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Haytime, Loch Tay

Artist: Gillies, William George, Sir, CBE RA RSA PPRSW · 1898-1973

A pencil sketch looking west down Loch Tay with traditional hayricks in the foreground field and a small boat, possibly a tourist steamer, depicted at upper right on the loch.

These vessels were operated by the Caledonian Railway until 1946 and plied between Killin to the west and Kenmore to the east.

One of five piers at which the boats called was at Fearnan where there was a single hotel (demolished in 2009 a year after closing) which also ran a small filling station and garage. Gillies' sketch was probably made close to Fearnan village.

Gillies made many trips to Loch Tay and the surounding areas between 1926 and 1956, visiting Fearnan specifically in the summer of 1932.

Most of these trips were undertaken in July which seems a little too early however for depictions of hayricks.