Tuesday July 8
th.
My Father
Jane and I left Lixmount on a little Tour to the West of Scotland ––––– the first place we stopped at was
Linlithgow a distance of 16 miles. here
we should have walked out to the Palace in
which the unfortunate Queen Mary was born, but
a heavy rain confined us within the walls of an uncomfortable Inn –––––
As soon as the weather cleared up, we proceeded to
Falkirk where we slept.
Wednesday. The day was very fine and we had a pleasant ride to Cumbernauld ––––– while the horses were resting, we
walked towards the Seat of Admiral Fleming
Elphinstone;1 the
road from thence to Glasgow is extremely
good; but the scenery is not at all interesting –––––
We walked this Place about 5 o'Clock, after finding our abode
at
the
Star Inn, we called on M
r.–––––, and then walked thro' different parts of
the Town, and along the Banks of the River, before we came in to Supper.
Thursday. We took a little tour thro' the town before Breakfast, and afterwards
went to see the
Hunterian Museum with which
we were much gratified. This is a very valuable collection of Minerals, Shells,
Coins, and Anatomical preparations, all finely arranged, besides an
extensive Library and some good Paintings ––––– they were chiefly bequeathed
by the late
Dr
Hunter of
London. The
building in which they are deposited was built with money left by him for the
purpose, it forms the Eastern side of the University, and the front presents a
Doric Portico of six columns; amongst the Medals, we observed one similar to
ours of Edward the 2
nd. tho' not in such high
preservation.
My Father then parted from us to pay some visits,
and Jane and I were happy to avail ourselves of the opportunity to visit the
Botanic Garden which has been lately
made ––––– it contains about five Acres, laid out with considerable taste, there
seems to be a good collection of Exotic plants, and in one corner of the Garden
is a Lecture room in which students of both sexes are admitted ––––– on our way
home we went into
Harley's
celebrated
tea house. After dinner we
thought our time could not be better employed than going to see
Madame Girardelli perform her wonderful experiments
with fire. which detained us till a late hour.
Friday. We set off at 7 o' Clock and had a delightful ride to Dumbarton, where we Breakfasted, the weather was
fine, and the objects that attracted our attention
on this road
are too many to be enumerated. The Country is luxuriant the
Clyde runs on the left, and on both sides of the
road, are several neat Seats and Villas.
Scotstoun, belonging to Mr. Oswald on the left
about 5 miles from Glasgow, appeared to me
one of the pleasantest. Near the opposite side of the Clyde is Elderslie
belonging to Mr.
Spiers and which is noted for being the birthplace of Wallace. Renfrew
is seen at some
distance among the trees, a few miles further on,
we ascended
Dalnotter Hill from which the
prospect is extremely beautiful presenting at once many interesting objects. The
Clyde is here very much expanded, the
great
Canal flows into it ––––– at a little
distance
Erskine the Seat of
Lord Blantyre is delightfully situated on the
opposite
Banks of the River, the
rock of
Dumbarton rises abruptly above the water, the ruined
Fort of Dunglas has a very picturesque effect, and
Vessels of different kinds enliven the scene. We then descended to
Kilpatrick where we understand is the termination
of the
Roman Wall, and at a mile and a half
distant are some other remains of this adventurous people
Glenarback formerly belonging to
Lord Web Seymour, and now to
Mr Hamilton, is prettily
situated amidst trees on the right. We then passed
Dunglass Castle on the left — and on the right
Auchintorlie the Seat of
Mr. Buchanan, on the same side
is the Printfield of
Milton belonging to
Messrs. Mitchell — all in a
most romantic situation and a very lofty rugged rock called
Drumbec.
Dumbarton
Castle next presents itself on a singularly shaped
rock 560 feet high divided into two summits, it is on a point of land formed by
the junction of the
Clyde and
Leven —
The plant generally considered the scotch Thistle grows here very abundantly, and
it is curious that many parts of the rock are Magnetic, the Tower is small and
uninteresting. After taking breakfast, we very willingly resumed our journey
as it was to lead us to
Loch
Lomond, the road crosses a Bridge over the
Leven; for several miles we rode along its Banks.
