TIMBER TRAIL

Activities, exhibitions and demonstrations bring the fascinating story of the timber industry to life..

The Steam Powered Sawmill

Visit our amazing replica of an original steam powered mill.  This mill is of the type that were once a common sight around the Highlands. Designed to be movable, these mills were positioned close to the timber extraction area to produce sawn timber from felled trees, before being moved on to the next area.

Watch the mill in action as the engine powers the giant saw blades – producing boards and posts. The sound, heat, steam and aromas of the engine and freshly cut pine will live with you for a long time.

The engine is a Marshall of Gainsborough, built in 1942 to help produce timber in the Second World War.  It is identical to the original engines which date from the late 1800’s.

At the Mill you can also meet Lex our good-natured Clydesdale Horse. We don’t work him too hard, (in fact he has a really easy time here), but you can see how horses were used to haul logs out of the woods for transporting to the mills. You will see how effortlessly Lex can pull heavy logs. It is worth remembering that these are small in comparison to the actual logs working horses would have pulled!

*Late March to late October

360 Panorama

Stop the image from spinning by clicking on it. Click and drag to pan left and right and to tilt up and down or simply use the Arrow keys on your keyboard. Press “A” to Zoom-In, “Z” to Zoom-Out. If you cannot see the panorama, please download the java player by clicking this link. . .