History & Legends

Taychreggan was originally a humble 17th century cattle drover’s inn. 

Wealth was measured in cattle then.  It took great skill to captain a cattle drive down through the Highlands.  There were steep mountains, unpredictable weather, and furths and lochs to swim your cattle across. There were cattle thieves from rival clans watching and waiting for an opportune time to steal your cattle.

Taychreggan was built on a small peninsula that juts out into the loch. It was from Taychreggan, at Loch Awe’s narrowest crossing point, the cattle would swim across.

What a welcome sight the whitewashed stone walls of Taychreggan must have been to the drover captain!  Here he could be indulged a bit, dining and sleeping in a cosy room overlooking the loch while outside his men slept in the sheltered courtyard, guarding the cattle from thieves like Rob Roy who had a hide-out nearby.

Later, the philosopher Samuel Johnson and his biographer James Boswell also enjoyed whisky and a good night’s sleep at Taychreggan during their historic journey to the Hebrides.

Today, Taychreggan offers the weary traveler much more than the humble hospitality of the past. 

Loch Awe
Alongside clan history, stones circles and mythical tales; a way of life exists which is as refreshingly different as it is hospitably sincere. We hope that you enjoy exploring them as we do living them.

The Loch
Loch Awe dominates this peaceful corner of Argyll with it's enigmatic 23 miles of fresh water. Over twenty long abandoned Crannogs (lake dwellings) are still in evidence, along with the semi ruined Castles of Kilchurn - once the Clan Campbell seat which still dominates the loch, Innis Chonnel and Fraoch Eilean, taking their names from the islands on which they stand.

The Islands
The main islands of Fraoch Eilean and Innishail situated at the North end of Loch Awe and Innis Chonnel to the East - all are shrouded in myth, legend and rich in historic interest.

The Battles
Not so well known for its famous battles, the surrounding lands still have a story or two tell. Such as The Battle at the Red Ford.