IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Gartocharn, ALEXANDRIA, G83 8NQ

At Gartochraggan.

A private road for access to several houses, also a walking route to the nature reserve on the south shore of Loch Lomond.

In his booklet "Off the Main Road" (1976), I M M MacPhail wrote about the Townhead of Aber, and its pillar-box, which seemed "quaintly out of place in its rural setting". It presumably stood here, where there is now a more modest postbox. MacPhail also notes that few houses in Aber are contiguous with one another, but that the Townhead was regarded as a central point. The name Townhead of Aber can be seen on the first-edition OS map (surveyed in 1860), and appears on subsequent OS maps until around 1960. See also Image, where part of the same area is visible in the left foreground. That item also comments on the name Aber itself.

From a field near Gartochraggan.

The River Endrick (or Endrick Water) can be seen in the lower right corner. Ben Lomond can be seen on the right bank of the loch with numerous peaks beyond.

An old yew by the road to the nature reserve.

This is a view from what used to be known as the Image Simon Taylor, in his chapter in the book "Changing Identities, Ancient Roots", points out that the place-name Aber "looks deceptively British". The British element "Aber" refers to a confluence, but since that element is otherwise unknown in place-names in this area, the Aber shown in my picture is thought (see the work just cited) to be named, instead, from the Gaelic "eabar" (pool, puddle, marsh, mire, etc.), on account on the extensive bog nearby (centred on Image). There is also an Aber Isle (Image); the isle is not far offshore from Aber itself, and presumably was named after it.

In this picture, taken on the Aber Path, the building that is visible indistinctly through the trees is the same one as appears in a picture of Image

I did not cross the wall, which separates the road from a plantation, but simply stopped to look at this feature. Some dry-stone walls have through-stones in them, and this one did have a few of those, but what is shown here is a stile built into the wall. Steps are probably only present on this side, since the ground is higher on the other side.