There is a
Monument erected near the place
where
Smolet was born. Every part of the
Country thro' which we passed is rich and picturesque, there are many elegant
Seats and neat Villages, the Country is finely wooded, and we observed a great
variety of wild flowers
growing in the richest luxuriance.
Tillichuen Castle seems a beautiful
place in the Gothic style, further on is
Woodbank, and soon after leaving it, we had the first view of
Lock Lomond, which even here is very
beautiful, it is partly concealed from the road by trees; but we seldom lost
sight of it altogether.
Many Gentlemen have taken advantage of the attractive situation, by building
elegant Mansions on its Banks
We particularly admired that of
Sir James Colquhoun called
Rosedou it is on a Peninsula stretching into the
Lake, and commands a fine view of the surrounding scenery.
We passed Camstradden belonging to Mr. Colquhoun, then
crossed a Bridge over the River Luss, and
soon afterre arrived at Luss. We were now
all anxiety to have a full view of the far famed Lake, and as soon
as we had engaged a Boat, we walked down to the Shore, which is beautiful
beyond description, the Boatmen ferried us over to
Inch
Tavanach which tho' not the largest of the Islands seems to be
most elevated, we ascended thro' the Woods and Heaths by which it is covered to
the Summit. — our guide was very intelligent, and able to answer all our
questions, he said the Island we were
on was a mile and three
quarters long and half a mile broad, and the name means the Island of the two
women. From the Top we had a delightful view of almost the whole Lake embosoming
its verdant Islands. — there are about 30 of them some covered with pastures,
and others wooded from their summits to the water edge.
Inch Murren is one mile long and two broad, it belongs to
the
Duke of Montrose, it seems
to be thickly wooded and contains 200 deer.
Inch Caillaich was the burial place of the
Macgregors.
To the Eastward we saw Inch Cruin used as an
Assylum for persons of dissipated habits whose friends send them here for
seclusion, and many local circumstances Render it well adapted to this purpose
We afterwards landed on Inch Lonay further
to the North, used for a similar purpose, it is remarkable
for a
natural wood of very old Yews, and it is stocked well with Deer — The property
of
Sir James Colquhoun after stopping here
about half an hour we again stepped into the Boat, which took us back to
Luss.
The weather being clear we had from the lake a very fine view of Ben Lomond, which we should ^have liked very much to ascend, as the prospect from it must be still
more magnificent than that
from
Inch
Tavanach its perpendicular height is 3240 feet above the surface
of the Lake and 3262 above the surface of the Sea, our Guide pointed out to us a
narrow stream running down a hill on the edge of the Lake famous for being the
scene of a sanguinary conflict between the Colquhouns and Macgregors in the
beginning of the 17
th. Century.
2 The
Island containing
Rob Roy's Cave we observed
at a distance. It was with
difficulty we could leave the lovely
Banks of
Loch Lomond and return to the
Inn.
Saturday. We rose early to return to Glasgow,
we passed over the same ground as we had done the day before.
After arriving at Glasgow we walked about,
but observed nothing worth mentioning
Sunday. After Breakfast we prepared to go to Church to hear Dr. Chalmers Mr. ––––– gave us leave to use his seat, which
being very near the Pulpit, we had an excellent opportunity of
seeing and hearing this celebrated Preacher — I had heard him before but never
to such advantage. The Text was in the 6
th. chapter
of Mathew and 29 Verse. The subject tho' a common one was treated in a very
striking and forcible manner. As the weather was fine we resolved on going to
Greenock this Evening, and had no wish
to wait till the next day to go by the Steam Boat, as in our excursion to
Luss, we had had a
full
view of the finest parts of the
Clyde, the
road from
Glasgow is excellent and the
Country pleasant and well cultivated, we passed several Seats but did not
to whom they belonged [
sic] One called
Lint
House on the right particularly struck us.
