A little geography

As you can see, if you consult the two maps above, Tomich is a little isolated, as the road map shows it to be at the end of a cul-de-sac which even now houses only about one hundred inhabitants. The village is situated in the north of Scotland, well north of the capital, Glasgow. Inverness, the nearest and largest town in the region, is situated on the east coast, at the entrance to Loch Ness which is a glacial lake connecting with the sea.

The map position of Beauly is: 57 29N 4 29W

A little history.

We have found no trace of Tomich in the official history books, other than those on the important subject of: the Golden Retriever. The only story concerns Lord Tweedmouth and the purchase of Guisachan House.

In 1854, after a dinner at Guisachan, the owner at that time, a gentleman named Frazer, threw into the general conversation: "If someone gave me sixty thousand pounds, I would sell him the property tomorrow". The next day, the ex-owner tried to explain that he had only been joking and that it had not been a serious proposition. Lord Tweedmouth retorted that " a gentlemans word is his bond" and the deal was done.

 A little Internet

There are very few sites which speak of Tomich. Nevertheless, we have found some which deal with aspects of tourism in the region. You will find below, an extract from one of these sites, which we have left in it's original presentation. It is very interesting because it describes a hotel (the only one in Tomich) which has been created within one of Lord Tweedmouths hunting lodges.

A traditional stone-built building, it offers comfortable accommodation, with excellent food and drink.

The hotel was formerly the Victorian hunting lodge of Lord Tweedmouth's Estate in the latter half of the 1800's and the 'Golden Retriever' dog was first bred on the estate in the 1860s.
Many of the features of the original lodge have been retained, including the blazing log fires, which give the atmosphere a homely feel.

You can relax and enjoy afternoon tea or a fine malt whisky by the cosy fireplace in the lounge?

The friendly service and Highland hospitality make this a thoroughly enjoyable place to stay.

 Aujourd'hui . . .

Sadly, the main house has fallen to ruin, probably impossible to maintain due to its size, dispite the attempts of a builder to convert it into a hotel between the two world wars of the twentieth century. The photograph below shows the great size of this building, knowing that around 1860 it stood on an estate of 85 km2.

The house was bought back into the Fraser family in 1961 and so it remains to this day.

The Kennels

This building, which served as both kennels and stables (not forgetting the scottish ponies), has survived the ravages of time much better than the principal building. It is situated 500m from the ruins of Guisachan House, has changed hands and been restored; it now offers accommodation in the form of Bed & Breakfast.Bed & Breakfast.

 We end this visit with a sad photograph of the rear of Guisachan House.