Glenelg, Scotland
Encyclopedia
Glenelg is a village in Lochalsh, Highland council area, in western Scotland.
, on the main Inverness
to Skye road.
Its proximity to Skye meant that Glenelg was formerly of more strategic importance. Cattle reared on Skye were routinely made to swim to the mainland before being herded to market along the drovers' road to Kinlochhourn and on to the Lowlands.
Following the initial Jacobite rising
s, Glenelg was chosen as one of four sites in the Highlands
for a military barracks. These were completed in 1725 and a military road soon linked Glenelg to the rest of General George Wade's
road network. Ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the 1745 uprising, and not needed after the Highland Clearances
, the Bernera Barracks
are now ruined.
A person from Glenelg is known in Gaelic as an Eilgeach.
crossing, by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
in Troon, she is now operated by a local Community Interest Company. The ferry can transport six cars plus foot passengers on the open deck. Cars are turned on its unique hand-turned turntable. When the Ballachulish Bridge opened in 1975, she became the relief vessel for Corran
, Kylesku
and Kessock
, near Inverness.
Glenelg attracts tourists to the remains of two of the best-preserved broch
s (Dun Telve and Dun Troddan) on mainland Scotland.
for Ireland. Other such names include Banavie
, Banff
, Atholl
, Lochearn, Auldearn
, and show Gaelic settlers using the same migrant naming practice as gives us placenames such as New Caledonia and New York.
(known as Camusfeàrna in his books), is about six miles south west of Glenelg. The Sandaig Islands are a small group of islet
s just off the point in the Sound of Sleat
.
Geography
Glenelg is located by the Kyle Rhea narrows, where Skye is closest to the mainland. Road access is by the 339m Bealach (pass) Ratagain from Shiel BridgeShiel Bridge
Shiel Bridge is a village on the south east mouth of Loch Duich and confluence of the small loch in Loch Shiel and the River Shiel, in Lochalsh, Scottish Highlands and is in the council area of Highland....
, on the main Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
to Skye road.
Its proximity to Skye meant that Glenelg was formerly of more strategic importance. Cattle reared on Skye were routinely made to swim to the mainland before being herded to market along the drovers' road to Kinlochhourn and on to the Lowlands.
Following the initial Jacobite rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
s, Glenelg was chosen as one of four sites in the Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
for a military barracks. These were completed in 1725 and a military road soon linked Glenelg to the rest of General George Wade's
George Wade
Field Marshal George Wade served as a British military commander and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.-Early career:Wade, born in Kilavally, Westmeath in Ireland, was commissioned into the Earl of Bath's Regiment in 1690 and served in Flanders in 1692, during the Nine Years War, earning a...
road network. Ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the 1745 uprising, and not needed after the Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
, the Bernera Barracks
Bernera Barracks
Bernera Barracks is located in Glenelg in the West Highlands of Scotland. The barracks were constructed between 1717 and 1723 as part of a campaign by the British government to subdue the local population which had risen up in arms in the Jacobite Rising of 1715, and which would do so again in 1745...
are now ruined.
A person from Glenelg is known in Gaelic as an Eilgeach.
Ferry
Between March and October, a small vehicle ferry connects to Kyle Rhea on Skye, across the powerful currents of the narrows. The ferry used on the crossing since 1982 is the Glenachulish, the last turntable ferry in operation. Built in 1969 for the BallachulishBallachulish
The village of Ballachulish in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred around former slate quarries. The name Ballachulish was more correctly applied to the area now called North Ballachulish, to the north of Loch Leven, but was usurped for the quarry villages at East Laroch and West Laroch,...
crossing, by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
-History:The company was founded in 1885 by the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa.In 1902 the Ailsa yard fitted out the polar exploration ship Scotia for the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-04...
in Troon, she is now operated by a local Community Interest Company. The ferry can transport six cars plus foot passengers on the open deck. Cars are turned on its unique hand-turned turntable. When the Ballachulish Bridge opened in 1975, she became the relief vessel for Corran
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...
, Kylesku
Kylesku
Kylesku is a small, remote fishing hamlet in Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. Until 1984, it was the site of a free ferry.-Village:Kylesku is located where Loch Glencoul and Loch Gleann Dubh join to form a sea passage Loch a' Chàirn Bhàin which links to Eddrachillis Bay...
and Kessock
Kessock Ferry
The Kessock Ferry used to ply between Inverness and the Black Isle, across the Beauly Firth. It was withdrawn on the opening of the Kessock Bridge in 1982.-Service:...
, near Inverness.
Attractions
The ferry is a tourist attraction in itself. The former structure of the Sandaig lighthouse has now been erected on the slipway to serve as a souvenir shop. Glenelg also offers the chance to ride The MacAskill, a very popular activity among locals and residents of the surrounding villages.Glenelg attracts tourists to the remains of two of the best-preserved broch
Broch
A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created, and belong to the classification "complex Atlantic Roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s....
s (Dun Telve and Dun Troddan) on mainland Scotland.
Etymology
Although the name nowadays refers to the whole district, it is likely that it originally referred only to the glen containing the brochs. The specific element of the name (Eilg) is found elsewhere, such as in Elgin (Gaelic Eilginn) and is generally accepted as being a kenningKenning
A kenning is a type of literary trope, specifically circumlocution, in the form of a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse and later Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon poetry...
for Ireland. Other such names include Banavie
Banavie
Banavie is a small settlement near Fort William in the Highland Council Area of Scotland. One of the closest villages to Ben Nevis, it is about 4 km north east of Fort William town centre, next to Caol and Corpach.It has been suggested that Banavie is one of the possible birth places of Saint...
, Banff
Banff, Aberdeenshire
Banff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Banff is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron...
, Atholl
Atholl
Atholl or Athole is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands. Today it forms the northern part of Perth and Kinross, Scotland bordering Marr, Badenoch, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth and Lochaber....
, Lochearn, Auldearn
Auldearn
Auldearn is a village situated east of the River Nairn, just outside Nairn in the Highland council area of Scotland. It takes its name from William the Lyon's castle of Eren , built there in the 12th century....
, and show Gaelic settlers using the same migrant naming practice as gives us placenames such as New Caledonia and New York.
Sandaig
The retreat of the author, Gavin MaxwellGavin Maxwell
Gavin Maxwell FRSL, FIAL, FZS , FRGS was a Scottish naturalist and author, best known for his work with otters. He wrote the book Ring of Bright Water about how he brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland...
(known as Camusfeàrna in his books), is about six miles south west of Glenelg. The Sandaig Islands are a small group of islet
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....
s just off the point in the Sound of Sleat
Sound of Sleat
The Sound of Sleat is a narrow sea channel off the western coast of Scotland. It divides the Sleat peninsula on the south-east side of the Isle of Skye from Morar, Knoydart and Glenelg on the Scottish mainland....
.