Paisley is seen at a distance. We passed
Elderslie
Mr. Spier's, and
then entered
Renfrew consisting chiefly of
one narrow Street about half a mile in length — further on is
South Bar belonging to
Mr Alexander, which appears a very
pleasant
place, and soon after stopped at a solitary Inn called
Bishopton. while the horses were resting
we walked on about two miles. and had a delightful view of the
Clyde and the surrounding scenery, we now saw the
side of
Dumbarton Castle
next the River and the Bold Rock called
Dumbrec. We passed thro'
Port Glasgow, near it is the
old Castle of Newark belonging to
Lord Belhaven 3 miles further on is
Greenock, where we remained all night.
Monday. After Breakfast my Father paid several visits, and then went with out
with us to look at the Town, it is situated on the sloping side of a high Bank
towards the South, and the Sea on the North. The principal Street is nearly a
mile long, and runs from East to West, has a commodious Harbour, and is the
finest Port in
Scotland. About 2 o' Clock we
continued our journey thro' a beautiful
and romantic Country —
the road excellent, and the weather was uncommonly fine. After travelling 3
miles we passed thro'
Greenock, a small
Harbour, and a resort for bathing. We had a view on the right of
Roseneath, belonging to the
Duke of Argyle. The property on this road is chiefly
Sir Michael Shaw Stewart's, and his Seat
Ardgowan is about 5 miles from
Greenock, 2 miles further on we crossed a small
Bridge
called
Kelly Bridge, and entered
Ayrshire, the road now is close to the Shore, and on the other
side for a mile is a perpendicular rock, which in some Places seems nearly 100
feet high — soon after on the left are the Ruins of
Knock Castle on the
Estate of
Brisbane, we then arrived at
Largs a small Sea Port Town ––––– it is beautifully situated
and commands a fine view of the Islands of
Cumbra,
Bute and
Arran, and betwixt the
Mainland and
the South end of
Arran is a distant view of
the
Island of Ailsa, which rises to great
heights in a Conical form. The weather being fine, we saw the place to great
advantage, and admired the situation of it extremely; near the Shore there is a
very neat building containing a reading room hot & cold Baths.
We ascended a Mound behind the Village, on which General
Brisbane has erected a sort of Signal Tower for Astronomical
purposes — it commands a view of Brisbane
House, and the surrounding Country, and near it is a large
plain, which is said to be the scene of the defeat of the Danes in their last
Invasion.
Tuesday. After leaving Largs, we rode along
the Banks of the Clyde, and on the other
side the Country is rich and diversified.
We passed Kilburn House the Seat of Lord Glasgow, and soon after the Estate of
Fairly now belonging to Sir William
Cunningham of Robertland,
on which are the Ruins of an old Castle. On the right is Hunterston which appears a fine House, and 4 miles further on,
we passed thro' the Village of Kilbride,
near which are the Ruins of Law Castle.
For some miles we had left the Shore, now the road goes along it to Ardrossen, where there is a new Harbour for Ships.
— It belongs to Lord Eglinton and the Houses
are newly built.
In a height are the Ruins of a Castle which
seems to have been a Place of considerable strength, and South of it are the
remains of Danish encampments, we went off the usual road to see
Ardrossan and soon arrived at
Saltcoats, which is 2 miles distant. There we
Breakfasted, and after walking down to the Harbour and round the Village, which
consists chiefly of one long Street we again stepped into the Carriage.
We now lost
sight of the
Clyde, and passed on the left
Seabank, belonging to
Mr. Cunningham, a little on the
Village of
Stephenstoun, and afterwards
Killwinning a small Tower noted for
being the Seat of the first Mason Lodge in
Scotland — and here are the remains of a
Monastery, — at some distance we had a view of
Eglinton Castle.
Irvine where we next stopped is a Sea Port
Town and stands on a rising ground — the Church is neat and has a handsome
Spire. We went into the Church Yard from which there is an
extensive view — we likewise saw the new Academy a fine Building in an airy
situation, near it are the Ruins of a
Castle
the antient Residence of the Eglinton family.
