Legendary Scotland

The Wee Hoose on Loch Shin in Sutherland isn’t all that it seems.

A nearby information sign tells the story of it being built in 1824 by poacher Jock Broon. Apparently, he taught the local laird to distil whisky, and received this little island as a thank you.

Jock decided to build a tiny house on his land – but he sadly died soon after, when he shot himself in the foot.

You can see pictures of Jock and his family on the information board – except none of them are real. They’re actually photos of modern-day local people, made to look like they were taken in the 19th century. What’s more, they all share their names with The Broons comic strip family.

The truth is that the Wee Hoose was made as a float for the Lairg Gala in the 1990s. Instead of breaking it up, it was placed on an islet in the loch.

A fake history was invented, and this very tall tale about a diminutive dwelling still fools people to this day – including the BBC when they featured Broon’s Hoose, as it’s also known, on Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs a few years ago.

Or perhaps producers were just doing their bit to keep this tall story about a tiny house alive.