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The name Breadalbane is one of the most evocative in Scotland, denoting an area that was once regarded as being of great strategic importance and of clear-cut character. Of
its beauty there is no doubt. Sir Walter Scott, in his novel "The Fair Maid of Perth", wrote: "The rivers find their way out of the mountainous region by the wildest leaps and through the most romantic
passes. Above, the  vegetation of a happier clime and soil is mingled with the magnificent characteristics of
mountain scenery: and woods, groves and thickets in profusion clothe the base of the hills, ascend up the ravines, and mingle with the precipices". Breadalbane is perhaps best examined
initially in a journey coming from the west because that is the route taken by the evangelising Celtic saints from Ireland and the west coast. It is also the march line of that great expansionist
house, the Glenorchy Campbells, who were to acquire the lands of others, persecute the MacGregors, have a hand in national power struggles, become earls and marquises
of Breadalbane and - in line with an old prophecy - were to dwindle and decline. It is the country of the walker and, also, such are its riches of lochs, woods, passes and hills, of any person
interested in prehistory or wildlife. The traveller from the west reaches the A85 crossroads at Tyndrum (house on a ridge), where the A82 branches north to Glencoe and across Rannoch Moor.
This northbound road fringes Breadalbane to the west and in past time came close to resembling a clan boundary. To the west and immediately to the east fell the sway of the Breadalbane
Campbells. Further east towards Rannoch the mainly Jacobite clans had their lands. Tyndrum is now an untidy huddle of houses and a large hotel, and is well-used by walkers on the West
Highland Way. It is, however, important in its setting. Lead was once mined here and the remains of the mines can be seen on the hills to the south of the village. The name Clifton, which is still
applied to part of the village, derives from the name of the original owners of the mines. The mine buildings were destroyed by the Jacobites during the '45 Rising and the owners later claimed
compensation from the Hanoverian authorities. Close to Tyndrum, a modern gold mine is operational and it may well bring new prosperity to the village, although there are anxieties
regarding adverse effects on the environment. There is attractive hill walking on Ben Oss (mountain of the black craig) and Beinn Dubhchraig (mountain of the elk), which overlook
remnants of the old Caledonian Forest, which once covered much of Scotland. Here, too, is peerless Ben Lui (Laoigh, calf), with its small twin tops and central corrie, which looks so
attractive when seen from the busy A82.  |
