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Fort William, and Ben Nevis 1883

Fort William's local area

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  Year: 1978 Family
I with my mum, sisters and brother moved to Fort William on the 19th of February 1978, from Hove. What a culture shock!  The sun shone down on us for 2 days and then it was typical Fort William weather after that. The only good thing was the scenery. We had a good view of Ben Nevis from our windows.  The down side was that I missed all my cousins and aunts and uncles who still lived in Shoreham and Steyning.

Last edited: 14/04/2008 13:42 by Janice Dow  

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  Year: 1977 just a kid
A memory of Inverlochy, Inverness-Shire

was just a kid growing up, i was 8 when i left but i will always remember how awesom inverlochy was my grandparents lived on 1 montose avenue and we spent a lot of time there, years have passed but the beauty still remains, i hope to come home soon.

Posted: 21/12/2007 14:47 by David Calder  

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  Year: 1949 Life in Cannich and Fasnakyle
A memory of Glen Affric, Inverness-Shire

My family and I moved from Elm Park in Essex to Scotland in the last weeks of 1948. My father Leon A. Lalonde had accepted a position as Chief Mechanical Engineer with John Cochrane and Sons, a construction company. They had previously been awarded a large contract to build a Hydro Electric Scheme in Glen Affric. Moving to Scotland in the middle of winter was not an ideal time to relocate house and home.
On our arrival we stayed in the comfortable Affric Hotel for two weeks while Dad found us a place to live. Finally he was able to secure a small house called "Fasnakyle Cottage". It was a crofters cottage, containing a living room, one bedroom, a bathroom and kitchen. Each room was very small, but overall the place was warm and cozy and served us fairly well. We did not have running water as most of us know it. We hauled our water in a large 500 gallon tank trailer from Cannich every few days, drained it into a large settling tank a short distance uphill beside the road, and gravity brought it to the house. Heat was achieved by a wood burning fireplace. Long slabs of bark-covered wood from trees cut for the project were delivered, we had to cut them and split them for fuel. We did have electric power for light and cooking. Our first Scottish Christmas proved to be an exciting experience and First Footing on New Years Eve was another memorable experience for our English Family.
Fasnakyle and Cannich are beautiful parts of the Highlands. Our little dog Nan, a West Highland Terrier, loved to chase through the heather whenever we went walking. Working on the Hydro Scheme was my first job after leaving school.
I remember traveling 'up the glen' to Dog Falls, the Dam, and Benevean, which is now buried under tons of water behind the hydro electric dam.
In 1995 I returned to visit Cannich and Fasnakyle, the Power Station is still in operation, but on a stand-by basis. The construction that exposed so much of the landscape has been returned to its original appearance wherever possible, and the beauty of the whole area has been restored. Glen Affric is a picturesque place to hike and visit. Proving again that the Scotish Highlands has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

Denman Lalonde

Last edited: 29/01/2007 22:06 by Denman Lalonde  

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  Year: 1948 lochcarron pro war years
A memory of Huntworth, Somerset

In the mid forties to 1950, my father was the manager of the Lochcarron hotel.

Despite being very young at the time I do remember the place and have some great stories to tell to people who were there around the same time.

Cath

Posted: 13/02/2008 09:12 by Cath Holman  

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Inverness, Balnain House 2005 (ref: I25728)
Year: 1920s Grandmother lived at Balnain House
A memory of Inverness, Inverness-Shire

My grandmother was widowed in 1920, her husband having stayed in the Army to tend the graves in France where he succumbed to influenza. Grandmother was left to bring up 6 children on her own with little money. She was given a brand new council house (Dunain Road I think) but could not afford the rent and had to move into a 2 room flat in Balnain House. How on earth she managed I will never know - there was one toilet for 4 families.

It was great to see the old house being renovated but an absolute disgrace that it is no longer a music venue but offices for SNH - most of the rooms are unoccupied meaning it will once again fall into disrepair.

Posted: 02/03/2008 13:58 by Fiona Macdonald  

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