Auchnahannet Croft

This abandoned Ccroft house at Auchnahannet reminded me of the Emily Dickinson poem, 'I know some lonely houses off the road'.

The short walk to reach it passes through an attractive little glen formed by the Achnahannet burn.(extra) Here the sandy soil is riddled by an extensive rabbit warren so that many of the birch trees are precariously perched over cavernous burrows. Rabbits dashed for cover as we walked. There was also a covey of beautifully marked partridges.

The croft house has been carefully padlocked and the windows covered in sheets of perspex either as an attempt at double glazing or protection against vandals. Peering through the windows we could see that the furniture remains, there are curtains, a window ledge collection of old bottles, plates on a draining rack - looking for all the world as if someone has just gone out to the shops.

The name Auchnahannet first appears in 1611 and the Roy map of 1747 and means 'the field of the chapel' - no trace of a Chapel remains.