8 A HUNDRED YEARS 



Thomas Mackenzie, the laird of Ord, as trustees for the 

 Gairloch property during my elder half-brother's 

 minority, and my father's brother, John Mackenzie, 

 M.D., of Eileanach, was to be factor on the estate. For 

 the first six months or year after my father's death my 

 mother resided at Conon House, near the county town of 

 Dingwall, which was the east coast residence of the 

 Gairloch family. The Conon property was a com- 

 paratively small one, with a small population, whereas 

 Gairloch consisted of some 170,000 acres and a large 

 crofter population of several thousand souls; so my 

 mother felt it her duty to remove there and make it her 

 permanent home. It was not very easy getting from 

 Conon to Gairloch in those days, for, though a road had 

 been made from Dingwall to Kenlochewe, or rather two 

 miles farther on to Rudha n'Fhamhair (the Giant's 

 Point), at the upper end of Loch Maree, there was still 

 no road for some twelve miles along the loch-side, and 

 often it was stormy and the loch difficult to navigate in 

 small rowing-boats. 



But Gairloch was far more difficult of access in the 

 days of my grandfather and my uncles. I shall now 

 quote from what my uncle says regarding the annual 

 migrations to and from Gairloch. In those days the 

 larger tenants had, if required, to provide several days' 

 labour by men and horses for the journey. My uncle 

 writes: " My eyes and ears quite deceived me if those 

 called out on these migration duties did not consider it 

 real good fun, considering the amount of food and drink 

 which was always at their command." A troop of 

 men and some thirty ponies came from Gairloch, and 



