Dalwhinnie Voices

What a shame the Shieling has been demolished,our family had holidays there,and had a good time.My son loved the fishing and my daughter and husband used to go swimming.

Gill - any other photos or stories to contribute? I remember the gas mantle used for lights, the tiny kitchen, and the metal pipe with a tin can pierced with holes that was the water source! There was also a print on the bedroom wall of an Asian lady.

Hi Douglas,i have photos somewhere but not on the computer as we are going back a few years.You can remember more than me.There used to be alot of jet planes having practice dog fights,they crept up and scared us to death,so loud.Do you remember going dowm the track to the wood and walking up that grassy steep hill,it was a killer,very steep.When we were there lorries went by daily as they were building the big house at the end of the lane,we never saw the end result.I'm sure we were told it was for a banker,from Portugal (i think).Also remember crossing the rail line and phoning up the signalman to see if it was safe to cross,children loved doing that.We had poachers one night and my husband went down to talk to them as they were camping at the bottom of the garden (at the time we didn't know they were poachers)but in the morning we had 2 lovely fresh fish on the doorstep,and the campers/poachers had gone,but the fish were lovely.
Have you any stories to tell me.
Gill

There was a "professor MacKay" I reckon his name was. He must have rented the cottage from Mrs Lessels every July. He wore shorts all the time. He was an early ecologist and went about constantly collecting tin cans, bottles and any litter. My dad called him "nev knees"(a skin cream?) I recall the jets - they still fly past. There was an army exercise there once-both sides of the Loch, with troops camping, then setting off all kinds of flares, explosives etc,. Before the forest was planted there were little hills, which were quite steep. One of them had ancient ruins on top. The wee bay in front was popular with fishermen - and swimmers - including me. I used the phone to make the crossing also. I can remember a big machine with massive rubber tyres near the crossing - it sat there for years. Too many folks have been killed at such places! What years were you there?

We must have been there about 1990. When were you? Do you remember the tea room on the corner, and further along the road a shop,I think we used to get bits of shopping there, Can't remember what else was there though. I know we walked to the distillery.So the jets still fly past? Expect it's a training route for them. Do you live near Dalwhinnie? Has it changed much? Have they still got the school?

Aye, the "tea Room" had various names - once "The Tartan Tuck In" with purple tartan. There were 2 shops -"Stewart's" on the same side as the tea room, and "MacPherson's" on the other side of the road. When I was wee, I wasn't allowed to cross the busy main road. I live in Fife - 80 miles away, but still visit regularly. The village is much the same, but sadly the school has now gone. The big machine was used in the forrest to haul a plough to cut furrows for planting trees. The wheels were aircraft tyres. Don't know when it vanished.

Hi,I am visiting Dalehinnie tomorrow 15/12/2014 as it,s my daughters 30th birthday (showing my age) she was around 5 the last time we were there and as we are here on holiday staying in Aviemore just have to visit.I expect there will be lots of changes,I hear the school has gone and the Shieling has gone where we had holidays,but I notice the distillery is still there,definitely will be visiting that,although I don,t drink whisky....so I will let you know how I find Dalwhinnie on my next posting after all these years.

Hi,well we visited Dalwhinnie and I must say first thing that struck me was nothing much had changed,the crossing still the same,we walked up the track in the snow to where the Shieling would have been and now there is a very grand estate office.A bit further on where there used to be the gate with the number lock there was another big holiday let I think the man that was clearing the snow said it slept 8,the hill is still there just to the right of where the gate would have been still as big as I remember,and no we didn,t even think about climbing it,it nearly killed me when I was younger.......We turned back and walked back along the track and stood looking across at the island where the Shielings garden used to be, what great times we had swimming and fishing, we carried on and walked across to the weir, we used to fish just by the edge as the water came spurting out,then back to the car. We didn't go in the distillery but it was just the same. The tea room on the corner is now a house but the cafe where we used to buy our groceries is still there. It was lovely to go back after all these years and to see it in the snow. Back to Aviemore for our last day and then home to Christmas in Hertfordshire but instead of an 8 hour drive we took the easy route an hour on a plane. If I knew how to add pictures I,d put some on perhaps someone can tell me. Anyway happy new year to you all.

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