Angel Hill

The Sign Post We Missed

Angel Hill

View from Angel Hill - 3 Generations of McLennans

At Balmacara looking towards Skye

Balmacara Square

Our last day in the highlands was a rewarding one.  After spending a good length of time printing boarding passes for our flight with Ryanair the next day (lots of fine print and extra charges if not done properly led to the page timing out and us having to retype all the info again), we set off back towards Balmacara area.  This time we knew what we were looking for and found the little sign that simply said "Footpath to Graveyard" without difficulty.   It was just a tiny trail that wound up a steep hill beside a little babbling brook.  Once again Aidan bounded up the hill like a little mountain goat while the rest of us tread carefully up the path to Angel Hill.  According to one website,   "Angel Hill is a small fenced hilltop enclosure. It is thought by some that the name could be a corruption from Gaelic for a Beacon or Fire Hill. In early Christian times it was the custom to light fires on high ground near to religious sites. Just when or why the descision to use this hill top for burials was made is unclear but the early burials were of the Maclennan family".  We were doubly rewarded - we found many McLennan headstones and a spectacular 360 degree view.  We didn't find one for Alexander, but we know he was buried here and could have been one of the many stones that were no longer legible.  Of interest was one inscribed :   Isabell MacIntosh wife of Alexander McLennan, Portnacloich, Lochalsh, who died 7th April 1856 aged 87 years. Erected by her son. This will take the search in a new direction as Ken had been looking for a Christie MacIntosh instead.  Whether we are right or not doesn't really matter.  We feel confident that we have walked the same land as the McLennan ancestors before us and gained a better understanding of the lives they led.  Keeghan in particular was quite excited about accomplishing our mission and I am choosing to believe that we are on the right track and were led to this spot.  It was with this sense of accomplishment that we headed to Balmacara and enjoyed a picnic lunch by the seaside with a spectacular view of the Isle of Skye.  The boys delighted in beach-combing and skipping stones.  Aidan in particular was thrilled when he finally got one to skip.  After a bit we headed to Balmacara square to the visitor information centre hoping to find a local historian or records that might help the search.  All we found were 3 beautiful dogs that Cael loved and a VERY quiet little village that had once been the estate farm.  When no one turned up after playing fetch with the dogs for awhile we decided to head back to the B&B and get organized to leave to Edinburgh.