Killiecrankie & its history.
About the hotel
The Killiecrankie Hotel was originally built as a private country residence for a local Church minister in 1840 and was converted into an hotel in 1939. It was taken over by resident owner Henrietta Fergusson in July 2007.
The Battle of Killiecrankie
In 1688, the Catholic King James VII of Scotland (James II of England) fled into exile when his son-in-law, William of Orange, disputed the throne. In Scotland, those still loyal to James raised an army to re-establish the deposed King, lead by Viscount "Bonnie" Dundee. At the ensuing Battle of Killiecrankie on the 27th July 1689, the loyalist Jacobites routed William's Protestant army but Bonnie Dundee was killed that day and his remaining army was subsequently defeated at Dunkeld one month later.
The story of "Soldier's Leap"
About a minute's walk from the hotel is the site of one of the best-known tales from the Battle of Killiecrankie that has been passed down into folklore. At the end of the battle, one of William's soldiers, Donald McBean, fled for his life and leapt the 18 feet across the rocks to the other side of the River Garry to escape the pursuing Highlanders. He did apparently live to tell the tale but during his leap, he lost his shoe and his sword to the raging river below. We have adopted the image of the leaping McBean for the hotel's logo.
