Arts and crafts & local history
Am Baile/The Gaelic Village
Presents a digital archive of the history and culture of the Scottish Highlands and Islands, including photographs, rare books and documents from archives, libraries, museums and private collections, contemporary art, films, together with interactive games and comics in a "Fun & Games" section. The site can be used both in Gaelic or English, thus providing Gaelic learners with an opportunity to improve their language skills. Browse by broad groups (Economy, Society, Places, Religion, Environment, People, and Culture), or search the entire site. A search for "Lochcarron", for example, brings up 34 matches including some old Crofters Commission Reports of the nineteenth century. This is a rich and most attractive resource, although searching for specific topics, people, or places, etc. is still a little bit hit and miss at this time, and search results would not always appear to be relevant to the search query.
http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/index.jsp
Asgard Crafts
Situated next to the Smithy Heritage Centre just outside Lochcarron (see separate entry below), Asgard Crafts reproduces artefacts of the Viking age using the tools and techniques of a thousand years ago. Regular demonstrations are held. Its shop sells a range of replica historical goods, including bone and antler combs, belt fittings, brass and copper items, head bands, bag straps, glass beads, as well as Viking pewter jewellery and other gift items.
http://www.asgardcrafts.co.uk/
Balnacra Pottery
The Web pages of local artist,
potter, art therapist, illustrator (and firefighter too!) Vicky Stonebridge. The
site provides a showcase for some of her work, and also has some fine
photographs of local scenery.
http://www.balnacra.com/
Gairloch Heritage Museum
Lochcarron to Gairloch (via Achnasheen, Kinlochewe, and along Loch Maree) is about 50 miles, and if you are heading in that direction a visit to the Gairloch Heritage Museum is well worth it. Housed in a complex of old farm buildings, it will take you on a journey through time showing how local people lived and worked in the Gairloch area from the earliest times. The museum has much to offer for both the casual visitor as well as the more serious student of history and Highland life. Families and children will enjoy the working models, quizzes and hands-on activities, while researchers will find rich resources in the library and archives.
(Note: The library and archives are open Monday-Friday 10am to 5pm all year,
but by appointment only.) The Web site includes links to museum resources including archival and genealogical resources, and census records. The Museum also deals with family history postal enquiries, for which it makes a modest charge of £7.50 per hour for UK enquiries, or £9.00 for those from abroad.
http://www.gairlochheritagemuseum.org.uk/
Gramarye Studio
Annie Coomber Garayre's studio and workshop, located on a hilltop beside the village of Achmore near Stromeferry, produces original offbeat linocut prints and colourful papier mache items finished in fine papers. She also makes cards, tags and notelets, and gift packaging.
http://www.gramaryestudio.co.uk
Highlands
Open Studios 2007
Highlands
Open Studios (HOS) is a new collective of artists, craft makers, studios,
and galleries based in the Highlands region of Scotland, including a good
number in Lochcarron, elsewhere in Wester Ross, and in nearby Skye and
Lochalsh. HOS organizes an Open Studios event every year, which provides
an informal contact network for artists, gallery owners and makers, and
helps the public discover the wealth of creative talent throughout the
Highlands. This year's Open Studios event will be held from Saturday 1st
to Sunday 9th of September 2007. HOS also produces an attractive annual
catalogue and directory of Highland artists, published both in print and
online formats and accessible at this site. Each catalogue entry includes
name and full contact details, a short profile of each artist
– or description of studio, gallery, etc. – and a sample of
their work, together with participants’ opening times and directions for
finding them. A map facilitates finding artists in particular areas, some
of whom work in fairly remote locations. Almost a hundred artists are
listed in the 2007 Directory. A print version is available free of charge
on request, from info@highlandsopenstudios.co.uk.
http://www.highlandsopenstudios.co.uk/
Linguae Celticae
Hosted by Kurt Duwe, this is a Web site hosted in Germany (but with both German and English
text) devoted to modern Celtic languages. Linguae Celticae has published a series of detailed reports, all freely accessible/downloadable online, dealing with communities that were predominantly Gaelic-speaking at the end of the 19th century. The reports draw primarily (though not exclusively) on local population census data, and aim to shed light on the state of the Gaelic language – in all its dimensions, and even for very small geographical units – through the ages, from 1881 until today. They also analyse the impact of recent developments in education (e.g. teaching in Gaelic, and teaching of Gaelic as a second language) in primary schools throughout the region and where Scottish Gaelic is still spoken by a substantial part of the population. There are a total of 27 reports, plus a bibliography published as a separate volume; each report is extensively illustrated with charts, tables, and maps. This project is an astonishing tour de force and will be of great interest to local communities in Wester Ross and those elsewhere in the Highlands and Islands.
