Today, Inchconnachan remains something of a testament to the countess' quirks.Īfter marrying Sir Arthur Gore, the 8th Earl of Arran, in 1937, Colquhoun became the Countess of Arran. 'From all accounts, was a quirky character,' said Carron Tobin, the former executive director at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. And after becoming the first woman to travel faster than 100mph on water by hitting a blistering 103mph on Lake Windermere in 1980, she was awarded the esteemed Segrave Trophy, which is given to Britons demonstrating 'outstanding skill, courage and initiative on land, water and in the air'. She would eventually earn the nickname 'the fastest granny on water'.

All three of these are now derelict the latter explaining my clumsy entrance.Īfter taking part in a powerboat speed trial aboard the racing boat Miss England III on Loch Lomond at the age of 13, Colquhoun's need for speed gathered pace. A member of the famous Clan Colquhoun – that, under Luss Estates, still own several islands and a stretch of the mainland on the west of Loch Lomond – Fiona Colquhoun fell in love with this hidden oasis and ordered a timber-framed holiday home, boathouse and pier for her personal use.

My left boot soon followed, thudding into the swampy grass on the remote island of Inchconnachan, the former summertime playground of one Fiona Bryde Gore (née Colquhoun), Countess of Arran – and home to Scotland's only colony of wallabies.Īfter being enamoured by Inchconnachan for years, I had finally arrived on this uninhabited, 103-acre island in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park albeit in far less style than a certain Lady Arran would have done. With my rucksack dashed over one shoulder and one leg cocked over the dank bow, I clumsily hopped out and plonked my right boot straight into Loch Lomond’s bone-chilling water. There is no graceful way to exit a tiny inflatable vessel as it crashes against the shoreline in an unexpected seiche.

Granny in paradise free