mk I>A fiacii, KS a31 1880073^21206 ;:] UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH The Library DA BBO le K5 . iGUSSIE AND UPPER SPEYSIDE 1 (BAOENGCH) • A DESCRIPTIVE I GUIDE TO THE DISTRICT* WITH 1 MAP OF BADENOCH^ 41 Date due I. 1 1 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/kingussieupperspOOunse : Kingussie and Upper Speyside (Badenoch). A Descriptive Guide to tlie District, witli Map of Badenoch. Kingussie Published by George A. Crerar, Bookseller and Stationer. mm} J Hi- Preface to Sixth Edition. In submitting a Sixth Edition of Crerar's Guide to Badexoch, the publisher begs to express his acknowledgments to the public for the cordial reception accorded to the booklet when first issued twenty years ago, and for the continued demand for it season after season as successive bands of visitors have made their appearance in the district. The Guide was originally written merely with the object of presenting in a handy form such information with regard to the principal places of interest in the ancient lordship, and the best means of reaching those, as strangers were likely to find convenient and useful. The present edition has been in part re-written, the old extended, history of out-lined matter revised and the Badenoch ; the leading topographical features sketched ; roads, paths, hills, rivers, streams indicated ; and the stranger told where are to be fo'und hotels, shops, post and telegraph offices, churches, banks, workshops in out-of-the-way situations, golf courses and other means of recreation, — and the efibrt has been attempted to present the varied information in the briefest possible form, so that the stranger may be enabled to make it his own with as little trouble as possible by reading as he runs through the country. Kingussie, March, 1910. THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH Contents, General Remarks. PAGE Attractions of Badenoch as a Holiday Resort, 1 Situation of Badenoch. 2 Modern Invasion of Badenoch, 3 A Xatural Sanatorimn Improved, 4 Favourite Summer Resort of Old, 5 Queen Victoria at Ardverikie, ... 6 (')ther Visits of the Queen, 6 King Edward in Badenoch, 6 Dukes of Gordon, 7 Pui-e Air and Magnificent Scenery. 9 Opinion of Professor Blackie, ... 10 Early History of Badenoch, 11 The Wolfe of Badenoch, 12 The Wolfe of Badenoch's Castles, 13 The Gordons as Lords of Badenoch, 13 The Clan Chattan and Badenoch, 13 Facilities for Angling. ... 14 Deer Forests and Grouse Shootings, 15 Kingussie's Rise and Progress, 15 Recent Improvements, ... 16 Progress since 1891, 18 The New Star Hotel. ... 18 New- Proprietor of Duke of Gordon Hotel, 19 Xew Distillery, 19 The Sanatorium, 19 The Public School, 19 Xew Ecclesiastical Buildings, ... 20 Golf, Bowling, Tennis, Curling, &c 20 Auction Mart, ... 20 Railway and Coach Travelling, 21 1 IV. General Remsirks.—cojitmued. PAGE. Kingussie Railway Station, ... ... ... ... ... 9 Kingussie Hotels, Banks, Churches, Doctors, &c., ... ... 21 District Hotels, &c., ... ... ... ... ... ... 22 Golf Courses, c&c, ... ... ... ... ... ... 2o Walks round Kingussie. Glen Gynack and Loch Gynack, Craigbeg and Gordon Monument, Ruins of Ruthven Castle, Cave of Raitt, ... Kingussie Churchyard and Monastery, Excursion Sketches- Table of Distances, ... ... ... ... ... ..: 2i) Bridges on Spey, . ... ... ... ... ... 29 Excursion No- I- Kingussie to Balavil House, Loch Insh, Kincmig Station, Insh Historic Church, Loch Alvie, Aviemore, Loch-an-Eilan. Alvie Parish and Place Name, ... ... ... ... ... 30 Mr. Macpherson's Balavil Estate, ... ... ... ... 31 Macpherson, of "Ossian Poems" Celebrity, ... ... ... 32 Balavil Mansion-House, ... ... ... ... ... 33 Extensive Meadows, ... ... ... ... ... ... 34 Spey in Spate : Inland Sea, ... ... ... ... ... 34 Old Inverness and Perth Road, ... ... ... ... 35 The Mackintosh Dunachton Estate, ... ... ... ... 35 Loch Insh, ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 36 Salmon, Trout, and Char, ... ... ... ... 3(3 Dunachton Lodge—Pictish King's Fort, ... ... ... 37 Great Decrease of Trout, ... ... ... ... ... 37 Dunachton Dungeon and Mackintosh's Court-House, ... ... 38 A Magnificent Panorama, ... ... ... ... ••. 31) King Harold: a tradition and a query, > ... ... ... 40 Leault: Path to Dulnan, ... ... ... ... ••. 41 Kincraig House, ... ... ... ... ... ••• 41 Alvie Parish HaU, United Free Church, and Soudan Memoiial, ... 41 Pubhc Library, ... ... ... ... •• •• 42 • • • • • 43 Kincraig Station and Hamlet, ... ... • Queen at Boat of Insh,... ... ... ... ••• ••• 43 Excursion No- I.—continued. " PAGE. Insh Parish Ohiireh—Worship for 1000 Years, ... ... ... 44 The Clmrch Culdee Chained Bel], .. ... ... ... 45 Drive Eastwards Resumed, ... ... ... ... 46 Mr. R. B. Whitehead's Alvie Estate. ... ... ... ... 47 The Picts in Alvie, ... ... ... ... ... ... 