http://www.linguae-celticae.org/GLS_english.htm
Applecross,
Lochcarron and Lochalsh report:
Volume 10: Taobh
Siar Rois: A’Chomraich, Loch Carrann & Loch Aillse (Wester Ross:
Applecross, Lochcarron & Lochalsh) 488Kb 57 pp. 2nd edition February
2006
http://www.linguae-celticae.org/dateien/Gaidhlig_Local_Studies_Vol_10_A_Chomraich_Loch_Aillse_Ed_II.pdf
Lochbroom and Gairloch report:
Volume 9: Taobh Siar Rois: Loch Bhraoin & Geàrrloch (Wester
Ross: Loch Broom & Gairloch) 604Kb 57 pp. Second edition January 2006
http://www.linguae-celticae.org/dateien/Gaidhlig_Local_Studies_Vol_09_Loch_Bhraoin_Gearrloch_Ed_II.pdf
To access reports covering other areas see Web site.
Michael Stuart Green - Painter & Printmaker
The Web site, with samples of his work, of Lochcarron-based artist Michael Stuart Green, a painter and printmaker whose subjects encompass landscape, architecture and the figure. The Web pages offer downloadable brochures in pdf format, and include links to galleries where his work is exhibited. Michael is also a graphic designer and has provided the designs and cover artwork for several reference resources on Africa and African studies published by Hans Zell Publishing. The cover designs are based on Dogon (Mali) art, culture and traditional architecture.
http://www.michaelstuartgreen.com/
Scottish Documents.com
Created by the Scottish Archive Network (SCAN), this is a marvellus resource for anyone interested in researching family history, or to find out more about famous Scots in past centuries. The site offers a freely accessible, fully searchable index of over 520,000 Scottish wills and testaments dating from 1500 to 1901. Browse or search the site by forename and surname, or go to advanced search where you can search by description - i.e. title, occupation, or place - by court/commissariot, or by period. A place search for "Lochcarron", for example, brings up 45 search results, listing surname and forename, the date of the document, a short description, and the court, in this case mostly the Dingwall Sheriff Court (be patient, the search can take a little while until the search results are displayed.) Thereafter, by clicking on to "More information" it will show additional information (where available) and/or a slightly fuller description, the number of pages of the document, and its reference/order number. You can purchase a high quality colour digital image of the document of your choice for only £5, by ticking the check box in the search results and which is then added to a shopping cart for online ordering and payment in a secure environment.
http://www.scottishdocuments.com/
Shards Stained Glass
Muirne Buchanan's stained glass studio, in the Old Schoolhouse at Arrina on the north of the Applecross peninsula, offers unusual stained glass suncatchers, with birds, flowers, fairies, sealife and wildlife themes.
http://www.shardsstainedglass.co.uk/
Statistical
Accounts of Scotland – Parish of Lochcarron
The two Statistical Accounts of Scotland, covering the 1790s and the 1830s,
are among the best contemporary reports of life during the agricultural and
industrial revolutions in Europe, and consist of accounts for all the
parishes of Ross and Cromarty, including Lochcarron. They provide a rich
record on a wide variety of topics: wealth, class and poverty, climate,
agriculture, fishing and wildlife, population, education, and the moral
health of the people. In May 1790, in preparation for the first account, Sir
John Sinclair, Baronet of Ulbster in Caithness, wrote to over nine hundred
parish ministers throughout Scotland asking them to contribute to a
Statistical Inquiry, by answering, as best as they could, a series of 165
(!) questions and queries respecting each parish. A second, similar survey
was undertaken in 1836. Transcriptions of the two accounts, digitally
transcribed from the original document, can be found at the Web sites below.
The first account, by the Rev. Mr. Lachlan Mackenzie, offers a fascinating
glimpse of life in Lochcarron in the 1790s; and the second account, by the
Rev. John Mackenzie, provides an equally interesting picture of the
Lochcarron community some fifty years later, surveyed under the broad
headings Topography and Natural History, Civil History, Population (and
habits of the people), Industry, Parochial Economy, and some other
observations. If you would like to look at the above documents in their
original format, you can do so at the EDINA Web site at the University of
Edinburgh.
