Kinloch Rannoch - Overview

Overview

Formerly a tiny hamlet, Kinloch Rannoch, was enlarged and settled, under the direction of James Small, formerly an Ensign in Lord Loudoun’s Regiment, mainly by soldiers discharged from the army, but also by displaced crofters. Small had been appointed by the Commissioners for the Forfeited Estates to run the Rannoch estates, which had been seized from the clan chieftains who had supported the Jacobites following the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Local roads and bridges were improved, enabling soldiers at Rannoch Barracks to move more freely around the district.

Small was supported by Dugald Buchanan and his wife who taught the villagers new trades and crafts. Dugald (Dùghall Bochanan in Gaelic) was a local schoolmaster and Gaelic poet, who is commemorated by a large monument in the centre of the square in Kinloch Rannoch. He worked with James Stuart (Church of Scotland) of Killin on Bible translations into Scottish Gaelic.

The main economic activities in the area are tourism, forestry and farming. Local tourist activities include rafting, cycling and trekking.

Near the village is a hill reputed to resemble the head, shoulders, and torso of a man. It has been given the name of "The Sleeping Giant". Local myth says that the giant will wake up only when he hears the sounds of his master's flute.

It also has a waterfall known as Fall of Allt Mor and there is a walkway to the hill.

The village and some of its inhabitants were featured in the film Shepherd on the Rock.