Kilmory, Highland
Encyclopedia
Kilmory is a small crofting
(township
) hamlet on the north coast of Ardnamurchan
, western Scotland
.
to Achosnich
by way of Kilchoan
. All the roads in Ardnamurchan
are single track. There is an excellent view north from the junction with the B8007 to the islands of Rùm
, Eigg
, Muck
and Canna
. The road descends gently northwards, crosses the Achateny Water that drains Loch Mudle, passes through Branault and on to Kilmory, Swordle and Ockle
.
The branch road that enters Kilmory continues to its end at Balnaha Croft.
A rough track (access on foot only) leads to Kilmory Bay which is an excellent, sheltered bay with clear water, white sands and black, volcanic rock. It is one of the few sandy beaches on Ardnamurchan. Kilmory is overlooked by Dun
Mhurchaidh .
A prominent feature in Kilmory is the graveyard. This is said to be the site of the original "Church of Mary", and it is suggested that outlines visible under the grass are part of that structure. Also lying in the grass near the centre of the graveyard is a stone said to be the font stone from the original church. Locally tradition has it that this stone never dries. The graveyard is surrounded by largely circular dry stone wall.
There is a very impressive Standing Stone
in the field behind Branault. (NM526695) Whilst the age and significance of this stone are unknown it is interesting to note that it aligns, almost perfectly, with Ben Hiant to the SSE (528m, NM537632, the highest point in Western Ardnamurchan) and Sgurr Dearg (986m, NG443215) to the NNW, the high point at the western end of the Skye
Cuillin
.
There are twenty houses in Kilmory/Branault. , a population of thirteen occupies ten of these houses throughout the year. The other ten houses are used as holiday homes with six being available for short term holiday lets. The average age of the population is 68 years, with the youngest being 46 years.
This decline has been mirrored by a steady decrease in services. In the early part of the 20th Century there was a shop in Branault (Mathieson) and one in Kilmory; up until the 1970s there were weekly visits by two grocery vans(mobile shops)(Burgess from Kilchoan
and McColl from Acharacle
) as well as the Tuesday butcher's van (Cameron from Acharacle) and the Thursday butcher's van (Connel from Salen
).
In 2008 British Telecom threatened to withdraw the service from the one telephone box. the phonebox still works. Mobile phone
reception in Kilmory is very poor as is the terrestrial television
signal. There are neither mains water nor mains drains in Kilmory.
Kilmory school
closed in 1962 and the sub post office was closed in 2004.
worshipped in a wooden building set amongst trees to the east of the village whilst members of the Church of Scotland
worshipped in Kilmory Church which stands to the south of the village; services ceased here in 1989.
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....
(township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
) hamlet on the north coast of 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:...
, western 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...
.
Geography
Kilmory is reached by a branch road off the B8007 road that runs from SalenSalen, Ardnamurchan
Salen is a scattered village, overlooking Salen Bay to the south, which is an inlet of the westen sea loch, Loch Sunart, on the eastern end of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, in Argyll, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
to Achosnich
Achosnich
Achosnich is a hamlet in Acharacle, Argyle within the Scottish council area of Highland. It is the nearest settlement to Ardnamurchan Point.Achosnich is located at the end of the B8007 road which is the major road of the Ardnamurchan peninsula....
by way of Kilchoan
Kilchoan
Kilchoan is a village on the Scottish peninsula of Ardnamurchan, in Lochaber, Highland. It is the most westerly village on Great Britain, although several tiny hamlets lie further west on the peninsula .Kilchoan has a population of about 150.-History:Donaldson equates 'Buarblaig' Kilchoan (Cille...
. All the roads in 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:...
are single track. There is an excellent view north from the junction with the B8007 to the islands of Rùm
Rùm
Rùm , a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum) is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland...
, Eigg
Eigg
Eigg is one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an area of , it is the second largest of the Small Isles after Rùm.-Geography:The main...