The page images and text for the first and second
Statistical Accounts of Scotland are held in a database that has five main
areas, each of which is represented on screen by a tab. The service is
available free of charge to all users for the basic facilities of searching,
viewing and printing, and an enhanced subscription service with extra
features is available to bona fide researchers, but requires registration.
Searching and navigation is easy; if you want to view the first Statistical
Account for the parish of Lochcarron, first click on to Parish List in the
menu and tick whether you want to see the first (1791-1799) or second (1845)
account; select Ross and Cromarty from the County menu, and thereafter
select Lochcarron from the Parish menu, and then click on to the blue
‘volume 13 page 551’ link on the right, which will lead you to the
actual pages. The pages will load and open in a new window and from there
you can then view each page by clicking on ‘next page’ (or ‘previous
page’ etc.) as well as being able to toggle between normal and large page
size.
Main home page:
http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/
Description of the Statistical Accounts of Scotland:
http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/description.html
Alternatively, go by the direct route, by clicking here for the Lochcarron 1791-1799 account,
http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1791-99/Ross%20and%20Cromarty/Lochcarron/
or, for the 1845 account, http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1834-45/Ross%20and%20Cromarty/Lochcarron/14/107/
Note:
if you do not have direct access, scroll down the page and click ‘Browse
scanned
pages,’ and thereafter click
‘External link’ to load the appropripate pages.
Click the “bookmark parish” button on the left for future quick
access.
You can do the same for other nearby communities, for example (for 1791-1799
accounts):
Applecross
http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1791-99/Ross%20and%20Cromarty/Applecross
Gairloch http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1791-99/Ross%20and%20Cromarty/Gairloch
Glenshiel http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1791-99/Ross%20and%20Cromarty/Glenshiel
Lochalsh
http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1791-99/Ross%20and%20Cromarty/Lochalsh
The Studio Jewellery Workshop & Gallery
Goldsmith Susam Plowman's studio is in nearby village of Achnasheen from which she sells her jewellery and silverware, as well as ceramics, glass, and woodcarvings. She mainly works to commission specialising in fine stone set jewellery and traditional enamelling techniques both Cloisonne and Plique-a-jour. A recent addition is a new Cafe built onto the rear of the workshop. The site also offer some local history, and accommodation information for Achnasheen, a tiny village (pop. 28) served by the Kyle railway and sitting at the foot of Bheinn Fionn in Strathbran.
http://www.studiojewellery.com
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Business, services, and shops
CLiK Development
Based both in Aberdeen and Lochcarron, CLiK specialises in creating Web sites and e-business applications, offering Web design and hosting, including database driven sites, and Web sites with shopping cart and secure payment facilities, and online catalogues. The company is also active in the field of software development, database design and implementation, and the development of knowledge portals.
http://www.clikdevelopment.co.uk/
Highland Dreams Relocation Agency
Operating from the shores of Loch Ewe in the heart of Wester Ross, Nicola Taylor’s
agency provides assistance, practical advice, and dossiers of essential information for
those who feel stressed out with an urban lifestyle, and may be contemplating relocation
to the Wester Ross area of the Scottish Highlands. (Nicola Taylor is also the author of
the useful Live & Work in Scotland (Vacation Work Publications, 2001, £10.99; more
details at http://www.vacationwork.co.uk/index1.php)
http://freespace.virgin.net/nicola.taylor/
highland-dreams.htm
James Mould Business Services
A local enterprise offering a personalized service for small businesses in the Scottish Highlands. Services include Web site design - and advice on the use of the Internet as a promotion and marketing tool - data processing, and mail merge.
http://www.james-mould.co.uk/
Lochcarron and District Business Association
The new Web site of the recently established Lochcarron & District Business
Association offers a wide variety of information on the Lochcarron area and its
community— attractions, local services, leisure activities, and more, together with a
calendar of major events during the year. There is also a Local Diary (of day-to-day
events, meetings, etc. updateable by anyone with a password), and a searchable directory
of local business and community organizations, with full contact addresses, descriptive
information, and links to Web sites (where available).
