Explore Tom Weir’s Loch Lomond Wonderland Discover Enjoy Welcome ‘From our eyrie on the MacGregor shore we feel as free Welcome to ‘Tom Weir’s Loch Lomond Wonderland’ - a very special place that for many years as Rob himself, wage slaves no longer, but with hearts was the home of Tom Weir, Scotland’s most loved mountain man and one of Scotland’s greatest light as the blue sky as we set off on the high contouring storytellers and conservationists. path in a scent of bluebells and rowan blossom.’ Through his writings and broadcasts Tom We hope this booklet will encourage you to explore, introduced several generations to the wonders of discover and enjoy ‘Tom Weir’s Loch Lomond Tom Weir - August, 1976 Loch Lomond and other parts of Scotland. Wonderland’ and also support the ongoing efforts of the Friends of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs. It is In this publication we share some of Tom’s the only independent conservation charity working evocative insights into the rich and diverse cultural to protect, promote and provide a range of services and natural heritage of Loch Lomond, which he and projects, with the help of local businesses and wrote so passionately about in the Scots Magazine volunteers, for the benefit of people and nature in 50 years ago. the Loch Lomond area and the wider National Park. We also share some of the great work produced You can support the Friends by becoming a by 300 children from the 6 primary schools member, visit: www.lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk around Loch Lomond who have captured what they consider to be some of the loch’s current day wonders in photographs, drawings, poems, paintings and short stories. Through their work it is clear to see that the children love living in the Loch Lomond area and James Fraser, Chairman are as passionate as Tom was about the scenery, Friends of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs history, wildlife and nature of this wonderland. June 2016 Words and photographs (unless otherwise credited) by Paul Saunders Media & Photography | 3 OTLAND C ’S S N M ‘We strike out for the twisting northern ridge of Ben A Tom Weir 1914 – 2006 O M S Lomond crossing a big, peaty hollow where red deer T Mountaineer, photographer, naturalst, journalist, writer, broadcaster N I and conservation campaigner L rise from the hags and race for a rock outcrop to stand A O T V N E U D in elegance looking down on us.’ O M Tom Weir- August, 1976 © National Library of Scotland om Weir’s origins in the midst of Tom was 26 when war came again, Tom married his other love of In a long and prolific career, Tom TSpringburn’s heavy engineering din and but throughout his service as a gunner many years, Rhona Dickson. won many awards and accolades grime gave little hint of what he would become. his thoughts were never far away from including the first ever John Muir They settled a few miles south of Then again maybe his yearning for the unsullied what he really wanted to do. After the Award for Lifetime Achievement. Balmaha in the village of Gartocharn, beauty of wild places was an instinctive reaction war he worked for a few years with He was vice-president of the Scottish where Rhona worked as headmistress to all of that– a lust for clean air and big the Ordnance Survey before taking Rights of Way Society, an executive of the local primary school. horizons. the plunge into a full-time career as a member of the Scottish Wildlife writer, journalist, photographer and Tom’s output of books, articles, Trust, and president of the Scottish Tom did not shine at school, leaving aged 14 to climber. He published his first book, lectures and broadcasts, was Mountaineering Club from 1984 to a first job cutting firewood. He later progressed Highland Days, in 1948 and in 1949 astonishing and it culminated in 1986. He was also a founding member © National Library of Scotland to a post as a grocery assistant, but it wasn’t for began a 50 year association with the ‘Weir’s Way,’ the Scottish Television and Honorary Vice-President of him. A chance meeting with a kindred spirit on Scots Magazine, writing his regular series which made him a household the Friends of Loch Lomond and a train led to an impromptu camping trip and column “My Month.” name. The show ran from 1976 to The Trossachs and a tireless and Tom was hooked. He had joined the army of 1987 and Tom always appeared in influential campaigner for protecting young working-class men throughout industrial Tom’s first love was