s less perceived, being huddled up in
charcoal woods, and the vale narrow. Loch Erne opens out in a very
pleasing manner, seen from a hill along which the road is carried through
a wood of low trees; but it does not improve afterwards, lying directly
from east to west without any perceivable bendings: and the shores are
not much broken or varied, not populous, and the mountains not
sufficiently commanding to make up for the deficiencies. Dined at the
head of the lake. I scarcely know its length, but should think not less
than four or five miles, and it is wide in proportion. The inn is in a
small village--a decent house.

Walked about half a mile along the road to Tyndrum, which is through a
bare glen, {216} and over a mountain pass. It rained when we pursued our
journey again, and continued to rain for several hours. The road which
we were to take was up another glen, down which came a stream that fell
into the lake on the opposite side at the head of it, so, after having
crossed the main vale, a little above the lake, we entered into the
smaller glen. The road delightfully smooth and dry--one gentleman's
house very pleasant among large coppice woods. After going perhaps three
miles up this valley, we turned to the left into another, which seemed to
be much more beautiful. It was a level valley, not--like that which we
had passed--a wide sloping cleft between the hills, but having a quiet,
slow-paced stream, which flowed through level green grounds tufted with
trees intermingled with cottages. The tops of the hills were hidden by
mists, and the objects in the valley seen through misty rain, which made
them look exceedingly soft, and indeed partly concealed them, and we
always fill up what we are left to guess at with something as beautiful
as what we see. This valley seemed to have less of the appearance of
barrenness or imperfect cultivation than any of the same character we had
passed through; indeed, we could not discern any traces of it. It is
called Strath Eyer. 'Strath' is generally applied to a broad vale; but
this, though open, is not broad.

We next came to a lake, called Loch Lubnaig, a name which signifies
'winding.' In shape it somewhat resembles Ulswater, but is much narrower
and shorter, being only four miles in length. The character of this lake
is simple and grand. On the side opposite to where we were is a range of
steep craggy mountains, one of which--like Place Fell--encroaching upon