250 Years of Landscape and History
The Kynachan Loch Tummel stands on the old estate of Kynachan. Two hundred and fifty years old there was a fast rocky spate river running through the grounds. Loch Tummel was two miles downstream from where it is now. The landscape would have been bare except for a scattering of birchwood across the river and the mooreland would be dotted with cattle, ponies and goats.
Today the area around is permanent home to less than a dozen people. Two and a half centuries ago nearly three hundred people wrested a living on the poor soil and the unforiving climate.
Traditional Employment and Early Innovations
Highland country estates were employers of considerable numbers in years gone by. Depending on the size of the estate each would have up to 50 workers ranging from domestic staff in the big house to gamekeepers, gardeners and chauffeurs.
Although by today's standards they were poorly paid they had sufficient with careful and prudent management to have a satisfactory standard of living.
Kynachan was very much the traditional estate where there were head keepers, chauffeurs, gardeners and all with their pecking order! It like many other estates in the valley had it's own electricity power station in the 1920s long before the hydro power stations were built.
The Quest for the Perfect Location
Michael and Ann Wells started the Hotel Group in 1979 with the purchase of the Loch Long Hotel in Arrochar. As the company prospered further properties were acquired. the first was the Inversnaid Hotel then Loch Achray Hotel followed by the Loch Awe Hotel, which was totally upgraded and reopened for business in 1991. Then the search began for a fifth property. It was not easy. The Company looked at over twenty sites from Inverness to Fort William to the Isle of Arran, but it seemed impossible to fina a location that matched the beautiful surroundings of the existing hotels. A quiet loch side situation was essential to maintain the lochs and Glens image, preferably somewhere that would be easily accessible for UK and European guests.
A property advertisement in the Glasgow hearld in april 1996 for Kynachan Lodge - a small country house on the outskirts of Tummel Bridge. It was difficult to find anything out about this small village other than that it held the record for Britain's greatest temperature range (52 Degrees) ina single day, from 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit to 71.6 degrees on 9th May 1978. Also it was the site of the country's most extensive Hydro Electric schemes, so it was hardly a promising start.
Traditional Employment and Early Innovations
The site proved to be just the start of a very long process of planning and design. Inevitably, in such a scenically sensitive area, the local planners were closely involved in the detail and it took over a year to meet all the requirements. There was certainly some local controversy, which caused much media interest, and culminated in a phone poll of local residents identified from the electoral roll. The result showed over 90% support!
Building the hotel was a huge project and it was constructed by the Company without a main contractor. There was much anguish and argument on the way and maze of building regulations to meet. It was a team effort and credit was due to the project manager Andrew Mackay. He lived on the site for the 15 months it took to build the hotel, and together with son Stuart and Michael Well's son Neil guided and motivated a workforce of over 70 men through numerous difficulties.
The Highland Hotel Through the Years
Perthshire is one of the most scenic in Scotland with a wonderful choice of holiday activities- hiking, hill walking, fishing and skiing and, for the golfer, there is a choice of over 30 courses in the area. Almost every town and village has its own golf club, many with surprisingly modest green fees.
Near to the Hotel there is an excellent choice of stately homes, gardens and historic sites to visit. Scone Palace and Blair Castle are particularly recommended. The Devil's Elbow, the Sma' Glen and the famous Queen's view at the far end of Loch Tummel are some of the wel-known Perthshire beauty spots and, in addition, there are many unspoilt small towns and villages to explore.