Moy Estate is the seat of the MacKintoshes, a clan founded in the 12th century and involved in many of the most dramatic and turbulent episodes of medieval Caledonian and modern Scottish history.
The MacKintoshes first made their home on an island in Loch Moy at the end of the 13th century, and fought heroically for the doomed Jacobite cause at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. To this day Moy Hall still hosts the annual gathering of Clan Chattan, a mysterious confederacy of clans, which have occupied lands in the Highlands since time immemorial.
By the end of the Victorian era, Moy Estate was entirely self-sufficient, farming its own meat, having its own ice-houses and larders, and cultivating an extensive kitchen-garden, all supported by a staff of keepers, gardeners, maids, cooks, stable-hands, and ghillies.
The epiphany of the estate's realisation of the pre-war idyll of self-sufficiency and social bonhomie came in 1911, when King George V accepted the invitation of the laird, the MacKintosh of MacKintosh, to come and shoot grouse on the moor above the forest. The party of nine 'guns' shot 1400 brace of grouse.
The days of intense sporting activity are now over, and instead the estate has become a haven for wildlife and walking, set against a heady backdrop of forest, wild heather moor, farmland, mountain streams and, of course, stunning Loch Moy, just a five-minute walk from the cottage.
As a guest at TheHayloft, you are free to explore the wild wonders of the estate at your leisure. During your stay, depending on the time of the year, you may be lucky enough to encounter Roe Deer, Red Squirrels, Brown and Mountain Hare, Red Kites, Atlantic Salmon, and even the majestic Osprey, which nests and fishes in the area.
All around the estate are signs and symbols of ancient clan-pride and considerable wealth - 25,000 acres are simply waiting to be discovered.
