2macstracks

While we were in the Aviemore area we drove around familiar places from Lena and Alex’s childhood and there were plenty of little stories shared. Schools played a big part because students who didn’t live in a village were very isolated usually with no other children of similar age close by. They went to school in local transport.

Lagganlia school was the first one they attended, it was almost 2 miles from home at Dalnavert. When Lena started there were 17 students but when some went off to Kingussie High School leaving only 8 students, the school closed and those students all went to Alvie School. Lagganlia School is now a private residence.

Alvie School was a bigger school, about 50 students. It was about 4 miles away from home so the kids qualified for transport, it was a green Vauxhall Victor, estate car. Because there were about 8 kids the older ones sat in the flat bit at the back until that was banned. After that the older kids sat on the back seat with younger ones on their laps. Alex remembers the day Briony, about 7 was distressed and didn’t want to get into the car. The driver made her get in and she sat on Alex’s lap. She wet her pants, he felt sorry for her and said nothing but was scared his mum would think he’d wet himself because his jeans were soaked. Luckily she wasn’t home when he was dropped off.

Lena was dux of the school in 1960…..she was the only student in Year 7.

At the end of the school year older Kingussie High School students took part in Outdoor Activities, one of those was an introduction to Gliding. Because he earned money working in a cafe Alex considered himself “a self-sufficient dependent” and could pay to try gliding. Three students and two pilots were involved, he remembers operating the winch on the tractor that got the glider up into the air and retrieving the cable when it was dropped from the plane. The activity was held here.

Another outdoor activity was canoeing down the rapids at Feshiebridge. When we arrived at Feshiebridge people were having fun riding “inflated doughnuts” down the River Feshie. This reminded Alex of going down the “path” to the Salmon Pool where you could see Salmon swimming about. After snow melt the Feshie runs in a torrent but because this has been a very dry year the level is much lower. Once in an end of school year Outdoor Activity session Alex and another student went much further up river than directed then came rushing down the creek, teacher on the shore screaming at them to paddle but their arms were just flailing about. They had no control at all over where they were going. Alex is not a confident swimmer.

As we drove on down the road we passed the entrance gates of Inschriach house, Alex’s first paid job was painting those gates. It looks as though it’s time he redid them.

I remember walking around the forest on Rothiemurchus estate in winter and one year we were able to walk from the edge of Loch an Eilean to the castle on the ice. There used to be a causeway but the water levels have risen and it’s no longer visible. The original owner of the castle owner was called, “The Wolf of Badenoch”.

Our stopping spot for a drink was at the old Kincraig Post Office and shop. The Post Office business was conducted in the small area on the left near the back of the shop. Alex and Lena both remember the bang of Nanette franking the envelopes and postal orders while Donald bagged tatties and sliced ham on the big red Berkel slicing machine.