Ardtornish

In the mid-18th century the area occupied by the current estate was largely in the hands of Cameron of Glendessary, with some property to the east and south the lands of Maclean of Kingairloch and the Duke of Argyll. A small area near the head of Loch Aline was owned by Murray of Stanhope. By 1800 Cameron's lands were under the control of a variety of new superiors including Maclean of Inverscaddle, MacDonald of Borrodale and MacLachlan of Callart with Stanhope's land also being held by MacLachlan. By 1850 radical changes had occurred. In 1845 MacDonald's land to the east of Loch Aline had become the 9,000 acre Achranich Estate owned by Octavius Smith, a Londoner whose father had made his…

Ardtornish is listed by Historic Environment Scotland as being outstanding for its architectural, scenic, and nature conservation importance. The category-A listed Ardtornish House and a number of cottages comprise a visitor enterprise, able to accommodate over 100 guests. The gardens are open to the public. Ardtornish offers deer stalking, river and loch fishing: following a visit in 2013, the novelist Justin Cartwright described “fishing in a place this beautiful” as “an almost transcendent experience”. Part of the estate is managed in collaboration with the Scottish Wildlife Trust as the Rahoy Hills wildlife reserve – described in Scottish Natural Heritage's magazine as being the…