of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil, near the villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead, on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The mountains are especially popular ...

on the

Cowal Cowal ( gd, Còmhghall) is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute, in the west of Scotland, that extends into the Firth of Clyde. The northern part of the peninsula is covered by the Argyll Forest Park managed by Forestry and Land Scotland. The Arroch ...

Peninsula, in

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The glen is surrounded by large and rugged mountains characterised by huge boulders. The glen is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

Geography

Glen Croe is located to the north west of

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

and

Loch Long Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Sea Loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately in length, with a width of between . The loch also has an arm, Loch Goil, on its west ...

, draining into the latter. At the head of the glen is the pass leading to

Glen Kinglas The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the head of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil, near the villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead, on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The mountains are especially popula ...

. The

A83 road The A83 is a major road in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland, running from Tarbet, on the western shore of Loch Lomond, where it splits from the A82, to Campbeltown at the southern end of the Kintyre peninsula. Route From Tarbet the A8 ...

runs the length of the glen, passing the viewpoint known as '' Rest & Be Thankful''. Glen Croe is situated entirely within the

Argyll Forest Park Argyll Forest Park is a forest park located on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. Established in 1935, it was the first forest park to be created in the United Kingdom. The park is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, a ...

. The glen is also within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The mountains on either side are: * Beinn Ìme *

Ben Donich Ben Donich or Beinn Dòmhnaich is a mountain located in the Arrochar Alps, near Loch Goil in Argyll and Bute. It is a Corbett and part of the Ardgoil range with its sister The Brack. The closest settlement to Ben Donich is the village of Loc ...

Beinn Luibhean Beinn Luibhean is one of the Arrochar Alps in the Argyll Highlands of Scotland, located to the northern side of Glen Croe between Loch Long in Dunbartonshire to the East and Loch Fyne in the Remote Highlands of Argyll to the West. The landscap ...

* The Brack *

Beinn an Lochain Beinn an Lochain is a mountain in the Arrochar Alps, southern Scotland, on the western edge of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Although included in Sir Hugh Munro's original list of Scottish mountains over 3000 feet,Scottish ...

The Cobbler The Cobbler ( gd, Beinn Artair) is an mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is a Corbett, and is an important site for rock climbing in the Southern Highlands. Many maps include the name Ben Arthur (an ...

History

The old road through the glen seen in the photograph is part of the

military road {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The following is a list of military roads worldwide. Australia * Part of the A8 (Sydney) between Neutral Bay and Mosman * Military Road, part of Route 39, Melbourne * Military Road, off Wanneroo Road just nort ...

that ran from

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

Inveraray Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...

. This was built in the 1740s under the supervision of Major William Caulfeild. A stone inscribed ''Rest & Be Thankful'' was erected around 1749, after this section of road was completed. From 1949 until 1970, motor racing events, including hill climbs and rally stages took place here. Gilleasbaig Mac an t-Saoir composed a song called 'Oran Ghlinne Chro', detailing the sadness he felt when the gamekeeper moved his flock out of the glen to make room for deer and sport hunting in 1914.

References

External links

* Engraving of
cavern in Glen Croe
by

James Fittler James Fittler (October 1758, in London – 2 December 1835) was an English engraver of portraits and landscapes and an illustrator of books. He was appointed by King George III to be his marine engraver. Life Fittler was born in London in Octo ...

in the digitised copy o
Scotia Depicta, or the antiquities, castles, public buildings, noblemen and gentlemen's seats, cities, towns and picturesque scenery of Scotland
1804 at National Library of Scotland
The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

Argyll Forest Park
Valleys of Argyll and Bute Glens of Scotland Highlands and Islands of Scotland Glens of Cowal {{Argyll-geo-stub

Geography

History

See also

References

External links