As the weather was extremely warm, we did not Irvine [sic] till 6 o'Clock it was a delightful Evening,
and at a distance out the left, we saw distinctly the Castle of Dundonald from which the family
of
Cochrane derive their Title, it appears a very large building eminence opposite
to it is a fine Bank of wood in which is situated the
House of Auchans a seat of the Earls of Eglinton. The Country
tho' not so picturesque as what we had lately seen, is far from being
uninteresting, some parts are barren, and others highly cultivated.
The Firth of Clyde continues in sight and the
Island of Ailsa appears more distinctly.
We saw Troon
which is a Promontory in
Ayrshire from which the
Duke of
Portland has extended into the
Clyde on a curved line to a very considerable extent so as to
form a safe Harbour for the shelter of Vessels in general, as well as for the
exportation of the Coals upon his Estate to
Ireland, this Harbour is thought to promise being of more
utility than the one erected by
Lord Eglinton
at
Ardrossen, further on the left is
Fullerton House, belonging to
the
Duke of Portland.
After travelling 5 miles thro' rather a bleak Country, and two inconsiderable
Villages, we crossed the River Ayr, and
entered the Town of Ayr. This is a very
ancient Town, and was formerly distinguished for military strength, — but we
could perceive no remains of antiquity except and old Tower, and round it is the
strong wall of a Fortress built by Oliver
Cromwell.
Wednesday. As my Father
had several visits to make we remained
here all day, but regretted that owing to the excessive heat, we could not walk
much till the Evening, when we took a survey of the Town, and the new Prison,
and Count House that are building.
Wednesday. We set off soon after six o'Clock in order to go one stage before the
heat of the day. but the Sun was already so powerful that we were almost
afraid the horses could not reach
Ochiltree where we were advised to stop instead of proceeding
to
old Cumnock.
We were very glad to find ourselves at the door of the Inn, and all required
resting as well as the horses. After getting an excellent Breakfast the Landlady
offered to accompany us on a walk to an old Castle near the Village, which
formerly gave the Tittle [sic] of Baron to a Branch of the Family
Stewart.3 The heat soon
obliged my
Father to return to the Inn, but
Jane and I
unwilling to give up seeing the only curiosity that the Place afforded, went on,
and were somewhat gratified.
The River Lugar runs past this old edifice
which Sir Alexander Don inherited from his
Mother Lady Glencairn, but he has sold it to
Mr. Boswell of
Auchinleck. Lord Bute is the
chief Proprietor in this Neighborhood. I must not omit to mention that we had
not any where seen
such fine corn fields as between
Ayr and
Ocheltree. Soon after leaving this Place, we saw on the left
Dumfries House surrounded by extensive
Plantations, then passing thro' the Village of
old
Cumnock, we went on to
new
Cumnock, where we stopped at a most wretched and uncomfortable
Inn. As soon as the horses were sufficiently rested, we again continued our
journey thro' a Country that differed in aspect to what we had been lately
accustomed ––––– it is generally
Mountainous, some of the Hills
are covered with Heath and others affording pasture to flocks of Sheep and Black
Cattle. The road goes along the Banks of the
Nith, but we saw nothing interesting.
Jane owing to the
extreme heat felt rather fatigued by the time we arrived at
Sanquhar which terminated our day's journey. This
is a small Town and at a short distance from it are the ruins of a very ancient
Castle.
Friday. We went to
Eliock about 3 miles off,
where we Breakfasted: in this house the
Admirable
Crichton is said to have been born, and there is a
Portrait of him in the drawing Room. After leaving
Mr. Veitch's
we found the road very pleasant keeping along the East Bank of the
Nith which in some parts is extremely Picturesque,
we then passed the fields and Plantations of
Drumlanrig, and had a good
view of this
beautiful Mansion we now lost sight of the
Nith, and passing
Closeburn,
Mr.
