Achentoul (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

: Achadh an t-Sabhail; translation: "field of the barn") is a hamlet in the

Kinbrace Kinbrace is a small village in Sutherland in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies at the junction of the A897 and B871 and is from Helmsdale by road. The village has a station on the Far North Line (also named Kinbrace). Few peopl ...

area of

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

, in the Scottish council area of

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

. Consisting of a few farmhouses and barns, Achentoul lies around north of Kinbrace along the

A897 road The A897 single track road is entirely within the Highland council area of Scotland. It runs generally north from the A9 at Helmsdale to the A836 near Halladale Bridge, east of Melvich. The road passes through or near Kildonan, Kinbrace an ...

and south of Loch An Ruathair. Although the Achentoul Forest is located in this area, the landscape is said to be dominated by moist Atlantic heather

moor Moor or Moors may refer to: Nature and ecology * Moorland, a habitat characterized by low-growing vegetation and acidic soils. Ethnic and religious groups * Moors, Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, and Malta during ...

Geography

The Achentoul Estate boasts several lochs, including Loch Ascaig, Loch Arachlinie, Loch Badanloch, Loch Ruthair, Loch Drum, Loch Lucy, Loch Cullidh, Loch Dubh, Loch Sletill and Loch Badanloch. Loch fishing is available on a number of the estate's lochs.

Flora and fauna

The rugged and remote Achentoul Forest lies to the north of Achentoul Lodge. A

deer forest The deer forest (Gaelic: frìth) is a sporting estate which is kept and managed largely or solely for the purposes of maintaining a resident population of red deer for sporting ( deer stalking) purposes. It is an institution and phenomenon pecul ...

, it has been a noted sporting estate for deer shooting for centuries. The area is frequented by deer year round, as well as

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...

Culture

Achentoul Lodge was built c. 1900. It is situated southeast of Loch An Ruathair, overlooking the moorland to the north of Kinbrace. The lodge organizes hind stalking during the winter months (October–February) to kill deer, which are considered pests to the forest. For the sport the farm charges up to £130 for a session if the shooter hires a keeper, although a stalker is only permitted to kill two deer in a session. However, the farm claims that the hind stalking is for woodland conservation purposes primarily, given that the Achentoul estate by 1970 had dedicated for afforestation and sold to the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respon ...

. Rabbit shooting on the farm is also available. A notable family on the farm are the Nutting family, who hired the late Donald Mackay to manage the farm in 1958. He worked in Achentoul for a long time with the Henderson brothers; he died in 2010, aged 76. The

Ca na Catanach Ca na Catanach (translation: "Sutherland Men's Path") is a road and footpath between Sutherland and Caithness through the moorland in the northeastern Scottish Highlands. Noted as a post-medieval drovers' road in the Highland Historic Environme ...

is a medieval road and

drovers' road A drovers' road, drove ''roador droveway is a route for droving livestock on foot from one place to another, such as to market or between summer and winter pasture (see transhumance). Many drovers' roads were ancient routes of unknown age; ot ...

with a footpath between

Dorrery Dorrery is a small hamlet lying to the east of Ben Dorrery in the district of Halkirk in Caithness, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous re ...

Lodge and the north end of Achentoul. Kinbrace Hill (also known as Kinbrace Farm or Achentoul Forest) is noted by the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" inanced and with oversightthrough Historic Scotland, an executive ...

for a long, chambered cairn.

References

{{commons category, Achentoul Populated places in Sutherland