Rannoch Tales

Local historian and author A.D. Cunningham taught at Rannoch School, from 1965 to 1987. He and his wife still live at Dall. Published titles include ‘A History of Rannoch’, 1984, and ‘Tales of Rannoch’, 1989. ‘Rannoch Tales’ are excerpts from his writings.

Grateful thanks to Alec Cunningham for permission to use excerpts from his books 'A History of Rannoch' and 'Tales of Rannoch' in ' Rannoch Tales' 

1. The Distant Past - Crannogs

“Rannoch in olden times had two islands: Eilean Beal na Gaoire at the West end of the loch where the River Gaur has emptied its water, and An-t-Eilean Ferna at the mouth of the River Ericht. It also had two artificial islands, called crannogs. One of these is Eilean nam Faoileag, the Isle of the Gulls or more commonly called the Tower island. The other one was a smaller crannog just off Finnart. All these islands were used at one time or another as Lake Dwellings where the inhabitants could take refuge from wolves and raiders. The two artificial islands were made by the same people who built the forts. They floated rafts of wood out and sank them by piling stones on them until they rose above the surface of the water. Then by means of piles driven into this structure a platform was built on the stones. On this, earth was trampled flat and the dwellings were built. It is interesting to contemplate the manner of men that were able to build these structures, to convey huge tree trunks from the hillside to the loch and to drive piles vertically to form these platforms. Canoes were used to carry men and supplies out for the construction. And canoes of course were used when they were finished by the families going back and forth to the shore. One of these types of canoes was discovered at Loch Treig by Mr Duncan Robertson of Rannoch when he was a boy. It was when the crannog there was being examined. Such crannogs in the troubled countryside of Rannoch would serve as places of refuge sheltering its occupants from sudden attacks from warlike tribes of Picts or Scots and later on from marauding clansmen.

An interesting aspect of the Tower Island is that although it is only 30 metres from the North shore there is a causeway built to it from the South shore, a distance of half a mile. A study of a Bathymetrical Survey Map shows that this is the only feasible route for there is a sudden dip in the loch bed of 30 feet on the North of the island. The causeway was constructed so that it was just under the surface and its route was irregular as a guard against unwanted intruders Not only was this causeway unusually long but the crannog was undoubtedly the largest artificial island in Scotland.”

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