Sports and Pastimes.

Fishing at Dores Bay . Photograph courtesy of Donny Mackintosh.

Fishing at Dores Bay . A monster of a catch! Photograph courtesy of Donny Mackintosh

Good Days Fishing on Loch Ness Paddy Murray and Robert (Buff) Macleod proudly display their days catch .Finished work of night shift at 7am, a morning fishing till 12 noon saw four fish in the boat. Photo was taken in late fifties . Photograph courtesy of John Murray

Angus MacGruer (on right) Clerk of Works B. A. with 36lb salmon caught near Foyers , May 1953 . Bob Mcleod on left with smaller salmon. Photograph courtesy of Ala MacGruer

The "Diver" Peter Grant and "Snark" Jock Mackay discussing the merits of Ala Macgruer's new boat . Photograph courtesy of Anne Marie Fraser.

Kill Macleod with salmon pictured at Foyers Hotel grounds. Photograph courtesy of Anne Marie Fraser.

Foyers Army Cadets platoon pictured in April 1958 at home to parents and friends in the Foyers Club Hall. The army cadets were active from the late 1940s through to the late 1960s and used the Territorial Drill Hall on the back road from Craiganiech to Foyers. Photograph courtesy of George MacDonald (Teep).

Foyers Tennis Court c1950. The tennis court was where the Doctors Surgery in Foyers is now, one of the many sporting facilities that existed when the BA factory was operating. Photograph courtesy of Kenny Ross

Some Badminton enthusiasts at Foyers Church Hall in the late 1950s. Back row: Jock Grant, unknown, Billy Ross. Front row: John Murray (Corky) & Alister Batchen. Photograph courtesy of George MacDonald (Teep).

The Foyers Pipe Band 1912. Behind main drum Edward Tucker . Photograph courtesy of Ala MacGruer.

Foyers Pipe Band at Boleskine Gate Lodge road end around 1910 . Photograph courtesy of John Macdonald

Foyers School Sports Day. Tea at the Pavillion on the Foyers Factory field - early 1930s. Front row first left Eidith Tucker . Photograph courtesy of Duncan MacDonald.

Children and parents gathering together at Glenlia park in the summer of 1955 before setting off down to the B.A. factory field for either a school sports day or some other social sports event. At one time they would walk down to the field following a piper: generally Alex Mackenzie (Cabers) or Willie Cameron (Bonus). Photograph courtesy of George MacDonald (Teep).

A combined school sports at the Factory Field, involving the Foyers , Boleskine ,Whitebridge and Errogie schools who would meet annually at the Factory Field Foyers just prior to summer holidays . Photograph courtesy of Fiona Larg.

Simple amusement for a 10 year old in the 1920’s. No Playstation, no TV, no mobile phone! Photograph courtesy of Iain Cameron.

Maisie & Ella Macmillian paddling in Lochmhor in the mid thirties

Stratherick Young Farmers Seed and Root Show and sale 1959 at the Stratherrick Hall. Following the show, the exhibits were auctioned off to raise funds for prizes at organisations’ yearly competitive events such as sheep shearing, hoeing matches, sheepdog trials and the Seed and Root Show itself. The show included a section for baking along with jams and preserves. Photograph courtesy of Willie Macintosh via Alister Chisholm.

The Stratherrick Shinty Team c1909. From the left: Simon Cameron, Duncan Cameron, (another) Duncan Cameron, Archie Fraser, "Josie" Fraser, Tommy Fraser, Tom Ramsay, Hugh Goldie, Danny Cameron, (another) Simon Cameron, Jock "McCallum" MacDonald, Willie Fraser, Alex Chisholm, Bob MacDonald. Photograph courtesy of Ala MacGruer.

Foyers BA tug of war team 1912. Winners Northern meeting (Inverness) & Glean Mhor gathering (Fort Augustus ) back H Macdonald ,W Finlayson, W Ross,F E Laughton , J Steel. Middle A Maclean, D Ross, E Eckles, D Gordon, H Gray. front D Maclennan ,D Maclean. Photograph courtesy of Alister Chisholm.

