At Letterfinlay, on the southeast side of Loch Lochy, there are prehistoric burial cairn circles. The area’s history therefore stretches from prehistoric traces to the historic uses of an inn and a hunting lodge. A section of the Great Glen Way also runs through the wider area. Letterfinlay can thus be viewed from two perspectives: through the history of individual buildings and through the landscape around the loch.

Early Traces and Landscape Routes

The burial cairn circles are a prehistoric trace near Letterfinlay. By comparison, Letterfinlay House and the Whispering Pine Lodge belong to later chapters in the area’s history. These different layers of time complement one another: here, archaeological traces sit alongside buildings whose history is shaped by their use as an inn and hunting lodge.

In the wider area around Letterfinlay, a section of the Great Glen Way runs along Loch Lochy via minor roads, forest paths and lakeside paths. The route is therefore not exclusively a waterside trail; minor roads and forest paths are also part of it. This offers a different perspective on the landscape from the prehistoric traces near Letterfinlay: one connection is the route along the loch, the other is the early history of the surrounding area.

Inn and Hunting Lodge

Letterfinlay House was serving as an inn by 1776 at the latest. The year marks a historical point in time for this use. The Whispering Pine Lodge has a different story: it was originally built as a hunting lodge in the 19th century. When the lodge was established, the land belonged to the Clan MacMartin of Letterfinlay. Letterfinlay was one of two large hunting lodges built on extensive estates.

In the mid-20th century, the Whispering Pine Lodge became a hotel and was known as Letterfinlay Lodge. The uses can be distinguished as follows: Letterfinlay House was an inn by 1776 at the latest; the Whispering Pine Lodge began as a hunting lodge and later became a hotel. Together, the buildings tell of different forms of hospitality in Letterfinlay’s history.

Place Names and Getting Your Bearings

Letterfinlay was originally called Letterfinly or Finlay’s Hill. Letterfinlay Lodge is a different name: this was what the Whispering Pine Lodge was known as when it became a hotel in the mid-20th century. The similar names refer to different things—the former names of the place, on the one hand, and the history of a specific building, on the other. This distinction helps to keep the area’s history separate from the names of individual buildings.

The listed building Letterfinlay is designated Category B. The Whispering Pine Lodge is located in Letterfinlay, directly on the A82 trunk road. These are two distinct points of reference: the Category B designation refers to the listed status of the Letterfinlay building, while the location on the A82 identifies the Whispering Pine Lodge.

Discover more destinations: Acharacle, Alness, Isle Of Skye, Applecross, Forsinard, Halkirk, Invergarry, Lochinver.

Back to the regional travel overview: Highland.