Achentoul is a hamlet in the Kinbrace area of Sutherland

Sutherland

Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...

, in the Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 council area of Highland. Consisting of a few farmhouses and barns, Achentoul lies north of Kinbrace along the A897 road

A897 road

The A897 single track road is entirely within the Highland council area of Scotland. It runs generally north from the A9 at Helmsdale to the A836 near Halladale Bridge, east of Melvich. The road passes through or near Kildonan, Kinbrace and Forsinard, and has a junction with the B871 at Kinbrace...

 and south of Loch An Ruathair. Although the Achentoul Forest is located in this area, the landscape is said to be dominated by moist Atlantic heather

Calluna

Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...

 moor

Moorland

Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...

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Geography

The Achentoul Estate boasts several lochs, including Loch Ascaig, Loch Arachlinie, Loch Badanloch, Loch Ruthair, Loch Drum, Loch Lucy, Loch Cullidh, Loch Dubh, Loch Sletill and Loch Badanloch. Loch fishing is available on a number of the estate's lochs.

Flora and fauna

The rugged and remote Achentoul Forest lies to the north of Achentoul Lodge. A deer forest

Deer forest

The deer forest is an institution and phenomenon peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland. It denotes a sporting estate which is kept and managed largely or solely for the purposes of maintaining a resident population of red deer for sporting purposes.Typically, deer forests are in hilly and...

, it has been a noted sporting estate for deer shooting for centuries. The area is frequented by deer year round, as well as birds of prey

Bird of prey

Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....

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Culture

Achentoul Lodge was built c. 1900. It is situated southeast of Loch An Ruathair, overlooking the moorland to the north of Kinbrace.

The lodge organizes hind stalking

Deer stalking

Deer stalking is a British term for the stealthy pursuit of deer for sporting purposes, historically with dogs such as Scottish Deerhounds, or in modern times typically with a high powered rifle fitted with a telescopic sight to hunt them....

 during the winter months (October–February) to kill deer, which are considered pests to the forest. It is considered a "sport" and the farm charges up to £130 for a session if the shooter hires a keeper, although a stalker is only permitted to kill two deer in a session. However, the farm claims that the hind stalking is for woodland conservation purposes primarily, given that the Achentoul estate by 1970 had dedicated 1000 acres for afforestation and sold 604 acres to the Forestry Commission. Rabbit shooting on the farm is also available.

A notable family on the farm are the Nutting family, who hired the late Donald Mackay to manage the farm in 1958. He worked in Achentoul for a long time with the Henderson brothers; he died in 2010, aged 76.

The Ca na Catanach

Ca na Catanach

Ca na Catanach is a road and footpath between Sutherland and Caithness in the northeastern Scottish Highlands. Noted as a medieval drovers' road by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, it is also a Heritage Path. Its start point is at Dorrery Lodge and it ends...

 is a 35 km (21.7 mi) medieval road and drovers' road with a footpath between Dorrery

Dorrery

Dorrery is a small hamlet lying to the east of Ben Dorrery in the district of Halkirk in Caithness, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.Ca na Catanach is a medieval road that stretches between Dorrery Lodge and Achentoul....

 Lodge and the north end of Achentoul.

Kinbrace Hill (also known as Kinbrace Farm or Achentoul Forest) is noted by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government 'sponsored' [financed and with oversight] through Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government...

 for a long, chambered cairn

Cairn

Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...

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