176 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



the noble sweep of the hills beyond make the most charming view 

 in the whole of the Caledonian Canal route. The castle was in 

 stirring times the headquarters of the Macdonells of Glengarry who 

 threw in their lot with the Bonny Prince. It was here he first 

 allowed himself sleep in his precipitate flight from Culloden, before 

 pushing on through Lochiel's country to the lonely head of Loch 

 Arkaig, and so over Glen Dessary to the west. Here he was 

 tracked by the royalist troops, who burned and sacked the old 

 castle only a few hours after Prince Charlie had fled from it. 

 Lochiel's castle shared the same fate ; but while the modern Achna- 

 carry stands on the site of the old and a beautiful site it is the 

 modern Invergarry occupies a position rather more to the north, closer 

 to the river, and this hoary old ruin remains a monument of the '45. 



Loch Oich is 4 miles long and has a maximum breadth of a 

 little over quarter of a mile, and a mean breadth of barely one-fifth 

 of a mile. It is comparatively shallow, and the water contained in 

 it has been estimated as only one-fourth the volume of Loch Garry. 



" A great part of the loch, equal to 68 per cent, of the entire 

 area, is less than 50 feet in depth. The central part of the loch is 

 shallowest. Opposite the mouth of the Garry the greatest depth is 

 20 feet, close to the island. There are four areas of over 50 feet. 

 The first of these is close to the north-east end of the loch. It is 

 three-quarters of a mile long, and encloses an area half a mile long 

 over 100 feet in depth. Near the south-west end of this 100 feet 

 area is the maximum depth of the loch, 154 feet, and near the other 

 end of the area there is a sounding of 129 feet, with a depth of only 

 108 feet between them." 1 The other 50 feet areas are to the south 

 of the river mouth. The level of the loch above the sea is 106 feet, 

 and the drainage area, including the Garry and all head waters, 

 amounts to 170 square miles. 



THE EIVER GARRY. 



When one speaks of the Inverness-shire Garry, one means the 

 four miles of river between Loch Garry and Loch Oich ; and when 

 one speaks of the Garry one conjures up a prospect, perhaps a rather 

 hazy prospect, of ideal salmon fishing, a fine sparkling river, beautiful 

 scenery, plenty of salmon. Very many people even in the Ness 

 district have never seen the Garry, but they know it as a famous 

 salmon river. 



1 " Bathymetrical Survey of Fresh Water Lochs of Scotland," Scottish Geographical 

 Magazine, xxiv., No. 5, p. 242. 



