84 Burnside, 



lost in the roar of the larger one, down to which a steep 

 bank slopes from the left hand edge of the road. The right 

 side of the road hugs Ben Donich, round whose northern side 

 we now pass, and leads us some distance towards its summit, 

 whilst Beinn an Lochain rises on the left to a height of nearly 

 3,000 feet. The road becomes steeper and steeper, whilst the 

 mountains, which a short time ago looked far distant, come 

 nearer, and hazy peaks become more conspicuous. 



The climb continues, until at last we arrive at the highest 

 point of the road. Directly before us on the east is the deep 

 valley of Glencroe, a rocky gorge between the steep moun- 

 tains which rise on either side. Some three hundred yards 

 from where we are now standing the road divides, one 

 branch going northward for a short distance past Loch 

 Restil, then westward to Loch Fyne ; whilst the other runs 

 down Glencroe to Loch Long, not far from Arrochar. At 

 the farthest end of the glen we can see the waters of the 

 loch reflecting the golden sunlight. The scenery is rough 

 and rugged, and these qualities compel our admiration ; but 

 there is very little beauty, owing to the almost entire absence 

 of trees. The mountain bases, it is true, are covered with 

 grass and bracken, but their summits are capped by masses 

 of broken schist, which stand out bare and grim against the 

 sky, the bright sunlight serving to bring into relief the 

 massive rocks with the dark chasms that they hold and hide. 

 For a few moments we gaze on this wild and savage spot ; 

 then turning to the right, step off the path and commence the 

 real ascent of Ben Donich. 



The upward slope looks easy and tempting ; the ground 

 appears firm and solid, and so for a short distance it is ; but 

 the yielding peat soon commences to dispel the illusion, and 



