Arrochar is a village located at the head of Loch Lomond in the Scottish Highlands about an hour north of Glasgow. For me, it’s the birthplace and homeland of my clan, Clan MacFarlane. I may spell my name differently, but as it turns out, MacFarlane’s aren’t particularly good at spelling and you can see all kinds around the world in either Mc or Mac format. Despite that, we all come from the same place, Arrochar.
In fact, for over five hundred and fifty years, Arrochar was the sole home for the MacFarlanes. They lived within the confines of the surrounding rugged mountain scape and impressive lake, Loch Lomond. This land developed a strong and bold clan. Warriors able to defend attacks from Vikings, but also a community that learned how to thrive.
I chose to call the company Arrochar because it is authentic and reflects something very personal to me. Being authentic is part of being Bold which is one of the company’s values. So you see, it was meant to be.
What I didn’t intend to do was pick a company name that was incredibly difficult to pronounce, but unfortunately I did. The easiest way think of pronouncing it is, “air-a-car”. If you want to do it with a Scottish accent, then role the “r” in “air” like, “airrr-a-car”.
I haven’t visited Arrochar yet, but I will certainly talk about it after I do. I have no doubt that it will be a significant experience for me to hike up the peak of The Cobbler to look over the land and all it has to offer. Until then, I’ll get my practice hiking the incredible trails of the Canadian Rocky Mountains nearly 6,500 km away and dream of the day I make it across the big pond to Scotland.