Well of the Seven Heads
An obelisk of 1812 by Loch Oich marking where seven heads were washed in revenge for the Keppoch murders of 1663, with the old well beneath.
By the side of the A82 on the shore of Loch Oich stands a tall stone monument topped with carved heads.
It is a grim reminder of one of the bloodiest episodes in the history of the Highland clans.
In 1663 the chief of the MacDonalds of Keppoch was murdered, and in reprisal seven heads were cut off. The heads were washed in the spring here, and the Gaelic poet Iain Lom recorded the story.
In 1812 Alasdair MacDonell of Glengarry raised the monument over the spring, with an inscription in several languages telling the tale. The old well is still there, down a short tunnel reached by steps beside the monument. It is a quick and memorable stop on the road through the Great Glen.
By the roadside, open at any hour.
- Where
- The A82 by Loch Oich.
- Monument
- 1812.
- Murders
- 1663.
By the A82 on the shore of Loch Oich, between Invergarry and Laggan.
Places to stay near the monument, and when each is next free.
Scotland, in print.
Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.
For further reading, before you go.