Heritage at Loch Lomond

Clouds move quickly through the sky en masse, but the rays of warm sunshine are surprisingly consistent. I’m sitting on the balcony of an AirBnB at the mouth of Loch Lomond. We just had lunch. Now—drinking tea and either reading, writing, or asleep. It feels like a fitting way to spend holiday time. Relaxed. Surrounded by nature. Detached from stress.

We went around the Loch in a boat earlier. Beautiful, yes. Couldn’t ask for much better weather. But fascinating, too. The commentary was fairly generic I imagine, given the pre-recorded nature, but nevertheless interesting. Perhaps exactly because Scotland is so close to home for me, I haven’t really stopped to consider the history and culture as much here, compared to other places we’ve visited.

The stories are endless. You’ll hear about legendary tales from a year so long ago you almost can’t fathom its existence. Various kings and princesses, clan leaders and cult heroes. At a point you realise that the roots run deep.

Mum points out that the clan they’re mentioning included real ancestors of ours. Apparently, as we learned today, a son in the generations after the Scottish clan system was largely disbanded post-1745 had migrated to Crows’ Nest in Queensland sometime in the 1800s to work the land. His wife had passed away and he was searching for a new direction. His children managed to make the journey by sea 10 years later. From this family, a son married a German woman, and they raised my mum’s grandfather, whom I knew. Or, something like that.

The amount of chance occurrences leading to my current existence are remarkable. It does tangibly feel different staying here knowing that somewhere nearby, at a point in time, relatives roamed these lands. These days, the world is so small, and far easier to traverse.