Loch an Eilein

Loch an Eilein, Gaelic for ‘Loch of the Island’, is a popular visitors’ attraction in the Scottish Highlands.
Many visitors to Rothiemurchus hear of the mysterious castle in the middle of a loch and can’t resist embarking the 2 hour walk around it. There is little remaining of the thirteenth century castle these days, today it is almost completely camouflaged by shrubs and thickets. A causeway is said to exist between the castle and the land but was obscured hundreds of years ago when the water’s height increased.
To find Loch an Eilein, from the Rothiemurchus Estate, take a five minute drive from the triangle car park opposite the Visitors’ Centre on the B970 and you will find Loch an Eilein is clearly indicated by signposts.
A beautiful location offering a mountainous backdrop, the Loch an Eilein does offer a magical experience, whether you decide to sit at the water’s edge as time passes you by or to enjoy the watery circumference walk. Catch the loch in the right light and you can almost imagine being transported back in time (preferably averting the eyes of an army of soldiers aiming bows and arrows at your head!)
The castle while seeing its fair share of skirmishes across the centuries, over recent years has served as refuge to the endangered Osprey and continues today to be occupied by inhabitants of the feathered kind.
For souvenirs and refreshments, there is a visitor’s centre close to the car park.
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