The Drovers Inn

The Drovers Inn stands at Inverarnan on the banks of Loch Lomond, where the loch narrows at the entrance to the Scottish Highlands. Established in 1705, the inn served the drovers who herded cattle from the Highlands to the markets of southern Scotland, providing accommodation, whisky, and refuge from the harsh Highland weather. The inn’s 300-year history has witnessed countless travelers, smugglers, Jacobite rebels, and tragic deaths, creating layers of paranormal activity that make it one of Scotland’s most actively haunted establishments. Multiple distinct ghosts manifest regularly, and the inn has embraced its haunted reputation, maintaining its wonderfully eccentric, Gothic Highland atmosphere.

The building’s most tragic and frequently encountered ghost is a young girl believed to have died in the inn during the 18th or early 19th century. According to various versions of the story, she was either the daughter of an innkeeper who fell from an upper window, a servant girl who tumbled down the stairs, or a traveler’s child who died of illness. She appears as a girl aged approximately 7-10 years old, wearing a white nightgown or shift, most frequently seen on the stairs and in the upper corridors. Witnesses describe her as appearing sad but not frightening, sometimes seeming to be lost or searching for someone. She has been seen walking through walls where doorways once existed, standing at the top of the stairs looking down, and once memorably, peering out of an upper window at closing time when all guests had left.

The phantom Highlander is another well-documented haunting. He appears as a bearded man in traditional Highland dress including kilt and plaid, sometimes carrying what appears to be a staff or weapon. This ghost is believed to be a cattle drover who died at the inn, either from illness, violence, or exposure after drinking too much and wandering into the winter cold. He manifests most frequently in the main bar area, near the fireplace, and in what were historically the sleeping areas for drovers (rough dormitory-style accommodation). Multiple witnesses have described seeing him sitting near the fire, appearing solid and real enough that staff have approached to take his order, only to have him vanish when directly addressed. The apparition has also been seen ascending the stairs and standing in the doorway to the bar, looking in as if checking to see who is present.

Additional ghosts include a woman in Highland dress seen in the older parts of the building, possibly dating from the Jacobite era, and the reported presence of a child who is heard but not seen—the sound of a child’s laughter or running footsteps echoing through empty corridors. Some accounts mention the spirit of a stableman or servant who appears in the areas that once housed the inn’s stables, though this manifestation is less frequently reported in recent decades as the stable areas have been converted to other uses.

The paranormal phenomena extend beyond visual apparitions. Staff and guests regularly report unexplained sounds: footsteps on the stairs and in upper hallways when no one is there, voices speaking in Gaelic or lowland Scots coming from empty rooms, the sound of furniture being moved in unoccupied areas, and most eerily, the sound of a young girl crying softly in the night, particularly on stormy evenings. Doors open and close by themselves with regular frequency—so common that staff barely remark on it. Items in the bar area move overnight: glasses found rearranged, bottles shifted, chairs pulled out from tables. One long-serving bartender reported arriving for work one morning to find every chair in the main bar pulled away from the tables and arranged in a circle, as if invisible guests had held a meeting.

Temperature anomalies occur throughout the building, with sudden cold spots manifesting in specific locations regardless of heating or weather conditions. The stairs are particularly prone to these cold zones, and many guests have reported an uncomfortable sensation of being watched or followed while ascending to their rooms. Some visitors experience overwhelming feelings of sadness or unease in certain rooms, strong enough that a few have requested to change rooms in the middle of the night. Electronics behave erratically, with phones and cameras malfunctioning in certain areas, and the inn’s own equipment occasionally failing in ways that defy technical explanation.

The inn’s resident stuffed animals—a bear and various Highland wildlife displayed throughout the building in wonderfully eccentric Victorian taxidermy fashion—are sometimes reported to have moved position overnight or to have eyes that seem to follow guests around the room. While these reports might be dismissed as imagination fueled by whisky and atmosphere, the consistency of descriptions from sober, independent witnesses gives them more credibility than one might initially suppose.

Guests staying overnight frequently report nocturnal disturbances: the sensation of someone sitting on the end of the bed, footsteps in the hallway outside their doors, knocking on doors when no one is there, and most unnervingly, the feeling of being touched or having bedclothes pulled by invisible hands. Room doors lock and unlock themselves, and some guests report finding their belongings rearranged in the morning in ways they’re certain they didn’t leave them. The sound of a party or gathering—conversation, laughter, the clink of glasses—has been heard coming from the main bar area late at night, long after closing, with staff arriving to investigate finding the bar completely empty and silent.

The Drovers Inn has appeared on numerous paranormal investigation programs and remains a pilgrimage site for ghost enthusiasts. The management embraces the haunted history, maintaining the building’s deliberately atmospheric décor—dark wood paneling, antique furnishings, candlelight, and wonderfully Gothic Highland ambiance. For guests, the inn offers an authentic Highland experience complete with the ghosts of those who traveled the drove roads centuries ago, forever seeking the warmth of the fire, the comfort of companionship, and the refuge this ancient inn has provided for over three centuries.