The Lakes to Dunoon - including a Cemetery

 This blog is so behind!!!. 

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Anyway five weeks ago today, after the Queen's Jubilee long weekend, we left Sheffield heading for Scotland for some further genealogy research on my Father's side, however decided to stop in the lovely Lakes District in Cumbria for a couple of nights en route.  The drive north was quite slow as we were held up by the Horse and Buggys on the road full of Gypsies from all over the UK and probably Europe - attending the Appleby Horse Fair.  It has taken place annually since James 11, and is held near the River Eden. The little carriages and their ponies/horses were delightful, but I have since heard some sad stories on the treatment of some of their ponies.  Anyway we eventually passed them and headed through the Cumbrian Mountains to Ambleside on Lake Windermere.  The scenery was just incredible, however the weather was dull, and the traffic heavy as it was the end of a very long weekend - so we didn't stop for any photos.  The scenery in this area is really so magnificent.  We were very happy with our hotel right in the centre of Ambleside, and just settled in for the night after a good feed - an early one.

The following morning the weather was drab again, so we donned our windcheaters and walked half a mile down to Waterhead where the Ambleside Pier is.

Loads of activities going on - School holidays, but what really amused us was this man with his little dog - carried it like a handbag, his wife did the same with another dog in another canoe.

This little Jack Russell took to the helm and off they paddled out into Lake Windermere.

Well if those 2 little canines can brave the lake on a day like today, then so can we, and we cruised away on this number above.

The surrounding scenery, even in the mist, is still outstanding.

Lake Windermere is the longest natural lake in England - 10.5 miles long, and 1 mile wide.

Looks like an old Steamer cruising past us.

Dinky little boat sheds dotted along the shore

We arrived at the very pretty town of Bowness on Windermere

just before lunch

so after a walk along its active wharf and shoreline

walked into town for a bite in the "Hole in t' Wall"

Had an English curry and it was so good.

By the time we had finished and walked around town - that sun doth shine and the Brig has bought a Lakes District hat!.

and we cruised back again past very different boat sheds

belonging to a variety of houses or mansions

Back to Ambleside which dates to the early years of the Roman occupation of Britain (approximately AD80)

In 1650 the town was granted a charter to hold a market and later, in the reign of James 11, another charter was granted for the town to collect tolls.  The town's market centre became the commercial centre for agriculture and the wool trade.

Now, it's a lovely "tourist town" favoured by walkers and boaters

In the beautiful Lake District National Park, Cumbria.

The following morning we headed down to the town of Windermere and then up through the Kirkstone Pass

stopping at Lake Ullswater

where Donald Campbell and his "Bluebird" set the world record in 1955

Today the craft on Ullswater looked far "slower"

The scenery and lakes were superb as we continued to drive north into Scotland through Dumphries and Galloway

Our next stop was Glasgow!!

Why Glasgow - well I had found out a few days before heading into Scotland that my Father's grandmother (my great grandmother) was buried in Glasgow, - I had been advised that she was buried in the huge Southern Necropolis (City of the Dead ) near the Gorbals and Hutchesontown district.  It commenced in 1840 and there are 250,000 interments here.  It was a dim drive into Glasgow, glum weather and we got terribly lost, but eventually tracked down the area and this huge walled "Necropolis".

We drove through the gates, and drove to the far eastern end where I had been told my Great Grandmother's grave was

a very sad situation, as so many of the graves were badly damaged

I had been sent a photo of it via another source and where they thought she was, but I couldn't find the headstone. I had also been in contact with a chap at the Glasgow Council in charge of the Necropolis - so I pulled out my Mac Air in the cemetery to email him again, and there waiting for me was an email from him  - telling me that she was in the Central section of the Necropolis not the Eastern part of .

We drove around to the central area, and I saw a headstone which looked like the photo I had received.

And it was the correct headstone, and how wonderful it was still standing in one piece.

Not only for my great grandmother, but also her parents, my great great grandparents.

My great grandfather had died in Shapinsay in the Orkneys in 1908 at the age of 51, the surviving family (my great grandmother and their 6 children - one being my grandfather) would've had to move out of the Manse in Shapinsay, and probably back to both sets of their parents/grandparents who lived in Glasgow, though her own Mother had already died (1893)

My Great Grandmother - Penelope Charlotte Campbell Grandison died in Dunoon in 1932, her eldest daughter, Eleanora was with her.

She was buried with both her parents James Grandison (died 1910) and Eleanora Reid (died in 1893)  her  first two children were called James and Eleanora.

It was a very grim place, and of course after exiting we immediately got terribly lost again, we turned, we discussed, we rechecked the maps and so it went on, till eventually we saw the sign to Greenock which was the direction we wanted - and away we went extremely relieved we were leaving Glasgow.! 

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Our next stop for a couple of nights is Dunoon, after Greenock we will drive on to Gourock and catch the car ferry across  the Firth of the Clyde to Dunoon. 

The reason is that my grandfather's 3 sisters retired in Kilmun (near Dunoon) after many years of school teaching in both the UK and Canada, and I now wish to track down their graves, 'specially Aunt Queenie (Anne Victoria) as I visited her in Kilmun in 1977.  Mum stayed in contact with my father's Aunts - in fact they would accompany Mum to the Cowal Highland Games in Dunoon, when Mum's pupils were competing - great excitement in 1960 and 1970 when 2 of Mum's dancers won the World Champion Highland Dancer.

