The road now turns abruptly to the left, and rapidly descends the hill called Croft Brae. The present road is a great improvement upon the old one, which takes a higher course and has a steeper incline. The old road went straight down to the banks of the Ewe, but our way proceeds from the foot of the hill along level ground a little above the river. The small hamlet or village here is properly called Croft of Tollie, misspelt in the Old Statistical Account "Croft of Jolly," the last word being decidedly a lucus a non lucendo. This hamlet is usually called Croft. A short bit of road to the right leads to the landing-place at the lower extremity of the navigable part of the River Ewe, called Ceann a Chro, or Cruive End, i.e. the head or end of the cruive (for taking salmon), which formerly spanned the river just below. At Cruive End is a thatched house called "The still," occupied rent free by several poor widows. It was originally built for a whisky distillery. Close to Cruive End there formerly stood a small thatched church or place of worship (see [pages 70] and [99]), which was used in the memory of old people now living, i.e. up to about 1826. All traces of it have now disappeared.
On the left of the high road, two hundred yards beyond Cruive End, is the green hillock called "The hill of evil counsel," where Allan Macleod, who lived in the island of Loch Tollie (see [page 25]), was murdered by his brothers.
Looking back there are beautiful views of the upper reaches of the river Ewe winding through low wooded hills, which may be called "the Trossachs of Loch Maree," and a distant peep of the loch itself heightens the charm of the view.
Further on to the right is the Poolewe manse, well placed on a brow overlooking the river. To the left is the Poolewe post and telegraph office, formerly a school.
The group of houses a little further on to the left is called Mossbank. The tallest house (Mrs Morrison) is a lodging-house. The next is Mossbank Cottage, occupied by Dr M'Ewen; it has a fruitful walled garden. Another house, of the usual local type, is occupied by John Mackenzie (Iain Glas), the present water-bailiff of the river. In a cottage a little further on lives Finlay M'Kinnon, the Poolewe artist ([Part II., chap. xxiv.]). We now enter the village of
Poolewe.
It is not a beautiful spot, but it perhaps gives one more the idea of a village than some other more scattered places in Gairloch parish. Mr H. F. Wilson, of Cambridge, has well described Poolewe, in his racy ode, dated August 1885, and entitled "Carmen Pooleviense." After speaking of the Ewe, he says you may see,—
"Just where that river feels the brine,
A bridge, a pool, a whitewash'd line
Of unpretentious cottages,
Differing in sizes and degrees;
A kirk, too ample in extent
To house the shrunk 'Establishment;'
An inn, our 'guard-room,' to command
Wide-reaching view by sea and land;
A windy green, a sandy cliff,
A flag-staff standing stark and stiff;
Such is our πολις, proud to be
Compact, αναγκαιοτὰτη."
Poolewe was formerly called Clive, and, according to the retour of 1638 ([page 61]), was once "a burgh of barony." There are three merchants' shops in the village street, also (on the left) the salmon depôt or boiling-house of Mr A. P. Hogarth, of Aberdeen, the lessee of the salmon-fishings on the extensive sea coast of Gairloch. It is managed by Alexander Mutch, of Aberdeen, who generally arrives at Poolewe early in April and remains until September.