Monteith's on the left reached
Brownhill, a tolerable Inn, where we rested two hours, the
first part of the next stage is very delightful, the
Nith again appears in picturesque windings, the Banks prettily
wooded and the surrounding Country well cultivated ––––– agriculture being now
apparently more attended to than pasturage
The Evening was uncommonly fine, and added to the beauty of the scenery. Soon
after crossing
Alquith Bridge, we saw on the
left a very pleasant Place called
Friar's
Carse, belonging to
Mr. Chrighton. As we approached
Dumfries nothing struck us as remarkable
till we crossed the River by a handsome Bridge and entered the Town, being
rather fatigued with the excessive heat of the weather, we ordered supper as
soon as
and deferred looking at the Town till the next day.
Saturday. We walked before Breakfast to St. Michael's Church where a
Monument has been lately erected to the
Memory of Burns, the design is rather elegant.
in the form of a Temple, and a Statue of the Poet, leaning on a Plough, is to be
placed in the Centre. Dumfries appeared to
us the pleasantest Town we had seen. It is situated
on the
Nith, about 9 miles above, where it
discharges itself into the
Solway Firth — it
contains many excellent houses, and handsome public buildings. We went into the
Court house, and then walked along the Banks of the River towards the Harbour.
About 3 o'Clock we resumed our journey, but instead of going on to
Moffat we stopped for an hour at a small Inn called
Park-gate about 8 miles and a ½ from
Dumfries — while we were
here a shower came on, which cooled the air, and made it pleasanter for
travelling, but owing to the rain we did not see the Country to such advantage:
the surface of it is generally rugged and Mountainous we passed over a very
pretty Bridge, called
St
Ann's Bridge thrown over the
Annan,
4
we saw on the left
Raehills, the Seat of
Sir William Johnstone Hope. It was almost
dark before we arrived at
Moffat, but this
we did not regret intending
to remain here all next day.
Saturday. The weather in the Morning was tolerably fine, and had not much the
appearance of rain, but just as we were setting off to Church a very heavy
shower came on, and obliged us to remain within doors till the Afternoon, when
we went to the Parish Church. Moffat has
been long celebrated for its Mineral Water, which was discovered about 150 years
since. There is also a petrifying spring about 4 miles distant, but this we did
not see
and we regretted that the badness of the weather
prevented us from going to the curious cascade called
"Gray Mare's Tail"
Monday. We rose before 6 o'Clock, and as the weather was favorable we determined
on going to the Well, and had a very
pleasant expedition. The Well is covered
with only a sort of hut, and the surrounding scenery is rather picturesque — by
the time we returned to the Inn the Carriage was ready, so immediately set off,
and got to
Crook Inn to
Breakfast — a few miles from
Moffat on the
right is a deep hollow in the rock, where the
Annan rises, and from the opposite side of the same Hill, the
Clyde and
Tweed have their source. After Breakfast we ascended the steep
hill behind the Inn, and saw beneath us, the windings of the
Tweed, now of considerable breadth. one hill
appears beyond another, partly covered with heath, and partly with pasturage The
Country thro' which we afterwards passed has the same unvarying
aspect, the
Tweed for some miles continues
in sight, and on the Banks are the ruins of the
old
Castle of Drummelzier near which was buried the celebrated
Merlin,
5
we next passed the Estates of
Broughton,
Cairnmuir and rested the horses at a
small Inn on the road, the Country now becomes more flat, and nothing appears
worthy of notice on the road to
Noble House,
which ended this day's journey.
Tuesday. As the weather had
the evening before the appearance of
rain we were agreeably surprized when we arose to find it was fair, tho' the
road shewed there had been rain during the Night — Almost opposite to the Inn is
Sir George Montgomery's on the same side
La Mancha belonging to
Mr. Basil Cochrane and
the Whim to
Sir
James Montgomery; much of the Country about here seems barren and
neglected, before entering
Pennycuick there
are the Ruins of an old Castle on a height
overlooking the
Esk which rises in this Neighborhood.
from thence we beat our course to
Lixmount
where we arrived after being three weeks absent.