Achnaconeran

Here we are at Achnaconeran. There's Margaret Campbell's house, now owned by Patty MacDonald. Patty, he's a Maisie. His sister Christine lives down here. Their father and mother died a year ago, Donnelly and Cathy. This house here was where the Hamishes lived. They were MacDonalds. Grays lived over there somewhere I think. And way over here, beyond there is the ruins of the Archie's house. MacMillan's house is in the forestry there, where Hamish the post's grandfather lived. There's only two gables left of the Archie's house. It was mainly a wooden house apart from the gables. A big family brought up there. The Maisies too, there were ten in the family. The Grays lived up here. Possibly that's the ruin of their house.

There wasn't very much arable land really, but more than you would think. There were 13 families living up here when my father was in school. But after that there were fewer and fewer living up here. There was no electricity or telephone up here until recently. Electricity was brought up here to supply this mast which is a communications mast for police and forestry.

Over on the other side there you can see Knockie Lodge, and that was a suburb of Invermoriston at one time. The ferry went across, and a road went zig-zagging down there, down that gorge, down to Loch Ness. Colonel Pat Grant stayed there most recently who was a cousin of the laird of Glenmoriston. He stayed there in my own day.

Achnaconeran Fank

This is the fank at Achnaconeran. Once a year there would be the clipping day at Achnaconeran. That was quite an occasion. Everybody joined in including the kids. I was there at least once. I think we were sent down to the hotel to get a gallon of beer. It was in a piggy, a jar. Jackie the pier was with me and probably Tommy. We decided to taste this marvellous brew and I think we may have drank the lot. Because Jackie in particular got paraletic drunk. We were primary school children!