A Bittersweet Legacy Etched in the Land
The land bears a poignant history—one marked by loss and resilience. During the Highland Clearances, Knoydart was emptied of its people. Around 1,000 residents were forcibly displaced to make way for what was then considered a more profitable pursuit: sheep farming.
Families were torn from their homes, livestock left behind, and entire communities dismantled. Many set sail for Nova Scotia aboard the St. Scillery, enduring harrowing conditions in search of a new life across the Atlantic. The echoes of their departure still linger here—the ruined stone walls, abandoned crofts, and silent glens are a quiet testimony to their absence, and to the enduring mark they left on this landscape.
Echoes of the Past, Foundations for the Future
Scattered across the hills and nestled by the rivers, the ruins of blackhouses, the ghostly lines of lazybeds (old potato furrows), and long-disused peat banks still stand—weathered but proud. As the seasons turn and bracken dies back, these remnants of a once self-sustaining way of life reveal themselves once more, momentarily reclaiming their place in the landscape before nature draws its veil again.
Knoydart Estate has a storied past, having passed through many hands—some bold, some fleeting. Over the decades, it has seen everyone from Nazi sympathisers to football managers, playboys to absentee landlords, all take their turn at the helm. But it wasn’t until 1999, with the success of the Knoydart Foundation’s Community Buyout, that the land was finally brought home—securing its future in the hands of those who live and work here.
Today, Knoydart is a thriving, cosmopolitan, and ever-growing community. The population has doubled in the past 20 years to around 140 residents and counting. The village now supports a nursery, primary school, post office, tearoom and pottery, canoe and wilderness adventure operators, a forestry workshop, skilled artisans—and, of course, The Old Forge, mainland Britain’s most remote public house.
Uncover the Secrets of Knoydart’s Storied Past
Discover Brocket’s Monument, a dramatic Victorian folly that stands as a curious echo of another era. Pay your respects at the cairn to the Seven Men of Knoydart, and reflect on their bold and final land raid—a pivotal moment in local history.
Ponder the tale of Lady Brocket, who is said to have flung her finest china into the loch in a fit of defiance or despair. Unravel the mystery of Odette Hallowes, a decorated war heroine, and delve into the secretive world of the S.O.E. training schools, where covert wartime manoeuvres once unfolded across this quiet landscape.
Knoydart may seem peaceful today, but its past tells a different story—full of drama, resilience, and rebellion. After all… it’s always the quiet ones.
Knoydart House is featured on 100 BEST GUIDE to cottages Scottish Highlands
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