http://www.lochcarron.org.uk/
Lochcarron Fire Brigade
Part of the Highlands & Islands Fire Brigade, Lochcarron has its own part-time fire brigade equipped with a small appliance and it has a wee fire station. As a small local unit it also does a great deal of work to raise awareness of fire prevention, which has recently included a campaign to make Lochcarron the first village in the UK to have smoke detectors fitted in every
home—for free! Local artist Vicky Stonebridge, who hosts this site (and see also
http://www.balnacra.com/ above), provides the gender balance in the seven member crew of fire fighters.
http://www.balnacra.com/fire/index.htm
The Lochcarron Library
The small public library in the Howard Doris Centre provides adult lending and reference
facilities, as well as maintaining a children’s library. The library organizes
frequent book promotional and reading events and competitions for children.
http://www.highland.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/libraries/yourlocallibrary/lochcarronlib.htm
Lochcarron School of English
A small language school that offers one and two week courses for students of all ages and
stages. Students live either in the home of the teacher or in another comfortable family
home. Teaching takes places every morning for three hours, and the rest of the time is
free for students to enjoy a holiday in this attractive part of the Scottish Highlands.
http://www.speakingenglish.co.uk/
Lochcarron Weavers/Lochcarron of Scotland
The Lochcarron Weavers have produced tartans for over three generations. Although their
headquarters are now in Galashiels, they still maintain premises in Lochcarron, which are
located some two miles from the village on the road to Strome, and where tartan is still
woven on the old looms. The shop offers a wide range of knitwear, tartan and tweeds, and
demonstrations of weaving take place throughout the year Monday to Friday, to which
visitors are welcome.
http://www.lochcarron.com/
Plockton High School/Ard-Sgoil A' Phluic
Secondary school pupils in Lochcarron take a 40 minute bus trip every day to get to their local school, the Plockton High School in the picturesque fishing village of Plockton in Wester Ross (see also
http://www.plockton.com/). The school serves a large rural rural catchment area and enjoys a reputation for excellence. It recently received a favourable report from HM Inspectors (see
http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/PlocktonHighschool.html
22 June 2004). One of Plockton High School's strengths is its extensive range of extra-curricular activities. For example, it is the home of the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music
http://www.musicplockton.org , which provides an opportunity for young Scottish traditional musicians to develop their skills. Performances are held regularly, and the Centre offers tuition in pipes, fiddle, accordion, clàrsach, piano, guitar, whistle, flute and both Gaelic and Scots song. And the school's Head of Computing and a team of school pupils, in association with a small local charity, are involved in a 'Computers for Africa' initiative that aims to bridge the digital divide in Africa by supplying computers and provide IT training in primary and secondary schools in rural areas of Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe. A school brochure can be downloaded from the Web site, and the site also offers video links with short presentations by members of staff.
http://www.plocktonhigh.highland.sch.uk/
Strathcarron Centre
The Strathcarron Centre (located in part of the Strathcarron Station building) incorporates a community Learning Centre specialising in rural skills training, a Visitor Information Centre with seasonal exhibitions, and a Post Office/Store offering public Internet access.
http://www.strathcarron-centre.com/
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Directories
Focus on Lochcarron
This is part of the “Undiscovered Scotland” online guide. The
pages on Lochcarron provide basic information about the village, local services and
facilities, and links to hotels, guest houses and self catering accommodation. It states,
rightly, that “Lochcarron tends not to feature prominently in guides to north west
Scotland, which is a shame.” Amen to that!
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/lochcarron/lochcarron/index.html
Lochcarron, Wester Ross, Scotland – Find
out all about it on the Web
Compiled by Peter Reynolds, this useful directory is the most comprehensive collection of
links about Lochcarron and, additionally, it offers a local email directory. It also
includes links to some photographs and descriptions, visitors’ impressions, as well
as zoomable maps of the area.
http://www.lochcarrondirectory.co.uk/
Wester Ross Facilities
A directory of local facilities (banks, beaches, churches, dentists, doctors, garages and
petrol stations, post offices, shops, etc.) in Lochcarron, Shieldaig, Torridon, and in
some other parts of Wester Ross.