47 Alvie Lodge, ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 48 Kinrara, ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 48 Duchess of Gordon's Tomb, ... ... ... ... ... 49 Exits from Kinrara. ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 Loch Alvie, ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 Lj^nvrilg Hotel, ... ... ... ... ... ... 51 Gordon Monmiient : AVaterloo Heroes, ... ... ... ... 52 A Magnificent View, ... ... ... ... ... ... 52 A Great Musician's Highland Retreat, ... ... ... ... 53 " ! Stand Fast, Craigellachie " ... ... ... ... ... 53 Tlie Cairngorms fi-om Craigellachie. ... ... ... ... 53 Aviemore Station and Bridge, ... ... ... ... ... 54 Enormous New Hotel, ... ... ... ... ... ... 55 Rothiemurchus : Loch-an-Eilan, ... ... 55 Largest Pines in Scotland, ... ... ... ... ... 56 Rafting on the Spej-, ... ... ... ... ... ... 56 Places of Interest in Rothiemurchus, ... ... ... ... 57 TheDoune, ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 57 Inverdruie: Cojdum Bridge, ... ... ... ... ... 58 Loch-an-Eilan, Wolfe's Castle, and Osprey's Home, ... ... 58 An Eagle's Battle, ... ... ... ... ... ... 59 Xew Nesting Place, ... .... ... ... ... ... 60 Remarkable Echo, ... ... ... ... ... ... 60 Great Fire at Loch-an-Eilan , . ... ... ... ... 60 Excursion No. II. Kingussie to Tromie, Insh, Feshie Bridge, Rothiemurchus, Loch-an-Eilan. Parish of Insh, ... ... ... ... ... ... 62 " ••• Ossian Macpherson," Schoolmaster, ... ... ... 62 Shortest Road to Glenfeshie, ... ... ... ... ... 63 Village of Insh, ... ... ... ... ... ... 64 Manse of Insh, ... ... ... ... ... ... 65 Invereshie Mansion-House, ... ... ; ... ... 65 River Feshie and Feshie Bridge, ... ... ... ... 66 Leave Insh : Enter Alvie, ... ... ... ... ... 67 Another Road to Glenfeshie, ... ... ... ... ... 67 O li.gin of a Spirited Strathspey, ... ... ... 68 Feshie Bridge Post Office, ... ... ... ... ... 69 . VI, Excursion No. U.— continued. PAOB. Rotliiemurchus, 70 Beautiful View of Kinrara, 70 The Doime, 71 Loch-an-Eilan Road, ... 71 Excursion No. III. Kingussie to Manse of Insh and Glenfeshie. From Manse of Insh, ... Snow the Year Round : Sad Tradition,. Destruction of the Feshie, Glenfeshie from Ballintian, Wester Kingussie Road and March, " Green Glenfeshie," Admiration of the Queen and Professor Blackie, The Lodge, " The Huts," the Bedford Family, and Landseer, A Triumph of Landseer's Genius, Excursion No. IV. Kingussie to Glentromie and Gaick. Glentromie Lodge, Gaiclv Lodge, ... Marvellous Panorama of Hills and Lochs, Lochs, Streams, and Angling, ... Terrible Catastrophe at Gaick, Excursion No. V. Cluny Castle, Laggan, and Loch Laggan or Glentruini and Dalwhinnie. Newtonmore- -Remarkable Progress of a Village, ... ... 8(5 Drovers and Golfers compared, ... ... ... ... S7 " Sliabh-na-Strone," ... ... ... ... ... ... 87 ... ... Spey Bridge : Road to Perth, ... ... S8 ... ... Battle of Invernahavon, ... ... SS ... 81) Phones Lodge, ... ... ... Mansion-House of Glentruini, ... ... ... ... 8i) Dalwhinnie, ... ... ... ... ... ... 'W Prince Charlie's Cave, ... ... ... ... ... ...DO Newtonmore: Lochaber Road, ... ... ... ... !)1 ... ... '•! Laggan Parish : Cluny Estate, ... Excursion No. W.— continued. Cluny's Cave : A Safe Eetreat, 92 Chmy Castle, ... i)4 Laggan Bridge Post Office : Hotel, 1)5 Koad to Fort-Augustus, 1)5 Corryarrick and Fort-Augustus, D6 Dalchully House : A Memorable Incident, !)(i Splendid Pictish Fort, ... 97 Loch Laggan and. Fort-William Road, 98 Aberarder Shooting Lodge, 99 The Queen of Badenoch Lakes, 99 •Favourite Angler's Resort, 99 Ardverikie Castle, 100 Loch Laggan Hotel to Tulloch Station, 101 W. Campbell, ^ishTnonger and 'poulterer, Gynack Street, KINGUSSIE. FRESH SUPPLIES OF FISH THREE TIMES DAILY. All Kinds in tiieir Season. Shooting Lodges & Private Families Promptly Supplied. l^ure Block Ice, Fisfi Dressed to Order. JAMES GIBSON, High Class Ladies' and Qent.'s 'bailor, KINGUSSIE PATRONISED BY THE LEADING FAMILIES. HARRIS TWEEDS, PORTREE TWEEDS, and HOMESPUNS. Patterns and Prices on Application. KINGUSSIE AND UPPER SPEYSIDE (BADENOCH). Attractions as a Holiday Resort. (Jnr^iA ADENOCH may justly claim that it enjoys the ^ r\M/¥^ distinction of having for many years occupied a very leading position amongst the most favoured summer and autumn resorts in the Highlands of Scotland. The main reason for this popularity, of course, lies in the unquestioned fact that the district is really a magnificent natural sanatorium 'twixt the Grampian and Monaliadh Mountains, the highest inhabited portion of the British Isles. There is every reason to anticipate that the favour acquired by the ancient lordship will increase rather than diminish as time goes on, in consequence of the ease with which, in these days of fast trains, it can be reached from the cities and populous towns in the south. And there are not wanting signs that this locality of Upper Speyside,