Walk 18 to Genechal



The Ruin of Genechal



Track to Genechal



Lunch in the woodof Genechal



A good day and an easy walk with the backdrop tapestry of Lochnagar.



Blessed with sunshine and warm weather.Pete was even tempted to change his plan and visit the Duchess of Kents Cairn..twice! There must be a case for small fines of the yellow water for  navigational errors.!

A good day out that catered for everyone Well done Pete.

The Genechal ( pronounced Jenicle ) was built by Queen Victoria circa 1840 as a ‘retreat’ for herself while out hunting. It had two rooms at ground level, one for herself and the other for a caretaker tenant - each of which were accessed by separate front and back doors. Successive tenants brought up their families in their half of the building, with bedroom accommodation in the roof-space accesses only by a ceiling hatch, and they were forbidden to enter the Queen’s side of the house.

The building has a fascinating history but is now a sad ruin which the surrounding forest is rapidy consuming. In her diaries Queen Victoria describes once meeting a mysterious old woman there in 1849 who ‘looked like a witch’.



The last occupants of the Genechal were a family of McDonalds who, sadly, lost two of their adult children in the space of eighteen months and ended up having to bring up their six year old grand-daughter Annie, who was orphaned by this tragedy. With no other children close bye Annie led a solitary life playing and dancing with imaginary friends in the forest and when her situation came to the attention of the Queen she had a doll delivered to the cottage for the little girl to play with.

The house apparently was also a favourite of the then Prince of Wales who often picnicked there while out shooting in the area.