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Guisachan House from the air: the roofless grey stone mansion with its two tall chimneys and empty windows, fenced off in long grass, with parkland trees and forested hills beyond.
Inverness

Guisachan House

The ruin of a Victorian mansion in open parkland on the old Guisachan estate, south-west of Cannich.

Welcome

For golden retriever lovers, Guisachan is a very special place, and owners come here from across the world, often bringing their own dogs.

Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, later Lord Tweedmouth, bought the estate in the 1850s and built the house, and the towering Douglas firs and larches at Plodda Falls are mostly his planting. In 1868 he paired Nous, his yellow retriever, with Belle, a Tweed Water Spaniel, and their three pups, Crocus, Cowslip and Primrose, were the first golden retrievers. The house lost its roof long ago, but its walls and chimneys are still standing, with a stone marker from the Friends of Guisachan in front. In Tomich, look out for the bronze golden retriever the Friends put up in 2014, next to the Tweedmouths' memorial. Bring a flask and make an afternoon of it with the falls.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
A little further outBeauly PrioryThe ruined abbey church of a priory founded about 1230 for French Valliscaulian monks, in a wooded, riverside setting in Beauly.38 min by roadSee itBeauly Priory
Before you go

The house is fenced off against falling stone, so it is seen from the path outside the fence.

Parking
The Forestry and Land Scotland car park at Plodda Falls: £2 for up to an hour, £3 for up to three hours, £5 all day. Blue Badge holders park free; pay by card or RingGo.
The walk
Live Breathe Scotland's guide makes it a 30-minute walk from the car park: leave the Tweedmouth Trail at its eastern end, by the cattle grid, and the path runs on to the ruin.
The statue
Driving from Tomich towards Plodda, it stands on your left as you leave the village.
By bus
Buses run from Inverness to Tomich all year; Traveline Scotland has the times.
Dogs
Kept under control, on a short lead or close at heel near farm animals, and in the woods from April to July, when birds are nesting.

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Where it is

Beyond Tomich, between the village and Plodda Falls.

Close byGlen Affric, Glen Urquhart, Glen Strathfarrar and Loch Ness.
  1. Golden Labrador sits among heather with a loch and hills behindDog FallsRapids and dark pools in a rocky gorge in Glen Affric, the start of three waymarked trails through ancient pinewood to Coire Loch and a viewpoint.6 miles 13 min by road
  2. Man with rucksack sits on tree stump beside a still lochGlen AffricA National Nature Reserve west of Cannich, with ancient Caledonian pinewood, lochs and four Forestry and Land Scotland sites on a single-track road.7 miles 15 min by road
  3. Standing stones and cairn at Balnuaran of Clava, framed by tree leavesCorrimony Chambered CairnA 4,000-year-old passage grave in Glen Urquhart, ringed by standing stones and remarkably well preserved, with much of its passage roof still in place.11 miles 20 min by road
  4. Oil burner and dried petals beside "Grounded" book on a windowsill tableMade in the GlenA shop in Glen Urquhart near Loch Ness run by three sisters, selling their own natural soaps, skincare, watercolours, wooden bowls and Highland gifts.12 miles 22 min by road
  5. Loch Monar at the head of Glen Strathfarrar, with a small island of pines, the curved Monar dam and its intake tower, and heather hills under broken cloud.Glen StrathfarrarA private glen running west from Struy into the hills, with a 17-mile road through native Scots pinewood.14 miles 25 min by road
  6. The Loch Ness Centre building, dated 1882, with twin gabled towers and window displaysThe Loch Ness ExperienceThe Loch Ness Experience in the old Drumnadrochit Hotel, where the monster story began in 1933, with a one-hour tour of the legend and the science.18 miles 31 min by road
  7. Ruined stone tower of Urquhart Castle seen through autumn foliage on Loch NessUrquhart CastleThe ruins of a castle that was once among Scotland's largest, on a headland over Loch Ness, with the Grant Tower to climb and a café on site.20 miles 36 min by road
Directions
Waterfall cutting through autumn forest, viewed from above with a footbridge crossing itAttractionsPlodda Falls1.3 miles
Salad plate, pint and menu on a pub table with tulipsRestaurantsThe Tomich Hotel1.8 miles
Over Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin in Glen Affric, its pine-covered islands and the mountains blue beyond on a bright summer day.AttractionsLoch Beinn a' Mheadhoin3.0 miles as the crow flies
The RSPB's weathered wooden sign for Loch Comhnard at Corrimony, the loch beyond among young birches and moorland under a blue sky, with wind turbines on a far hill.WalksRSPB Corrimony11 miles
Log cabin porch with lantern-lit door, snow falling on the wooden walkwayStruyEagle BraePlace to stay · 11 miles
From above, Aquila's turf-roofed log cabin and wrap-around deck on the edge of the ridge, the glen stretching away in autumn colour.StruyAquila at Eagle BraeSleeps 6 · 11 miles
Buteo, a long turf-roofed log cabin on level ground, a log picnic table in the grass before it and the hill behind.StruyButeo at Eagle BraeSleeps 6 · 11 miles
Loxia beyond its pond among spring birches, the cabin mirrored in the water under a blue sky.StruyLoxia at Eagle BraeSleeps 6 · 11 miles
Ardea through old birch trunks, its turf roof and railed deck mirrored in the pond below, ferns in front.StruyArdea at Eagle BraeSleeps 4 · 11 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the house, and when each is next free.

Glen Affric Estate, Inverness-shireGlen Affric Estate
  • Sleeps 24
  • In Cannich
  • 7 miles from Guisachan House
Check datesLog cabin porch with lantern-lit door, snow falling on the wooden walkwayEagle Brae
  • To stay
  • In Struy
  • 10 miles from Guisachan House
Check datesFrom above, Aquila's turf-roofed log cabin and wrap-around deck on the edge of the ridge, the glen stretching away in autumn colour.Aquila at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Struy
  • 10 miles from Guisachan House
Check datesButeo, a long turf-roofed log cabin on level ground, a log picnic table in the grass before it and the hill behind.Buteo at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Struy
  • 10 miles from Guisachan House
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in InvernessAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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