Ardgour
Encyclopedia
Ardgour is a district of Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...

 on Ardnamurchan
Ardnamurchan
Ardnamurchan is a peninsula in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, noted for being very unspoilt and undisturbed. Its remoteness is accentuated by the main access route being a single track road for much of its length.-Geography:...

 peninisula on the western shore of Loch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland....

, in Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...

 Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

The term Ardgour, together with Kingairloch, is applied to a large area of countryside around the village, from the Glensanda Superquarry
Glensanda
Glensanda was a Viking settlement at the mouth of Glen Sanda on the Morvern peninsula within south west Lochaber, overlooking the Isle of Lismore and Loch Linnhe in the western Highlands of Scotland....

, Kingairloch and Kilmalieu in the south and west (bordering Morvern
Morvern
Morvern is a peninsula in south west Lochaber, on the west coast of Scotland. The name is derived from the Gaelic A' Mhorbhairne . The highest point is the summit of the Corbett Creach Bheinn which reaches in elevation....

 and Sunart
Sunart
Sunart is a rural district and community in the south west of Lochaber in Highland, Scotland, on the shores of Loch Sunart, and part of the civil parish of Ardnamurchan...

 districts), up to Conaglen, Treslaig, Camasnagaul, Achaphubuil
Achaphubuil
Achaphubuil is a small crofting township on the A86 road, on the south shore of Loch Eil across Loch Linnhe from Corpach in Fort William. It is in the Highland Region of Scotland....

 and Blaich
Blaich
Blaich is a small village, on the south shore of Loch Eil on the A861 road, near Fort William, in the Ardgour area, Highlands of Scotland....

 in the north (bordering Glenfinnan
Glenfinnan
Glenfinnan is a village in Lochaber area of the Highlands of Scotland. It is located at the northern end of Loch Shiel, at the foot of Glenfinnan.- Glenfinnan Monument :...

).

The area is served by the A861 road
A861 road
The A861 road is a circuitous, primarily coastal, road in Highland, Scotland.The A861 serves the communities of the remote Ardgour, Sunart, Moidart and Ardnamurchan areas Although the ends of this road are only fourteen miles apart its total length is seventy miles.Route *junction with the A830...

. The easiest access from the south is via a short ferry crossing from Corran
Corran, Lochaber
Corran is a former fishing village, situated on Corran Point, on the west side of the Corran Narrows of Loch Linnhe, in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. There are three small settlements set apart from the main cluster of houses: North Corran, Clovullin and Sallachan.The Highland Council Corran...

; the alternative is a 40 mile trip around Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil. The ferries run every half hour until about 9 pm and cost £6.40 per vehicle for a single ticket . Foot passengers and bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....

s are carried free of charge.

Ardgour has formed part of the territory of the Clan MacLean
Clan MacLean
Clan Maclean is a Highland Scottish clan. They are one of the oldest clans in the Highlands and owned large tracts of land in Argyll as well as the Inner Hebrides. Many early MacLeans became famous for their honour, strength and courage in battle. They were involved in many clan skirmishes with...

 ever since the MacMasters were removed from the territory in the 15th Century. The current Laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...

 of Ardgour, Robin Maclean, is a MacLean by adoption. He is the nephew of the last hereditary Maclean of Ardgour - a Lady Laird - having changed his name by legal action.

Lairds

  • Donald Maclean, 1st Laird of Ardgour. The second branch of the Duard family, that of Ardgour, is descended from Lachlan Bronneach Maclean
    Lachlan Bronneach Maclean
    -Biography:Lachlan, seventh chief of MacLean, received the sobriquet of "Bronnach", or swag-bellied, on account of his corpulence. He was with his father on the fatal field of Harlaw, where he was made prisoner by Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar. During his captivity, he became acquainted with the...

    , the 7th Clan Chief, by a daughter of Maclean of Kingerloch. Having been born out of wedlock, he was, in consequence, brought up among his mother's people. In his attack upon MacMaster's house by night, he was greatly assisted by his maternal grandfather. He had three sons: Ewen Maclean, 2nd Laird of Ardgour; Niall Ban Maclean, progenitor of the MacLeans of Borreray; and John Ruadh Maclean, who served as tutor during the minority of John MacAllen, grandson to his brother Ewen. Donald also had a son out of wedlock, named Gillespig, or Archibald, of whom is descended the people called Clan Ewenraoch. Donald died before 1463, and was succeeded by his son, Ewen Maclean, 2nd Laird of Ardgour.

See also

  • Corran Ferry
    Corran Ferry
    The Corran Ferry crosses Loch Linnhe at the Corran Narrows, south of Fort William, Scotland.-Description:Operated by Highland Council, the Corran Ferry is one of few remaining mainland vehicle ferries in Scotland...

  • Crofting
    Crofting
    Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production unique to the Scottish Highlands, the Islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man....

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