still the his trademark Fair Isle jumper and Loch Lomond. Britain who, in the aftermath of the First World mountains and in 1950 and 1952 toorie hat as he explored his country’s War and the Great Depression, were answering he took part in 2 ground breaking landscapes, wildlife and history. to the call of the great outdoors. Any free time expeditions to the Himalayas. There Written by John Urquhart (‘Weir’s Way’ has since been repeated Vice-Chairman was now spent exploring the mountains, glens, were many other mountaineering a number of times and it still gets Friends of Loch Lomond lochs and islands of Scotland. adventures, but in 1959, as he said record ratings) & The Trossachs himself, “at the dangerous age of 45,” | 5 4 | Tom Weir’s Loch Lomond Wonderland I am on a narrowing strip of land of shallow lagoons which ends at the Ring Point where the River Endrick discharges into the loch. These lagoons are former mouths of the Endrick, before the river was pushed back by ridges of sand thrown up in winter storms over the past 200 years or so. I put up my binocs towards Balmaha and instantly I am alerted by the slow wing- beats and sailing of a large bird of prey with a white head. The chocolate mantle and light underparts are very familiar to me, for ospreys have been turning up here for a few This one wastes no time. It drops steeply years, and twice I have had the good luck from 500 feet, hits the water with a splash, My Loch Lomond to see them plumping in and taking a fish is under for a moment but seems to be before my eyes. having some trouble rising, bashing its unday morning in Gartocharn where near the top of Ben Lomond sparkle like wings on the water several times to lift off SI live, and I am up early to enjoy a few snow, and cloud shadows float across the hoisting a hanging fish that appears to be hours on the marshes of Endrick Mouth knobbly peaks of the Arrochar Alps. hooked by one talon. The osprey seems before the world is awake. to be off balance, and with an awkward It is not so much a walk I am taking as a swerve drops back into the water and goes This is a time when I don’t want company, series of stops, to enjoy the little things that under with the fish. but like to let my mind dwell only on the tell how the breeding time-clock is ticking: sights and sounds of the Loch Lomond mergansers with big flotillas of fluffy It reappears, seems to be swimming for shore. youngsters, the plumper shelduck which a moment, then after a few slaps with its nest in rabbit holes. The vividly black- wings on the water up it goes, and this time Each day has its own mood. This one has white-and-red adults are swimming about the big fish—a pike I think—is gripped by vigorous clarity. The crags of nearby Conic An extract from an article by with bundles of striped young. Alarmed, a the middle and is being slung head-first Hill are grey. The heather is richly warm. Tom Weir for Scots Magazine dozen of the youngsters try to keep up with and neatly horizontal as I watch the bird Yellow water lilies float with pink persicaria entitled My Loch Lomond, first mother, who puts on a spurt. flapping vigorously to gain height. in the pools. The white blocks of quartz published in July 1976 | 7 6 | Tom Weir’s Loch Lomond Wonderland THE WALKERS WONDERLAND bout Loch Lomond I can claim I had the strange vision of being in a To get warm, we ran up and down Aone unwanted distraction. I know dream, watching myself drown when while our companions lit a bonfire on it from within as well as without, for my body was suddenly released and I the beach. Clothing was wrung out, dry with a friend, I’ve been overturned in felt myself going down and down into garments offered and a phone call was the 600ft-deep middle stretch between darkness. put in to Rowardennan to summon Rowardennan and Inverbeg, clinging Again I had the feeling of seeing myself a vehicle to drive round the loch and desperately to an upside-down canoe as on film turning over in the water take us back to the Youth Hostel. and buffeted by a June north-easter. like a seal in a tank and breaking This is what you call paying for your The story, which happened about 20 through a greenish roof into daylight. experience the hard way, and I felt years ago, could be called “How to Lose In front of me was the upside-down lucky to have paid no more for it than £250 of Cameras,” and I would have canoe with my companion clinging to a steep rise in insurance premium for left them ashore had I known then it, shouting my name.