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Lynne won the World in 1970,

and that same year another pupil of Mum's (Loma) won the British Champion Highland Dancer

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 0ne of Mum's Choreographies was titled "Kerr's of Kilmun".

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So we arrive in Dunoon

 I had booked a B and B, (St. Ives) and I must say it was charming,  as was Sandra the owner - it sat right on the Firth of the Clyde.

The view from our room that evening at high tide.

Had an early dinner - and an early night as well.

Next morning the clouds were parting for some blue sky, so Sandra put the umbrellas up.

the tide was out but not the reflections.

After a great breakfast we decided to walk along the promenade

into Town

Lovely old Victorian houses along the way

past one of the Lighthouses

and the very large statue of Robbie Burns' love "Highland Mary"also known as Bonny Mary O'Argyll which stands high on Castle Hill overlooking the Pier.

Next - the stunning Pier, originated in 1835, and rebuilt in 1895.  Prior to the late 1950's paddle steamers brought holidaymakers doon the water from Glasgow.

This Castle House Museum stands high above the Pier - there was a 13th Century castle here but it was destroyed during the rebellion in 1685 - and then Castle House was built as a holiday house in 1822 by James Ewing, MP, Provost of Glasgow, he then sold it to the Council. It is now a great museum - I spent some time with the curator going over some old records in the afternoon.

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The seafront of Dunoon at low tide

with Holy Loch's surrounding hills as a back drop

Below is Lazeretto Point at the southern entrance to Holy Loch, gets its name from a quarantine station built there around 1805 in connection with the Clyde Shipping trade.

Looking across Holy Loch below to the village of Kilmun where we were heading to.

The photo below was taken of my Great Aunt's house in Kilmun on my visit in 1977.

The garden overlooked Holy Loch and the US Navy Polaris Submarine Base which was there from 1961 to 1991 - it was a floating base. 

It is still called Ferngrove today

The house was easy to find with its different roofline etc.

She is now all white, and the lovely garden has been dug out for a car park

but the old stone archway is still there.

We then moved on to the Kilmun Church - St. Munn's

The church of St. Munns was founded beside the Holy Loch in the 10th Century.  In 1442, Sir Duncan Campbell of Lochow founded a collegiate church for the souls of his first born son and wife, Marjory.  This church was badly damaged by the Lamonts in 1646 when they massacred all those taking refuge in the tower - a gruesome lot!!. 

The remains of the tower above.

It was rebuilt separate to the tower in 1688 with a mausoleum

- and then this present church was built (Presbyterian) in 1841.

It's fine organ is not only known for its tone, but because the bellows are primed by an hydraulic pump

We walked all around this cemetery searching for any headstone, bearing my Great Aunts' names, we did not find any.

I had checked the church records, and they weren't listed, but thought it worth a good walk around  just in case them Church records were wrong!!!

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It is an extremely well kept cemetery (am becoming an expert!)

We then drove to the Church of Scotland's - Invereck Nursing Home where Aunt Queenie had spent the last couple of years before she died in 1982.

They welcomed me in, one remembered Aunt Queenie, but couldn't get access to the funeral records, and of course I knew that Funeral Company involved closed down in 1995! 

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Lovely stained glass windows in the foyer of this old building

Frank and I decided to take a break and drive out along Loch Long to the Ardentinny Hotel

where Aunt Queenie, Mum and I had lunch in 1977.

It's not a hotel any more - looks more like a private house.

Quaint little cottages on the Loch alongside the Ardentinny.

We then drove further on a one lane road to the Whistlefield Inn above Loch Eck- the first coaching Inn here - for a cup of coffee.

Taking in the views over Holy Loch - in Gaelic "an Loch seanta" - 'the charmed loch'

takes its name from the presence of the important early Christian and mediaeval church at Kilmun.

The USA Navy base was situated just above, with dependents, there were over 4000 Americans (occupying more than 600 homes) in Dunoon - their departure welcomed by some who opposed it politically, has left a huge hole in the economy of the Cowal area.

I zoomed in on Aunt Queenie's house (centre) across the Loch from Dunoon.

The ferry from Gourock arrives - every 20 minutes.

After spending time with Robert at the Castle House Museum - I decided to visit Aunt Queenie's Lawyer - fortunately I did have a copy of one of his letters written to Mum in 1982.  I was lucky enough to meet with a gentleman named Coulqhoun, and he remembered Aunt Queenie and her 2 sisters, Eleanora and Charlotte.  Anyway he literally crawled into the basement to get their old files out, found both Aunt Eleanora's and Aunt Queenie's, and the records showed that they had indeed been cremated, which would have been across the Firth in Gourock - so I had no actual headstones to find - my question re place of burial had been answered.  With that information I felt we had covered as much as we could today!

So the Brig and I did some more walking

back to the St. Ives for a little relax - and update Sandra on today's happenings.

Then with Sandra's recommendation,  had an early dinner at the Braes - absolutely the best seafood linguine either of us have ever had.

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We were really pleased with today, just feel we closed out on a few things. Of course if I had asked Mum some years back - there probably wouldn't have been the need for todays search!!.
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This area of Cowal in the Argyle and Bute region is quite stunning - a delightful couple of days.