http://www.wester-ross.com/facilities.htm
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Highland & Community Council Web sites/Community groups
Applecross
Community Council
The area of the
Applecross Community Council (or the Applecross Ward) is that part of the
Applecross peninsula south of an imaginary line from Fearnabeg to Tornapress
including up to Fearnamore and the Kishorn base, also known colloquially as
the Howard Doris site. This Web site includes the Minutes of the Community
Council’s most recent meetings, an archive of Minutes of past meetings in
pdf format (going back to 2004), the Chairman’s report for the year (at
this time for the 2006-2007 period), together with detailed information
about health care in the area. The site also features some striking
photographs by Judi Fish of the famous, or notorious, Bealach na Ba hairpin
pass which links Applecross from Tornapress/Kishorn and the Lochcarron area,
and which, at 626 metres/2053 feet, is the highest mountain road in
Scotland. (The alternative route to Applecross, which prior 1975 was only a
footpath, is the North coast road from Shieldaig, which is also a narrow,
exposed, single-track road with passing places.).
http://www.applecrosscommunity.org.uk/
Highland Council. Environmental Health Department, Inspection Reports
The Higland Council's Environmental Health department forms part of its Transport, Environmental & Community Services. A key goal of the section is to promote or enforce standards that preserve public health, public safety and protect the environment. This Web site lists businesses that have had food and premises inspections carried out since April 2005, most them reports relating to food hygiene and food standards. The pages for the link below are for Ross & Cromarty establishments, listed in alphabetical order by name. Clicking on any of them brings up the inspection report, with all references to regulations referring to the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995. From
http://195.173.143.171/prots/eh-inspections/eh-inspections-intro.htm
you can also view inspection reports for premises in other areas, for example in Inverness, or the Skye and Lochalsh area, or you can use the search facilities to find a particular establishment or business. These include hotels, guest houses, restaurants, food shops, bakeries, and butchers, and there also reports about care homes and schools that have been inspected. This is a very useful public service.
http://195.173.143.171/prots/eh-inspections/by-area/ross-&-cromarty-eh-establishments.htm
Ross-shire Waste Action
Network (RoWan)
RoWAN is a community group which aims to involve a
wide range of local people and organizations in improving waste management
in Ross-shire. It seeks to achieve this by raising awareness of the waste
issue, providing practical support to households and communities to reduce
waste, and by promoting more sustainable waste management. Building on the success of its initial
Waste-Free Households project, RoWAN is now undertaking a second major
venture, its Waste-Free RCV project. Based on the principles of the
Waste-Free Households project, RoWAN will work closely with the Highland
Council to offer a package of support to a much larger group of households
(approx 4,000) in Ross-shire. The Web site also has a useful A-Z of Waste
Minimization for different products and materials, with tips for recycling,
composting, donating to charities, safe disposing, and suggesting ways that will help to cut down
on waste.
http://www.rowanweb.org.uk/
Wester Ross Local Plan
The Highland
Council adopted the Wester Ross Local Plan on 29th June 2006. The Local Plan
covers the area from Achiltibuie in the north to Lochcarron in the south,
and sets in place the land use planning framework for the area for the next
five years. Print versions of the plan can be consulted at the Council
Service point in Lochcarron and Lochcarron Library (as well as Council
Service points and libraries elsewhere in Wester Ross)
http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourenvironment/planning/developmentplans/localplans/wester-ross-local-plan.htm
Interactive
Wester Ross Plan:
If you want to know what the Local Plan says
about a particular area, this online version allows you to create a
customised report at the click of a button.
http://gis.highland.gov.uk/localplansonline/westerross/lpol_westerross.aspx
Lochcarron
Settlement Area:
The plan for the Lochcarron Settlement Area (which
include maps showing draft land-use allocations such as housing) can be
found at
http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B1168E9F-A830-45B6-8464-3136B9FC4458/0/lochcarron.pdf.
However this is quite a
large pdf file of 3,728kb and may take some time in loading for those without broadband
access.
