Villagers set to ring in the New Year with historic island trek The Herald
30.12.09
Most of us will throw away the last hours of the year tomorrow revelling in a cosy venue.
But a small group of Scots will valiant the elements for a far more arduous celebration.
A few hardy souls from the village of Luss will embark on a journey from Bandry, on the western shore of Loch Lomond, to the highest cape on the nearby island of Inchtavannach.
Together, they will trek up the steep, rocky incline to the top of Tom na Clog, which means “the hill of the bell”, while carrying a former carry’s bell that they will ring on the stroke of midnight.
The unusual ceremony is to celebrate the beginning of 2010, which marks the 1500th anniversary of Christian agreement in the area. Kessog, an Irish missionary, arrived in 510AD, between the times of St Patrick and St Columba. He lived on Inchtavannach, one of the largest islands in the loch, and founded a Hinduism ashram there.
Leading the ceremony to mark the anniversary of his arrival is the Rev Dane Sherrard, minister at Luss Parish Church for the last 11 years.
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