THE PARALLEL ROADS OF GLEN KOY. 217 



gave the parallel roads of Glen Eoy an interest in my 

 eyes; and in 1867, with a view to self-instruction, I 

 made a solitary pilgrimage to the place, and explored 

 pretty thoroughly the roads of the principal glen. I 

 traced the highest road to the col dividing Glen Roy 

 from Glen Spey, and, thanks to the civility of an 

 Ordnance surveyor, I was enabled to inspect some of 

 the roads with a theodolite, and to satisfy myself re- 

 garding the common level of the shelves at opposite 

 sides of the valley. As stated by Pennant, the width 

 of the roads amounts sometimes to more than twenty 

 yards ; but near the head of Glen Roy the highest road 

 ceases to have any width, for it runs along the face of 

 a rock, the effect of the lapping of the water on the 

 more friable portions of the rock being perfectly 

 distinct to this hour. My knowledge of the region 

 was, however, far from complete, and nine years had 

 dimmed the memory even of the portion which had been 

 thoroughly examined. Hence my desire to see the 

 roads once more before venturing to talk to you about 

 them. The Easter holidays of 1876 were to be devoted 

 to this purpose; but at the last moment a telegram 

 from Roy Bridge informed me that the roads were 

 snowed up. Finding books and memories poor substi- 

 tutes for the flavour of facts, I resolved subsequently 

 to make another effort to see the roads. Accordingly 

 last Thursday fortnight, after lecturing here, I packed 

 up, and started (not this time alone) for the North. 

 Next day at noon my wife and I found ourselves at 

 Dalwhinnie, whence a drive of some five-and- thirty miles 

 brought us to the excellent hostelry of Mr. Macintosh, 

 at the mouth of Glen Roy. 



We might have found the hills covered with mist, 

 which would have wholly defeated us ; but Nature was 

 good-natured, and we had two successful working days 