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Hotels & accommodation/Restaurants (in Lochcarron and nearby)
Airdaniar Croft Cottage
A traditional stone built croft cottage recently refurbished and now offering self-catering accommodation. The cottage is well equipped and is just off the Applecross coast road (8 miles from Applecross village) in a wonderfully secluded and tranquil setting, with stunning views over the Inner Sound towards Raasay, Rona and the Trotternish area of Skye. Other attractions include a walled cottage garden, a herb garden, and a wild garden with patio, furniture and barbecue.
http://www.applecross-coast.co.uk/
Allt-A-Chuirn Bed & Breakfast
Conveniently located at the west end of Lochcarron village - and just a few minutes walk from all local facilities - Allt-A-Chuirn Bed & Breakfast offers one spacious en-suite double bedroom. Evening meals, if required, can be provided by prior arrangement.
http://www.allt-a-chuirn.co.uk/
The Applecross Inn
A secluded Inn of great charm and character offering seven rooms (all with sea views and three en suite) and a lively bar. Its restaurant has deservedly earned several accolades for outstanding cuisine, among them The Good Pub Guide "Fish Pub of the Year 2003". Truly fresh seafood, most of it local, is its speciality, and the owner of the Applecross Inn is the appropriately named Judith Fish. Vegetables are also locally sourced, as are locally produced 'Gloucester Old Spot' pork sausages, made with herbs from nearby Tosciag.
http://www.applecross.uk.com/inn/index.htm
Attadale Estate & Gardens
A 32,000 acre estate, stretching from the south shore of Loch Carron to
Loch Monar. The estate has four holiday cottages to let and its beautiful gardens are open
to the public for a modest charge. The Attadale Gardens are renowned for some very old
rhododendrons, and there are also azaleas and rare shrubs in a woodland setting, together
with water gardens. Attadale is served by its own train station on the line to Kyle of
Lochalsh.
http://www.attadale.com/about_attadale.html
Aultsigh B&B
A modern bungalow offering bed and breakfast accommodation in a quiet road just above Lochcarron, with spectacular views over Loch Carron and the mountains beyond. One double, one family and one twin room is available. Residents lounge. Bathroom and shower room. A full Highland breakfast is provided to guests.
http://www.wester-ross.com/accommodation/aultsigh.htm
Bruaich Cottage
Enjoying fine views of the sea and the mountains across the loch, this former traditional croft house in the heart of Lochcarron has been extensively renovated, featuring ornamental fireplaces, wood panelling in the bedrooms, and an oil-fired Rayburn cooker in the kitchen--as well as a conventional electric cooker for the less adventurous! A virtual tour of exterior views and immediate surroundings, and views of the lounge, kitchen, and bedrooms of this property, is available on the site.
http://www.scottish-country-cottages.co.uk/uce/ccs?lang=en&view=details&action=referenceSearch¤cy=26&cottageRef=usw&go.x=20& go.y=7
Camusaluinn Self Catering Holiday Cottage
A traditional Highland stone cottage, formerly the village shop in Annat,
Torridon, and idyllically situated on the shores of Upper Loch Torridon. The cottage has been completely renovated and modernised into an attractive 2-bedroomed self catering property, with accommodation for up to four people.
http://www.camusaluinn.co.uk/
Carron Restaurant & Pottery
On the south shore of Loch Carron at Cam-allt, just outside Strathcarron, this family-run restaurant offers home baking and cooking, and combines this with running a pottery that has been established for more almost 30 years. There is also a gift shop and art gallery with displays of originals and prints by Scottish artists, along with weavings, other pottery, and ceramic work. The Carron Restaurant uses locally grown produce whenever possible, and all meat and fish dishes are freshly prepared on the
chargrill. Also serves vegetarian dishes.
http://www.carronrestaurant.com/
Ceilidh Place Hotel - Ullapool
The Ceilidh Place Hotel is some distance away from Lochcarron, but if you are heading further up north, towards Ullapool and Sutherland, this is definitely the place to stay. Recently, and deservedly, voted as the best hotel in the "Good for the Soul" category in the 2005 Hotel Review Scotland awards (see
http://www.hotelreviewscotland.com/hotel.asp?id=22
), the Ceilidh* Place describes itself as "a hotel in Ullapool at the end of the A835 and the centre of the universe." And it is a bit more too: unpretentious, laid-back yet homely, it is a meeting place for good food and drink (the cooking is wholesome and imaginative), good conversation, singing and dancing, and the hotel also houses what is probably the best bookshop in the West Highlands. It was started in 1970 as a small café at Broomview Cottage in West Argyle Street, by late Robert
Urquhart, who was born there in 1921. That is where it is still today, but over the years has grown into this rather unique establishment. The hotel offers 13 rooms, as well as accommodation in an inexpensive bunkhouse. Each of the rooms is named in honour of a contemporary Scottish writer, and an eclectic selection of books can be found in each of the rooms. You can browse the list of books on the Web site.
http://ceilidhplace.com/ceilidhplace/default.asp
*What is a Ceilidh?