, Muck
Muck, Scotland
Muck is the smallest of four main islands in the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It measures roughly 2.5 miles east to west and has a population of around 30, mostly living near the harbour at Port Mòr. The other settlement on the island is the farm at Gallanach...
and Canna
Canna, Scotland
Canna is the westernmost of the Small Isles archipelago, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is linked to the neighbouring island of Sanday by a road and sandbanks at low tide. The island is long and wide...
. The road descends gently northwards, crosses the Achateny Water that drains Loch Mudle, passes through Branault and on to Kilmory, Swordle and Ockle
Ockle
Ockle is a remote hamlet, situated on the northcoast of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.Ockle lies 6 miles northeast of Kilchoan on the sourthern coast of the peninsula...
.
The branch road that enters Kilmory continues to its end at Balnaha Croft.
A rough track (access on foot only) leads to Kilmory Bay which is an excellent, sheltered bay with clear water, white sands and black, volcanic rock. It is one of the few sandy beaches on Ardnamurchan. Kilmory is overlooked by Dun
Dun
Dun is now used both as a generic term for a fort and also for a specific variety of Atlantic roundhouse...
Mhurchaidh .
Archaeology
There is a very impressive Standing Stone
Standing stone
Standing stones, orthostats, liths, or more commonly megaliths are solitary stones set vertically in the ground and come in many different varieties....
in the field behind Branault. (NM526695) Whilst the age and significance of this stone are unknown it is interesting to note that it aligns, almost perfectly, with Ben Hiant to the SSE (528m, NM537632, the highest point in Western Ardnamurchan) and Sgurr Dearg (986m, NG443215) to the NNW, the high point at the western end of the Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
Cuillin
Cuillin
This article is about the Cuillin of Skye. See Rùm for the Cuillin of Rùm.The Cuillin are a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The true Cuillin are also known as the Black Cuillin to distinguish them from the Red Hills across Glen Sligachan...
.
Demographics
Like many other communities in the remote parts of Scotland the population of Kilmory has declined.There are twenty houses in Kilmory/Branault. , a population of thirteen occupies ten of these houses throughout the year. The other ten houses are used as holiday homes with six being available for short term holiday lets. The average age of the population is 68 years, with the youngest being 46 years.
Services
Kilchoan
Kilchoan is a village on the Scottish peninsula of Ardnamurchan, in Lochaber, Highland. It is the most westerly village on Great Britain, although several tiny hamlets lie further west on the peninsula .Kilchoan has a population of about 150.-History:Donaldson equates 'Buarblaig' Kilchoan (Cille...
and McColl from Acharacle
Acharacle
Acharacle is a township in Ardnamurchan, Lochaber, in the Scottish council area of Highland. The name comes from the Gaelic Ath Thorguil or Torquil's ford, following a battle in 1120 at a nearby ford across the River Shiel between the Celtic-Norse warrior Somerled and the Norse invader Torquil...
) as well as the Tuesday butcher's van (Cameron from Acharacle) and the Thursday butcher's van (Connel from Salen
Salen, Ardnamurchan
Salen is a scattered village, overlooking Salen Bay to the south, which is an inlet of the westen sea loch, Loch Sunart, on the eastern end of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, in Argyll, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
).
In 2008 British Telecom threatened to withdraw the service from the one telephone box. the phonebox still works. Mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
reception in Kilmory is very poor as is the terrestrial television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
signal. There are neither mains water nor mains drains in Kilmory.
Kilmory school
One-room school
One-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room...
closed in 1962 and the sub post office was closed in 2004.
Religion
Kilmory supported two churches. Members of the Free Church of ScotlandFree Church of Scotland (post 1900)
Free Church of Scotland is that part of the original Free Church of Scotland that remained outside of the union with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900...
worshipped in a wooden building set amongst trees to the east of the village whilst members of 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....
worshipped in Kilmory Church which stands to the south of the village; services ceased here in 1989.