The Wardlaw Mausoleum

I’m up in Kirkhill this weekend for tomorrow’s Inverness Half Marathon and have managed to get a bit of sightseeing in, along with the obligatory pre-race carb-loading. And, of course, I’ve been enjoying the fabulous company of fabulous friends. (And some fabulous cooking, too.)

After a quick nip out to Inverness this morning for parkrun, we all walked up to the old Wardlaw Mausoleum in Kirkhill to find a geocache and to have a wee nosey around the burial ground and mausoleum. My friends had all been before, so I was even more appreciative that they would take the time to see it again, and to let me explore. (Though it’s fair to say that the young boy would have rather stayed home with his Xbox. He’s a kid; I get it.)

The mausoleum was built in 1634 for Lovat and Frasier clan chiefs and was used by the Lovat family until the 19th century. It now stands as an A-listed building and an important part of local history. It can be accessed by arrangement with the caretakers – or by picking up the key at the Pilgrim Cottage next door if someone’s in. Once you have the key, you can climb up the extremely narrow wee bell tower, and you can also enter the main mausoleum building and crypt. (I did all of those things but didn’t take photos of the crypt as there were six deteriorating coffins in the space and I didn’t think it was appropriate to snap pictures of them.

Anyhow, I highly recommend you check it out if you’re in the area! And to entice you, here are some photos. But for me… I’m off to bed. After all, I’ve got a half marathon to run in the morning!