Pronounced "Kay-lee", it derives from the Gaelic word meaning "a visit"; but it can also mean a party, a concert, an event with music, dance, poetry and story-telling, or, more commonly, an evening of Scottish folk music and traditional dancing.
Clisham Guest House & Tea Room
A small, family-run guest house - in the centre of the village, directly beside the shore of Loch Carron - with an adjoining tea room offering home baking. Recently redecorated from top to bottom and now very attractively furnished, Clisham has four guest bedrooms (two doubles with en suite bathrooms; and one double and one twin with shared bathroom, both with sea views), all with tea and coffee making facilities and TV. Residents lounge. A full Scottish breakfast is served. The tariff is £25 per person per night; children under five go free "provided they do not eat more than 10 sausages, 1lb bacon, and a dozen eggs for breakfast!"
http://www.clishamguesthouse.co.uk/
Creag
Ghlas Cottage
A self catering holiday cottage situated on a quiet side road at Slumbay, towards the west end of
Lochcarron village, which offers attractive sea views across Loch Carron and
the mountains to the south. It s convenient for local facilities of pubs,
restaurants and shops in the centre of Lochcarron village, which is less
than a mile away. Sleeps 4.
http://www.creag-ghlas.co.uk/
Doneve Scottish Self Catering Holidays
Offers two modern self-catering bungalows adjacent to each other in a quiet side road just above Lochcarron village, and thus benefiting from an elevated position with panoramic views south across Loch Carron towards
Attadale. “Strathardle” can accommodate up to seven people, while “Tarlogie” will sleep up to four. Download descriptive brochures about the two properties (in pdf format) at the site.
http://www.doneve.co.uk/
Gerry's Achnashellach Hostel
Gerry Howkins's independent hostel offers comfortable accommodation in a "hobbit-style environment" and in an idyllic remote setting. The property was originally built as two semi-detached cottages to house rail workers and their families when the West Coast Railway was created. The railway line is on one side of the hostel, the road on the other. Accommodation is available for up to 20 in three rooms, and there are two small family rooms and a common room with log fire. Fully equipped kitchen, small food store and drying room. Showers, blankets and duvets are supplied; sheets available for hire. The non-smoking hostel, which is open throughout the year, is located in Craig on the A890 between Achnasheen and Lochcarron, and is 2 miles east of Achnashellach railway station on the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh line.
http://www.gerryshostel-achnashellach.co.uk/
or
http://www.hostel-scotland.co.uk/hostels/index.asp?ID=61
Glenelg Inn
If you are travelling to the Isle of Skye on the Glenelg Skye Ferry (http://www.skyeferry.co.uk/, see also separate entry under
http://www.hanszell.co.uk/lochcarron.shtml#travel) stop at the Glenelg Inn for a good pub lunch; or stay overnight in one of the comfortable seven rooms (check out rotating/panoramic views of the bedrooms on the hotel's Web site), and enjoy excellent Scottish cuisine in the evenings. The hotel, originally an old coaching mews, is in a lovely setting, and during summer time you can have lunch in the garden, overlooking Glenelg Bay and the Isle of Skye. Bestselling travel writer Bill Bryson found it "sublimely cozy…an outpost of comfort and graciousness". The hotel is presided over by landlord Chris Main, who, in another hotel review, is described by Radio 5 DJ Nicki Campbell as "a sort of Scottish Basil Fawlty"-albeit in a more affectionate sense! Nearby, about a mile and a half south of the village (up a side road in a field, but well signposted) are the remains of the Glenelg Broch Towers, two defensive towers, Dun Telve and Dun Troddan, thought to have been erected about 2000 years ago and occupied by families of Picts, the ancient people inhabiting northern Scotland in Roman times.
http://www.glenelg-inn.com/
Glenview Cottage
Found in a picturesque valley surrounded by natural woodland and pine forests, Glenview (self-catering) Cottage enjoys uninterrupted views of largely unspoilt natural habitat rich in wildlife. Situated in the small rural hamlet of Achmore in Ross-shire, it is 7 miles from the village of Plockton. Glenview offers accommodation for up to 6 people (2 double bedrooms and 1 twin bedded room).
