Loch Thurnaig, Wester Ross.

I found this poem whilst rooting around on the bookshelves of my holiday cottage on Dry Island. It comes from a book about the area published in 1886 "Gairoch, its records, traditions, inhabitants and natural history" by John H Dixon and makes fascinating reading.

The poem about Tornaig and the area around Loch Thurnaig was written by Alexander Cameron in the 1883. Known as the Tornaig bard he was a native of Inverasdale and manager of a farm at Tournaig. Although written 120 years ago the words still describe the area beautifully.

Tournaig! thou home beloved by me

with rich green crop and sloping lea

with fruitful fields and white fleeced sheep

dotting afar each breezy steep

I ne'er can cease my praise of thee

here hill and strath and briny sea

there streams from which the mountains glide

where pearls abound ad otters hide

High is thy shore against the storm

yet lined with sheltered coves and warm

while shell fish fill each rocky hole

where never oceans waves can roll

Loch Thurnaig from the viewpoint on the A832

Loch Thurnaig is a small loch leading off of Loch Ewe. It has a rocky jagged shoreline which in places is devoid of any vegetation. It is easy to imagine the otters of Cameron's poem exploring these shores and playing in the waters. A large swath of low lying pasture belonging to the farm Cameron managed can be seen in the photograph. This lush swath of grassland stands out as an island of green in a sea of brown moorland. There are very few trees or bushes anywhere along the loch edge giving a wilderness feel to the surroundings.

On the south side of the loch is a small headland which contains the heather covered remains of a dun; an ancient fort or Atlantic roundhouse.

Standing at the viewpoint on the A832 it is possible to look out over the whole of the loch and get a real sense of the geography of the area. Despite being on a main road the land is peaceful, no car noise or urban bustle here just the sound of the wind sweeping off the loch and whistling around the mountains. This is wild Scotland at its best; the impressive Torriden mountains forming a stunning backdrop to the view.