Places

DRIVERS approaching the Rest and Be Thankful usually have their minds fixed on the vagaries of the two landslip-affected roads and the weather.

But three miles west of Arrochar on the A83, just before they reach the two roads, they pass over a picturesque river bridge in Glen Croe called the Honeymoon Bridge — little realising that, despite its romantic name, there is a tragic story associated with the bridge.

IT SEEMS strange to link those legendary figures from the Crusades, the Knights Templar, with Millig and what is now Helensburgh — but there is a connection.

The same can be said of both Rhu and Glen Fruin, local historian and Helensburgh Heritage Trust director Alistair McIntyre has discovered.

HOW was Helensburgh's name  chosen? A letter from Sir James Colquhoun recorded in the Minutes of Helensburgh Town Council of April 18 1857 explains.

COFFIN ROADS pass through Helensburgh and District, but there is debate about which old tracks qualify for that macabre name.

The Stoneymollan coffin road runs from Balloch to St Mahew’s Chapel at Cardross, and is part of both the Three Lochs Way and the John Muir Way.

GORTAN on Loch Longside — home to both highly regarded Glasgow MP James Oswald and leading Gaelic folk tale collector John Dewar — was once an estate, but the name is little known nowadays.

It had a long colourful history, was mentioned in a 1522 charter and possibly was in existence well before that.

ONCE upon a time there was a vibrant hamlet — now Glenmallan on Loch Longside is the scene of a massive civil engineering project, using giant cranes.

The £63 million scheme is to rebuild Glenmallan Jetty, built in the early 1960s to service the Royal Naval Armament Depot at nearby Glen Douglas, so it is fit for use by the largest ships in the Royal Navy today to load and unload ammunition.