To prepare for future harvesting operations, Forestry and Land Scotland will be carrying out engineering works at Barhill in Cally woods in the coming weeks.

Vegetation control will commence on Monday 22^nd November 2021 followed by road surface preparation throughout December. This work will be carried out by one excavator. Stone will then be brought along Cally Avenue from Glengap quarry to complete the work. There will be no work carried out between 23^rdDecember 2021 and 5^th January 2022. Works and stone haulage will resume from 6^th January and be complete by Friday 28^th January 2022.

Hamish MacInnes, Scotland’s most celebrated mountaineer died at his home in Glencoe on the 22^nd November 2020 aged 90. Over a long and remarkable career, he climbed all over the world including three expeditions to Mount Everest. From his base in Glencoe, he was a prolific writer and adviser on films. He was, too, a pioneer of mountain rescue and funder of Scotland’s Search and Rescue Dog Association. He designed the first all metal ice axe and a much improved folding aluminium stretcher, known as the MacInnes stretcher which is used the world over. An examples of his ice stretcher can be seen at the Mill on the Fleet. He was the recipient of the OBE and an honorary doctorate from a number of universities.

Sadly the Covid pandemic has curtailed research on J McNeil but there have been interesting developments. At the time of the 1841 census, timber merchant Rodney McNeil was living in Back Street, Gatehouse with his six sons. His wife Mary Watt, daughter of Andrew Watt, had died earlier that year. Andrew Watt was a lint miller in Skyreburn but also owned number 17 High Street, Gatehouse. Rodney and Mary’s second eldest son was James, born in 1830. The McNeils owned the house which today is 21 Catherine Street. However, the house was sold in 1842 and in that year a Rodney McNeil married in the Isle of Man. It is difficult to search Isle of Man records online so we do not yet know what happened to Rodney. But what happened to his children? 

The new Gatehouse playpark is up and running after an incredible £100,000 community fundraising campaign and a major effort by many local residents. The new park at Riverbank Wynd features new all-inclusive play equipment and is already being well used and enjoyed by local children.