Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition

Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:


Q1. Strontian


Q2. Eilean Shona (aka Eilean Seona)


The initial clues seem to place us in the area of Ballachullish, specifically at a cairn which was raised in memory of an infamous upstart Hanoverian sympathising carpet bagger scoundrel called 'Colin Campbell of Glenure' (aka 'the Red Fox'), who specialised in extracting taxes from evicted Jacobite families who had been declared 'attainted' and had their land stolen, after the 1745 rebellion. On the 14th May, 1752, someone of that ilk, decided to alter his parameters of absolute reality, by shooting him in the back with a musket, in the Lettermore woods (seems to have been a double tap, the arquebus was loaded with two balls but the guy was a piece of work, he allegedly shot a Mrs McColl in the chest while she was trying to protect her son and had many enemies in the area and this assassination subsequently became known as 'The Appin Murder'). The local  Stewart clan were blamed, the chief suspect being Alan Breck Stewart and when they failed to apprehend him, they grabbed another Stewart, Seumas a' Ghlinne (James of the Glen) who liked a guid bucket and was prone to bad mouthing the Red Fox, when smashed. They swiftly convicted him, without any real evidence, through a kangaroo court which had a jury consisting mostly of Campbells. They hanged him at the south end of the Ballachullish bridge. Alan Breck Stewart, went on to feature in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel 'Kidnapped', c1886.

The puzzle author then most likely drives north across Ballachullish bridge, which spans Loch Leven and then drives west, then north to the ferry at the Corran Narrows,  which lie at the top end of Loch Linnhe. There does seem to be a lighthouse there , which according to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, was built by D&T Stevenson, c 1860.

A chemical element with atomic number 38, is Strontium, this seems to have been discovered by Adair Crawford c 1790, near the village of Strontian, which lies at the eastern end of Loch Sunart. Crawford discovered the mineral Strontianite and suspected that it contained a new element, this was subsequently isolated by Sir Humphrey Davy. Strontian lies to the west of the Corran Narrows.

An island which lies around twelve miles north west of Strontian, is likely to be Eilean Shona. Some sources claim this is between thirteen hundred, thirteen hundred and forty two and up to two thousand acres in area and was rented by J.M Barrie (born c 1860), while he wrote 'Peter Pan'. Barrie also wrote a play called 'Richard Savage'. The seven wooden characters are possibly 'The Seven Men of Moidart', which were seven beech trees planted in memory of the four Scots, two Irishmen and one Englishman, who accompanied the rightful king on his voyage to reclaim the throne of Scotland. Only three of the original trees remain on the site. The three old maids, according to the OS map, seem to be three rocks, which lie on the hill above Kinlochmoidart house.