# Sron na Larig Lodge (Stronlarig Lodge), Whitebridge, Scotland - April 09



## zimbob (Apr 19, 2009)

Picked a cracking day to visit this place with *Bryag*, having been foiled by snow once or twice 

A little history, shamelessly cribbed from 'www.lochnesswelcome.co.uk' 



> Under the directions of the Lady Lovat, it was built during the Boer war as a surprise and a welcome home to her husband


 Now why won't someone do that for me 


> The building of the Lodge was a massive undertaking. All materials, except for local stone, had to come by boat to Inverfarigaig pier, and was then transported by relays of horse and cart the 15-odd miles to Strone.Leaving early in the morning, they would load up at the pier, reach home for lunch and a two hour break for the horses, then proceed to the Lodge site, to be back home again in the evening. Apart from the distance, the climb from Loch Ness to Strone was nearly 400 metres. The carts were traditional cope carts, which could be fitted with frames to carry wide or lengthy loads. For instance, loads of pine lining boards could extend from beyond the back of the cart to above the horse's head.
> 
> Stone-breakers were imported to cut stone from the nearby Creag, above the road. Altogether a scene of ceaseless coordinated activity, quite apart from the everyday shepherding and other estate work



An old photo ( the corrugated iron extension in the foreground has been pulled down)









> History again laid its stamp upon Sron na Larig during World War II, when it became a training area for the American Rangers, no doubt at the instigation of Lord MacShimidh Lovat (son and heir of the Lovat Scout founder) who, in his turn, did much to institute the Marine Commandos, serving with and leading them with great valour and distinction during that War.
> 
> Stronlarig was sold in 1946/47, still a prominent grouse moor, and the Lodge remained in use until the late 1960’s, by which time red deer stalking was the more consistent sport, with sporadic grouse years.
> 
> The Lodge was finally vacated and abandoned in 1968



Enough history, on with the pics 

Looking up Loch Killin, towards the hills at whose feet the Lodge lies :






The Lodge is _just_ visible here, on the approach :






First views :











It doesn't look in too bad condition at first glance, the roof is fairly good 

Meh :






Once you are in, it's fairly stripped sadly. The floorboards have all been salvaged, surprisingly, though there was a lot of pitch-pine used in this lodge, so that may be why  No pikey action though ( it is a bit of a trek to get there) so the only damage was caused by the water ingress through the windows.

Fantastic ceiling and skylight :






Inside, the Lodge is not as large as it appears, a central corridor has rooms off to either side, but that's about it - still, allows for the UE favourite, corridor shots 

Ground floor :






First floor :






No floors 






Most of the rooms had these unusual pressed-tin ceilings (sorry about the dread HDR - had to be done to capture 'em  ) :






Some had the pressed-tin cornicing still extant, a great feature :






The veranda - a gorgeous spot to sit and chill with a smoke 






*Bryag* risking life and limb for a good shot of the veranda 






Another notice we ignored 






We could only find one internal staircase, and it was a trifle fooked 






There were some great colours in some of the rooms :











Especially when given the HDR treatment :icon_evil 






The only other staircase :






Bolier and t'ing :






A shot some people might recognise from someone's avatar 






A patriotic one for *Bigloada* and other brick fans 






The walk back :






All in all a cracking day out, great weather really helped, and it is in a particularly beautiful setting, I love living here 

A fitting quote from the 'www.lochnesswelcome.co.uk' website to end on :



> Sron na Larig Lodge, stripped of its fittings and now falling in ruins, is a sad monument to a past era, but its history need not be forgotten, nor the many strong and courageous men and women who lingered there a while, and contributed to its rich past.


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## RichardB (Apr 19, 2009)

It's a beautiful location, can you actually see another building from it?


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## Trinpaul (Apr 19, 2009)

Wow  it's certainly a sight you would'nt expect to see if you were out hiking. Anyone try out the fishing


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## lost (Apr 19, 2009)

Nice work. I love it up there, though I haven't been for a while. Is there still a horse in the grounds?

I've never seen an old photo of it, wish it was bigger.

Did you just do the ground and 1st floors? I've done all the floors. A bit of a thankless task, as it's very stripped out.

You can see another building from it, but it's a long way away.


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## lost (Apr 19, 2009)

Trinpaul said:


> Anyone try out the fishing













No bites in the loch but we caught loads in the river, all pretty small though.


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## RichardB (Apr 19, 2009)

That's the kind of neighbours you want, ones that can't be seen with the naked eye.


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## zimbob (Apr 19, 2009)

lost said:


> Nice work. I love it up there, though I haven't been for a while. Is there still a horse in the grounds?
> 
> I've never seen an old photo of it, wish it was bigger.
> 
> ...



It's a grand spot 

No horse to be seen, although there was some hay in the back of the building.....

Couldn't spy a way up the the top floor sadly, a ladder would've been required I think, as all the stairs are pretty much gone - no way was I carrying one that far


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## Foxylady (Apr 19, 2009)

Ah, lovely and quirky...my kind of place! 
Excellent write-up and pics, zimbob. Love the 'ground floor...first floor...no floors'.


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## nutnut (Apr 20, 2009)

What a sensational place to live! That would just be such a nice project if you had a money tree on full blossom!

Nice report and pics, most enjoyable


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## Bryag (Apr 21, 2009)

Great write-up Zimbob, it was a smashing day for the walk 

Here are a few of mine from the day. Probably not too much variation, but it was so stripped inside. Very unusual given it's remote location. 

Main hall, once would have been very grand with stairs and galleries, now just completley open from solem to ceiling





Same hall, opposite side from dodgy first floor





This was an all too common sight





Small ante-room off main first floor gallery (accessed via hole in wall from adjacent bedroom)





First floor corridor (note absence of all floorboards- removed rather than rotted)





These three small rooms accessed from a single doorway. Toilets I suspect?





A bit of "pond-skater" footwork required to get accross the rotting joists, but once out on the veranda was well worth it!
Note how my tripod (on the right) is bigger than Zimbobs ;-)





Detail of veranda roof, and skylight





From veranda looking back in





Finally a few externals


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## RichardB (Apr 21, 2009)

Chimney's still smoking I see.


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## Bryag (Apr 21, 2009)

Funny Richard, it was only after I viewed it online I noticed that What is it they say? "Great minds think alike....."


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## RichardB (Apr 22, 2009)

Especially when it comes to schoolboy humour.


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## Bryag (Apr 22, 2009)

Yes, and I'm charging it right now!


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## RichardB (Apr 22, 2009)

TMI 

And I REALLY don't want to know about the discharge.


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