Kinloch Castle with a sea kayaker in front for scale.
Yesterday I posted an item about a red sandstone castle on Arran. Here is another one. It is Kinloch Castle on the Island of Rum in the Inner Hebrides. It is situated in a sheltered position under the Rum Cuillin at the head of Loch Scresort on the east coast of the island.
It is not an ancient Scottish castle but was built as an Edwardian shooting lodge by a wealthy Lancashire industrialist called George Bullough. There is no suitable sandstone for building on Rum so all the stone was imported from Annan in Dumfriesshire and brought here in small west coast puffers. It was completed in 1901 and was the first private building in Scotland to have elictric lighting. The electricity was supplied by a small hydro electric dam in the mountains behind.
You can camp near the Castle, but the gas powered midge eating machines can hardly cope with the particularly voracious breed of midge which is to be found in these parts. I therefore recommend staying in the hostel which is situated in the castle's servant quarters. No four posters for us plebians then!
Those midge eating machines are so neat, Douglas! Can they be deck-mounted as an optional feature?
ReplyDeletePuff, puff, puff. :)
As good as those midge eaters are, they don't even make a dent on the numbers of West Highland Sabre Toothed Fighting Midge that can be found on Rum.
ReplyDeleteIs the stone used in those two castles from Corsehill?
What is the paddling like around Rum - difficult or not too bad?
Wenley, Glupton is right, they hardly make a difference on Rum!
ReplyDeleteBrodick Castle on Arran was built from sandstone from the Quarry at Corrie, just up the road from the castle.
Kinloch Castle was built from sand tone from Corsehill Quarry, Annan NY207703.
The north coast of Rum is awesome, arches, caves beaches sea eagles, it's got the lot. A great white shark was even reputedly spotted here.
Is there a genetic reason why I get bitten to distraction by midges but my wife seems immune. (She smeels nicer than i do, is infinitely more attractive and we both eat the same diet.) this phenomenon seems indepedent of site, we have noted it from Madagascar to Mull.
ReplyDeleteHello, I am sure there is a genetic reason! It sounds like we might have inherited the same gene!
ReplyDelete