Loch an Eilein is a small irregular shaped, freshwater loch in the Rothiemurchus Forest about 3miles south of Aviemore.

The name Loch an Eilein comes from the Scottish Gaelic and means 'Loch of the island'. It is a beautiful loch set amongst the Rothiemurchus estate. We visited several time with Bridget and Poppy as there is a lovely circular walk around the loch. 

History states that in the late 18th and early 19th century, the loch was used mainly for two things. On the banks of the loch there is a limestone kiln where the lime stone was collected from a rock face looking over the loch. Secondly, loggers used the connecting river to float logs down to the wood-treating factories downstream. 

The loch and the forest around it are popular with birdwatchers, walkers, mountain bikers and day-trippers. Among the birds found on and around Loch an Eilein are the crested tit, redstart, spotted flycatcher, tree pipit, red-throated diver, common sandpiper, whinchat, and the occasional merlin. The ancient castle on the island was built on a natural defensive site. Its origins are uncertain, however it is thought that between 1222 and 1298, the Bishop of Moray chose the south end of the island to build a half house surrounded by a defensive wall. These are the ruined structures that are left standing today. The island, on which the castle sits decreased in size in the 1770s when a sluice built to enable felled timber to be floated down the Spey, raised the water level. The water now obscures the zigzag causeway once said to connect the castle to the shore.

The most notable skirmish to take place was in 1690, when the defeated Jacobite’s from the Battle of Cromdale besieged the castle. More recently Grant lairds have also used the island loch to protect Osprey’s which nest on the castle.