The Falls of Dochart

Image by snappybex via Flickr

At the end of Loch Tay, nestled in the roaring, freezing spring melt-waters of the Falls of Dochart, is the island of Innis Bhuie (inchbhui or any other spelling you fancy). This is where you will find a mausoleum containing the remains of various old Chieftans of the Clan MacNab - it's the last remnant of the swathes of Clan MacNab land around Loch Tay.

To take a walk onto the island, which is protected by an iron gate, you used to have to pick up the key from the sweetshop in the village of Killin. Nowadays there's a visitor centre and you get the key to the island from there.

Not today. The village was filled with fire engines - one of the white pebble-dashed semi-detached houses in the village was spewing smoke from its ruined roof, the blackened spars jabbing up from the top floor as firemen sprayed great coronas of water over the house, spraying the smoking roof of the house next door as they tried to bring the fire under control and at least preserve the other house.

The visitor centre was closed - we were told that the burning house belonged to the lady that runs it. We climbed the wall onto the island instead and stood, looking through the trees and over the roaring green-brown waters to her burning house, feeling terribly sorry for her loss.