Gartocharn
| Gartocharn | |
| Dunbartonshire | |
|---|---|
 Gartocharn and Duncryne Hill | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NS420862 |
| Location: | 56°2’31"N, 4°31’39"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Alexandria |
| Postcode: | G83 |
| Dialling code: | 01389 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | West Dunbartonshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
West Dunbartonshire |
| Website: | gartocharn.org |
Gartocharn is a village in Dunbartonshire and the only village in the Parish of Kilmaronock. It sits free of the urban growth found elsewhere in the county, on its own close to the south shore of Loch Lomond.
The village is to be found on the A811, the main road from Balloch to Stirling. Close by to the north are the Aber Shore, a beauty spot on the shore of Loch Lomond, and Ross Priory. Towering over the village is Duncryne Hill, also known as the 'Kilmaronock Dumpling'.
Tom Weir, a longstanding climber and broadcaster was from Gartocharn.
The Parish of Kilmaronock
The Parish of Kilmaronock is a large parish of Dunbartonshire, spreading over almost the whole south shore of Loch Lomond, east to the Endrick Water and deep inland. In 2001 it had a recorded population of 1,051.
Gartocharn is the parish's only village. Inchmurrin, Loch Lomond's biggest island, is within the parish,
Two By Twos
Each year, the village is the home of a Convention of the Two by Twos (also known as "Cooneyites", though they claim no name), a small evangelical sect. Hundreds of "Truthers" make their way there, staying in nearby homes or on site. Followers come from around the British Isles and further afield to attend.
The four-day-long Convention is the last remaining in Britain for this group. The two conventions held here consist of three, 2 – 2.5 hour meetings a day, interspersed with breaks for meals, socialising and prayer, lasting from Saturday morning until Tuesday evening. In order to accommodate the numbers desiring to attend, one convention is held in beginning of May, with a second being held usually the following week.
Little America scandal
In August 2010 Gartocharn hit the newspaper headlines[1] when it was reported that a property developer was marketing plots of land in the village to gullible foreigners, under the brand "Little America". The plots of land lacked planning permission, and are zoned for farming, meaning that anyone paying the asking price of £30,000 would not be allowed to build a house.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Gartocharn) |