Garelochhead
Encyclopedia
Gare Loch
The Gare Loch or Gareloch is a sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.-Geography:A sea loch aligned north-south, Gare Loch is 10 kilometres long with an average width of 1.5 kilometres. At its southern end it opens into the Firth of Clyde through the Rhu narrows...
in Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
, 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...
. It is the nearest village to the HMNB Clyde
HMNB Clyde
Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy...
naval base.
Garelochhead lies at the head of the Gare Loch, 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Helensburgh
Helensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
. Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
is a few miles to the east, and Loch Long
Loch Long
Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The sea loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles in length, with a width of between one and two miles...
to the west. The scenic beauty of the loch
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
is only slightly marred by the presence of the HMNB Clyde
HMNB Clyde
Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy...
submarine base
Submarine base
A submarine base is a military base that shelters submarines and their personnel.Examples of present-day submarine bases include HMNB Clyde, Île Longue , Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Naval Submarine Base New London, and Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base .The Israeli navy bases its growing submarine...
and the associated semi-permanent 'peace camp
Peace camp
Peace camps are a form of physical protest camp that is focused on anti-war activity. They are set up outside military bases by members of the peace movement who oppose either the existence of the military bases themselves, the armaments held there, or the politics of those who control the bases...
'. In addition to the few local shops, pubs and churches, it has a bowling club and a well run Community Centre at the Gibson Hall. Garelochhead's 1,265 residents are served by Garelochhead railway station
Garelochhead railway station
Garelochhead railway station is a railway station serving the village of Garelochhead, on the Gare Loch, in Scotland. This station is on the West Highland Line and is a boundary station for SPT.- History :This station opened to passengers on 7 August 1894....
on the West Highland Line
West Highland Line
The West Highland Line is considered the most scenic railway line in Britain, linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Glasgow. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the iconic...
.
There is also a great new gallery featuring work by Scottish artists that opened late 2009.
History
Garelochhead, originally in Dunbartonshire, developed from the 1820s with the advent of steamerSteamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
cruising during the Glasgow Fair
Glasgow Fair
The Glasgow Fair is a holiday during the last fortnight in July in the city of Glasgow Scotland. 'The Fair' is the oldest of a number of similar holidays, dating from the 12th century...
holiday. Tourism was boosted with the opening of the West Highland Railway line to Fort William
Fort William
Fort William may refer to:In Canada:*Fort William, Ontario, a Canadian city which, together with Port Arthur, became part of Thunder Bay in 1970**Fort William , a related Canadian federal electoral district...
in 1894, and in the late 20th century its prosperity was linked to the deepwater oil tanker terminal at Finnart on Loch Long
Loch Long
Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The sea loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles in length, with a width of between one and two miles...
and the Faslane naval base. Garelochhead Forest lies to the south.
In 1854 there was a great dispute that became known as the Battle of Garelochhead fought between the locals, led by Sir James Colquhoun, and the passengers of the steamer Ship "Emperor". The trouble started when Colquhoun did not want trippers on the sabbath day. The battle was eventually won by the passengers, but undeterred Colquhoun took his case to the courts who subsequently banned sailings on Sundays.
Before Faslane naval base
Naval base
A naval base is a military base, where warships and naval ships are deployed when they have no mission at sea or want to restock. Usually ships may also perform some minor repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usually stay on the ships but are undergoing maintenance while...
was constructed during World War II, Garelochhead was a summer destination for people from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
who would arrive from the Gare Loch and spend time in one of the Garelochhead hotels. Following transport advancements, holiday makers stopped coming to Garelochhead. Faslane was built after this, and extended the town as workers settled in the area.
During the 1990s, two of the villages hotels, The Dahlandui and Garelochhead Hotel, burnt down in fires allegedly started by their owners due to the falling tourist attraction of Garelochhead but mainly due to the loss of trade due to the winding up of the construction of Faslane Naval Base.
In the last ten years, due to lack of attendance the local Roman Catholic Chapel has closed down with the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
Kirk in the village holding a combined congregation of both Protestant and Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
The Gibson Hall is commonly used as headquarters for cycle races round the Coulport peninsula, such as the Scottish Cycling national road race that was organised by Lomond Roads Cycling Club
Lomond Roads Cycling Club
Lomond Roads Cycling Club is a cycling club based in Clydebank, Scotland. The club was founded in 1933. Their current clubroom is in the Double L Centre, Jowitt Avenue, Clydebank.- Team colours :...
.
Notable residents include Norwich fundraiser Greg Lochhead, former Norwich City footballer Duggie Lochhead
Duggie Lochhead
Duggie Lochhead was a Scottish professional football player and manager.-Playing career:Lochhead played for Walsall, after signing from St. Johnstone...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
international footballer Tony Lochhead
Tony Lochhead
Tony James Lochhead is a New Zealander football defender who currently plays for Wellington Phoenix of the A-League.-Club career:Lochhead went to America to play college soccer for UC Santa Barbara in 2001...
.
Military
In addition to HMNB ClydeHMNB Clyde
Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy...
, there is also a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
training camp situated nearby, that was originally constructed in 1940 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Some 22,000 American servicemen were accommodated and trained at the camp prior to Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
.
Consisting mostly of recently-rebuilt Nissen hut
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
s and other Modular building
Modular building
Modular buildings and modular homes are sectional prefabricated buildings or houses that consist of multiple modules or sections which are built in a remote facility and then delivered to their intended site of use...
s that can accommodate up to 500 personnel, it is still often used by the military who carry out residential work experience for school pupils and for training exercises by Territorial Army units and regular Army recruits from the Infantry Training Centre
Infantry Training Centre
The Infantry Training Centre is a unit of the British Army administered by HQ School of Infantry responsible for both basic and advanced training of Soldiers and Officers joining the infantry...
. The camp is also used by Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
as an operating base during protests at the nearby HMNB Clyde
HMNB Clyde
Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy...
.
There is an extensive Training Area in the surrounding region that extends up Glen Fruin
Glen Fruin
Glen Fruin is a glen in Scotland, adjacent to Loch Lomond.It contains the Fruin Water which flows into the loch, and a military bypass road, now the A817 road, known as the Glen Fruin Haul Road, which goes from the A82 up the glen and over the top of the hills to HMNB Clyde at Garelochhead...
to the west bank of Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
and along Loch Long
Loch Long
Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The sea loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles in length, with a width of between one and two miles...
through Glen Mallan to DM Glen Douglas
DM Glen Douglas
DM Glen Douglas is a NATO defence munitions depot in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, built between 1962 and 1966. As of 1989, it served NATO as a pre-positioned wartime ammunitions depot, storing around 40,000 tons of missiles, depth-charges, and conventional shells. It is now used only by the UK...
. It also includes the Ardgartan
Ardgartan
Ardgartan is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.A youth hostel run by the Scottish Youth Hostels Association operated for 70 years in Ardgartan until it was closed in 2002....
Forest on the opposite bank of the Gare Loch, which is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. The entire training area is some 8200 acres (33.2 km²) in area, with its highest point rising to some 700m above sea level and includes two parachute Drop zone
Drop zone
A drop zone is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes...
s. The Range complex
Shooting range
A shooting range or firing range is a specialized facility designed for firearms practice. Each facility is typically overseen by one or more supervisory personnel, called variously a range master or "RSO – Range Safety Officer" in the United States or a range conducting officer or "RCO" in the UK...
at Garelochhead is equipped for live firing up to platoon level, with additional grenade and mortar ranges. A satellite camp at Strone also includes a "Skills House" which is used for FIBUA training.