We Revisit the Lake of Menteith and See the Priory

Yesterday Don didn't play golf because it was rainy in the morning and besides, Gordon was busy with a family event. In the afternoon, though, the weather got much nicer so we decided to get out and go somewhere.

You may recall that last May we had driven to the Lake of Menteith and had planned to take a boat out to the little island to see the Inchmahome Priory ruins. Unfortunately, it was lightly raining that day and only one boat was ferrying folks to and fro the island. After waiting in the rain for a while, we decided to take a real rain check and come back another time. Yesterday was it.

You can see from photos that the place is totally in ruins but they are extensive ruins. Apparently the area of Menteith was a great province in medieval times when Inchmahome Priory was built in 1238 for Augustinian canons. The Earl of Menteith, Walter Comyn, was the founder. He and his wife Mary lived in the castle on a nearby island in the lake. After their deaths they were buried in the church of the priory.

The priory included not only the church but also a chapter house and numerous domestic buildings in a cloistered setting. It is estimated that there would only have been 12 canons in residence at any one time, including the prior. The priory operated until the Reformation in 1560. In 1547 Mary Queen of Scots was brought as a child to the priory by her mother, Marie de Guise, widow of King James V. She was brought from Stirling Castle for sanctuary. Records show she only remained at Inchmahome for a few weeks.

The priory has been known through the years as being a place of "isolation and tranquillity" and it is easy to see why. Its setting in the middle of a freshwater loch with hills rising away from its edges is lovely indeed. There is little sound to be heard aside from the calling of birds, the wind in the trees, and nowadays, the occasional put-put of a fisherman's motorboat. We did get drizzled on a bit before we had made it back to the car but for the most part it was a pleasant and lovely afternoon.