Laundry Cottage

23/07/2022

Forest bathing is a simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you whilst breathing deeply. It can help both adults and children de-stress and boost health and wellbeing in a natural way.
Darach Croft is hosting forest bathing sessions in August at Lochaline, or just get hold of one of their self guided booklets and find your own place in one of the many peaceful and historic woodlands in the area.

https://darachcroft.com/forest-bathing

We run a variety of in-person, online and virtual Forest Bathing and Nature-Connection activities and tailor what we offer to your level of mobility and what you would like to get out of the experience.

16/07/2022

Looks really cosy!

16/01/2022

January isn’t the most obvious time to visit the north west, but how lucky we’ve been! Relatively mild, no rain and even better, no midges. The dogs have had a ball!

16/01/2022

22/11/2021

ACHARACLE
Village names are sometimes made for heroes, however Acharacle was named after the bad yin!
Acharacle as most know was named after Torquill whose gang was ousted from the area by Somerled in 1120. However while Somerled was a wild character he was the hero in this instance
While much is known about Somerled less is known about Torquil.
He was of Danish decent, however was also connected to the MacLeods of Lewis.

He came to Loch Shiel on the usual Scandinavian R**e, Pillage and Plunder massacres.
His gang landed on the coast around Dorlin and started battle seriously above the village, where there is a loch named to commemorate the event, Loch na Fala, (The Loch of Blood).

The local people were beaten back as far as Langal. Eventually Somerled (King of the Isles) who controlled the area came to their aid (perhaps visiting his mum who lived at Lochaline!) and the tide of battle turned, the foes being swept back to the ford of the river Shiel.

Leading from the front both head warriors met on that ford.
Somerled battled and killed Torquil on the ford and with Torquil’s blood colouring the ford it has been called by the locals Ath Thorcuil. (Torquil’s Ford)

How that morphed into the name ACHARACLE we know today has confounded many, although earlier spellings even into the 1800s included 'Aharacle' and several variations of this. Some scholars insist the c should never have been included.

The name has puzzled many even considering Somerled was the hero of the day - should we not be living at Ath-Somerled ?!

Anyhow taking up advice from Gaelic Scholar friends the development of the name is at least understandable. in order to make the genitive you add an h to Torquil, and having done that, you must silence the t; as the t in Ath is silenced because of the h, it all sounds like ah—horakill.
Locally the accent is on the second syllable. Ath is the Gaelic for a ford, and Thorcuil is "of Torquil."
This somehow morphed into ACHARACLE, however things could have been worse! - just imagine if the tourist name had won the day then you would be living in "Akker-akkle !!! 🙂

History does not record any surveys of the ford area over the centuries, however funding has been applied for by a University group interested. The outcome of that will be of great interest one day!

'Torquil’s Ford' rather unloved today with no signs to tell folk the story, not a pathway to allow tourists to view, och nor has one even composed a tune after the event.

Alan Henderson - there is a task for you! - with an abundance of Acharacle DNA in your soul! ! Compose a tune: 'Torquil's Ford'.

06/09/2021

We finally have a GoFundMe page set up! This will allow us to collect Gift Aid on any donations going forward 🎉

https://gofund.me/e730d262

We’ll be closing down our PayPal Pool and have transferred the funds across from there to GoFundMe.

Thank you everyone for the amazing support so far and we would really appreciate if people could share the GoFundMe link 😀

06/09/2021

We’ve really missed Acharacle. We managed to go for one fantastic holiday but it’s been so busy with guests, new and old, that we’ve not managed to travel there much this year. Here are my highlights. If any of this year’s guests follow this page we’d love you to share some of your snaps. We are delighted that we can provide a base for so many different people but it’s so strange not seeing it through their eyes! 👀

06/07/2021

Morar 🌞🕶

04/07/2021

Not so sunny today but the River Shiel looks great no matter what…even Alfie thinks so!

01/07/2021

Days like this warrant a drive to Sanna Bay