Foyers Tug-of-War team 1933 winners Northern Meeting (Inverness) & Culachy Challenge Cup at Glean Mhor Gathering (Fort Augustus), Strathnairn Games, Kinlochleven Games & Littlejohn Challenge Cup (Strathpepper Games). Back Row: W.Ross, W.J.Redmond. Middle Row: W.Cameron, A.Macleod, A.F.Gordon, A.Cameron. Front Row: D.J.Ross, K.J.MacPherson, F.E.Laughton. H.Gray, J.Forbes. Photograph courtesy of Duncan MacDonald.

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Foyers Angling Club  

Foyers Angling Club was active from the mid 1970 till around early 2005, the dates are only approx. as records are scant and present Covid restrictions make accessing public records very difficult.   After a day’s boat fishing in Loch Ness, the anglers would gather at Foyers Hotel to get their catches weighed on the scales there. There has been a long tradition of salmon fishing in Loch Ness, the British Aluminium Factory 1895-1967 used to have boats which their workers used when not working at shifts in the factory. We believe that the Angling Club had existed previously in their time but cannot confirm it conclusively.  There are reports on the open day salmon fishing catches on Loch Ness (currently 15th January) in newspapers back in the nineteen century, which state figures caught on the first day, that current anglers would dream of for the season.  The club hosted several competitions over the season, Grouse Trophy, McKinley Trophy, Glenfiddich Cup, Breau Shield, Stoddart Cup (heaviest catch on competition day), Jock Mackay Cup,  The Diver Cup ( a carved fish on a stand for best juvenile for the season, the trophy made and donated by Peter Grant). After the end of the fishing season 15th October there was generally an evening prize giving buffet dance held in Foyers Hotel.  On the walls of the public bar of Foyers hotel there were pictures of catches made by the club members, the majority below were of 1984 from a picture collage given to the Heritage Group by Buddy Macdougall who had the hotel around that time. Other stalwarts of the angling fraternity in Foyers not pictured here were Ken Brown, Jock Mackay, Lachie Smith, John Cathcart, Kevin Stewart, Andy Breau.

A couple of poems about fishing on Loch Ness from two local notable fishermen are to be found on the Boleskine Camanachd Club website. Click Here   

For further reading, we include a link to the story of a Foyers fisherman credited with giving one of the first reports in the newspapers, of the mythical creature of Loch Ness. Click Here

Foyers Angling Club 1984 L-R Paul Higham & Billy Cameron Photograph courtesy of Buddy Macdougall

Foyers Angling Club 1984 Brian Allaway Photograph courtesy of Buddy Macdougall

Foyers Angling Club 1984 Charlie Maclaren Photograph courtesy of Buddy Macdougall

Foyers Angling Club 1984 L-R Charlie Maclaren & Brian Urquhart (Taxi driver) Photograph courtesy of Buddy Macdougall

Foyers Angling Club 1984 Louis Macgruer Photograph courtesy of Buddy Macdougall

Foyers Angling Club 1984 L-R Gerry Brue & Leslie Stoddart Photograph courtesy of Buddy Macdougall

Foyers Angling Club 1984 L-R Raymond Breau & David Irvine Photograph courtesy of Buddy Macdougall

Foyers Angling Club Stoddart Cup 1984 Back standing L-R Sandy Steel, George Ryback, Ian Abbot? or Jim Macintosh?, Paul Higham, Ala Macgruer, Brian Allaway, ????, ????, Kenny Macpherson, Peter Macpherson, Bill Brown ( Castle St fishing shop). Front Pat Stewart, Peter Lutic, Gerry Breau, Kenny Ross. Photograph courtesy of Buddy Macdougall

Jock Mackay on 24th May 1980 at the Foyers Power Station hooked and managed to take from Loch Ness, a monster fish (Salmon) of thirty three pounds. Jock was fishing alone, as his usual companion did not think that the days fishing would bear any fruit, so watched the Scotland v England game on TV instead . Photograph courtesy of Alister Chisholm.

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