Bealach nam Bo

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Bealach-nam-Bo (Gael. 'pass of the cattle'), a birchclad mountain-pass across the northern shoulder of Ben Venue, in Aberfoyle parish, Perthshire. It appears to have been formed by an earthquake stroke partially dissevering the mountain; it resembles a terrace, overhanging the S side of Loch Katrine, at an altitude of about 800 feet above the lake; and, in the days of Highland caterans, when the pass of the Trossachs could be ascended only by a ladder, it was the route by which stolen cattle were brought in from the Lowlands. Between the pass and the lake is a vast corrie, a deep amphitheatre, at least 1800 feet wide, closed all round by steep rocks, towering on two sides to a height of not less than 500 feet. This was imagined by the Highlanders in olden times to be tenanted by 'urisks,' fabulous creatures similar to the Grecian satyrs; and it bears the name of Coir-nan-Uriskin, or the Goblin's Cave.

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Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer