Lairg
Encyclopedia
Lairg is a village in Sutherland
, Highland
, Scotland
. It has a population of about 700and is situated at the south-eastern end of och Shin].
It is unusual in the northern Highlands, if not unique, in being a sizeable settlement that is not on the coast
. Its relatively large size for Sutherland is partly due to its having being provided during the 19th century with a railway station
(at ), on what is now called the Far North Line
, the hope being that it would "open up" the north-west of Sutherland. (The Far North Line links Inverness
in the south with Thurso
and Wick
in the north.)
The village is an important centre for sheep sales, and in August hosts the largest livestock auction
in Europe
.
The areas to the north and west of Lairg are very sparsely populated, crossed by just three single track road
s.
Current proposals reviewing rail routes to the north of Inverness
include the creation of a direct rail link to the town of Dornoch
via a new bridge and an old branch line, which would leave Lairg isolated on a circuitous alternative loop away from the main route. The idea is to enable very fast trains to serve the remote towns of Thurso
and Wick
in reasonable time, and establish a viable connection with the Caledonian Sleeper
at Inverness, to make business in these centres more viable, although reducing Lairg's connections to a "slow service" might well be detrimental to the local economy. However, given the huge costs involved in constructing a rail crossing over the Dornoch Firth and the complete lack of enthusiasm for the project from the Scottish government it seems extremely unlikely that this proposal will ever become reality.
lies on the picturesque Far North Line
, north of Invershin
and west of Rogart
. The station is managed by First ScotRail
.
The B864 road leads south and passes through the hamlet of Achany
. The A836 road
also runs south, parallel to this road and passes through the village of Achinduich
.
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
, 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...
. It has a population of about 700and is situated at the south-eastern end of och Shin].
It is unusual in the northern Highlands, if not unique, in being a sizeable settlement that is not on the coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
. Its relatively large size for Sutherland is partly due to its having being provided during the 19th century with a railway station
Lairg railway station
Lairg railway station is a railway station just south of the village of Lairg in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is on the Far North Line....
(at ), on what is now called the Far North Line
Far North Line
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick.- Route :...
, the hope being that it would "open up" the north-west of Sutherland. (The Far North Line links 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...
in the south with Thurso
Thurso
-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
and Wick
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
in the north.)
The village is an important centre for sheep sales, and in August hosts the largest livestock auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The areas to the north and west of Lairg are very sparsely populated, crossed by just three single track road
Single track road
A single-track road or one-lane road is a road that permits two-way travel but is not wide enough in most places to allow vehicles to pass one another . This kind of road is common in rural areas across the United Kingdom and elsewhere...
s.
Current proposals reviewing rail routes to the north of 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...
include the creation of a direct rail link to the town of Dornoch
Dornoch
Dornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east...
via a new bridge and an old branch line, which would leave Lairg isolated on a circuitous alternative loop away from the main route. The idea is to enable very fast trains to serve the remote towns of Thurso
Thurso
-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
and Wick
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
in reasonable time, and establish a viable connection with the Caledonian Sleeper
Caledonian Sleeper
The Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera....
at Inverness, to make business in these centres more viable, although reducing Lairg's connections to a "slow service" might well be detrimental to the local economy. However, given the huge costs involved in constructing a rail crossing over the Dornoch Firth and the complete lack of enthusiasm for the project from the Scottish government it seems extremely unlikely that this proposal will ever become reality.
Transport
Lairg railway stationLairg railway station
Lairg railway station is a railway station just south of the village of Lairg in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is on the Far North Line....
lies on the picturesque Far North Line
Far North Line
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick.- Route :...
, north of Invershin
Invershin railway station
Invershin railway station is a railway station in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is on the Far North Line.It is extremely close to the previous station on the line, at Culrain, situated at the opposite side of Invershin Viaduct, a major structure on the Far North line which...
and west of Rogart
Rogart railway station
Rogart railway station is a railway station serving the Parish of Rogart and the village of Pittentrail in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is on the Far North Line.-History:...
. The station is managed by First ScotRail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
.
The B864 road leads south and passes through the hamlet of Achany
Achany
Achany is a hamlet in Sutherland in the Scottish council area of Highland, Scotland. It lies off the B864 road to the south of the southeastern point of Loch Shin and south of Lairg...
. The A836 road
A836 road
The A836 road is entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, and 129 miles long.It branches from the A9 near Tain and runs generally north through Bonar Bridge and Lairg, until Tongue. Between Lairg and Tongue the road is single track for 38 miles...
also runs south, parallel to this road and passes through the village of Achinduich
Achinduich
Achinduich is in Lairg, Sutherland and within Highland region and is in the Scottish council area of the Highland. Scotland....
.
People associated with Lairg
- Sir James MathesonJames MathesonSir James Nicolas Sutherland Matheson, 1st Baronet , born in Shiness, Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland, was the son of Captain Donald Matheson, a Scottish trader in India...
(1796–1878), entrepreneur - Stuart Lockhart (Mayor)
- Rev. John Forbes (Free Church Minister)