A Wee Bit o' Loch Lore

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes. . . .

So begins the famous folk song—which happens to be a dirge—about Loch Lomond. What many folk music enthusiasts may not realize is that Loch Lomond is Scotland’s longest lake at 24 miles (a mile longer than legendary Loch Ness to its north).

It’s indeed a grand locale. Almost 40 islands can be accessed by boat; one of them beckons tourists with a hotel. Two hundred species of birds thrive on and around the waters. At least one brewer of Scotch whiskey boasts of its Loch Lomond proximity.

The great ballad stems from the tradition of two soldiers of Bonnie Prince Charlie who were captured in the 1745 uprising. One was ordered executed, the other freed. The “high road” and “low road” to Scotland, referred to in the song, mark the somber destinies of the two captives.