http://www.glenview-cottage.co.uk
Hill Haven Kinlochewe Bed & Breakfast
David and Lilah Ford's B&B in the small village of Kinlochewe, http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kinlochewe/kinlochewe/index.html
on the Wester Ross coastal trail, and set amidst the spectacular backdrop of the Torridon mountains. It is within walking distance to local amenities and the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve*. The accommodation comprises two double rooms and one twin room, all en-suite.
http://www.kinlochewe.info/
*Note: for Web sites on the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve see (among others):
http://www.snh.org.uk/nnr-scotland/reserve.asp?NNRId=15
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/248991
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/torridon/beinneighe/index.html
Island
Cottage
A self catering holiday cottage at the west end of the village, just
beyond Port na Criche. It offers
comfortable and well appointed accommodation in an attractive setting, and is
convenient for the local facilities such as pubs, restaurants and shops in the
centre of Lochcarron village, approximately 1½ miles away. The cottage
has 4 bedrooms and sleeps 5/6 people. Download a brochure on the site.
http://www.island-cottage-lochcarron.co.uk/
Kishorn Seafood Bar
Viv Rollo’s seafood
restaurant is located in Sanachan, near Loch Kishorn, on the A896 to
Shieldaig, and is about six miles from Lochcarron. Fully licensed, it
is open from early April through late September each year. All its shellfish
is locally sourced using sustainable methods of production or capture, and
includes Oysters, Prawns and Squat Lobster from Loch Kishorn, Mussels and
Queen Scallops from Lochcarron; and Crab, King Scallops, Lobster, Smoked and
Fresh Salmon are also obtained locally. These are all simply cooked and
served along Spanish lines. Its Seafood Platter is highly popular and has
recently won a ‘Best of Wester
Ross Award’ for 2006. The premises are open plan so customers can
watch and talk to the owners/cooks as their meal is prepared. Check out
produce and sample menus on the Web site, available in several
languages—enterprisingly, even in Polish, to serve the region’s growing
Polish community.
http://www.kishornseafoodbar.co.uk/
Ledgowan Lodge Hotel
The 3-star Ledgowan Lodge Hotel situated just outside Achnasheen (and see also http://www.achnasheen.uk.com/
below) was originally built as a hunting lodge at the start of the last century, but was then converted into a country house hotel retaining most of its original charm and character. The hotel has a functions suite for weddings and other special occasions and there are also conference facilities for up to 40 delegates. Each of the en suite bedrooms still convey the period look with antique wardrobes and dressing tables decorating most rooms, but combining this with a variety of modern amenities including bath with shower, hair dryer, TV with satellite channels, direct dial telephone, and tea and coffee making facilities. And for cognoscenti of fine Scotch, an antique showcase in the reception hall displays an extensive collection of rare malt whiskies.
http://www.ledgowanlodge.co.uk/
The Lochcarron Estate
Offers two well equipped self-catering lodges (10 miles south of Lochcarron, on the A896
road to Shieldaig) amidst magnificent scenery. Guided walking tours, fishing on the
estate, and deer stalking are also offered, and the estate organizes a series of art
courses during the year.
http://www.lochcarronestate.com/
Lochcarron Holidays
A well presented cooperative Web site and central letting agency for eight holiday properties in Lochcarron, with very full information (and pictures) on all the properties, most of them centrally located on the sea front. The site also offers information about local attractions and amenities.
http://www.lochcarroncottages.co.uk/
Lochcarron
Hotel
The village’s
main hotel, the Lochcarron Hotel, has been missing from these pages for some
time, but now has a new owner, Tracey Gough and family, and also has a
new Web site, and so we are glad to reinstate it. Formerly a drover’s inn (a wayside inn and watering hole for livestock traders), the hotel retains most of its traditional
character, with the original part of
the building dating
back to the 1880’s.
The hotel has ten rooms (all except one with private facilities), six of
which are at the front of the hotel and have fine views across Loch Carron
and the mountains beyond. A
bar menu is available all day from 12 noon to 9pm while the à la carte
restaurant menu is available in the evening from 6pm onwards during the high
season. Seasonal specials are available regularly and, where possible, are
sourced from local produce. The two menus are both available to
non-residents of the hotel, as is breakfast, which is served from 8-10am
seven days a week. Live music most weekends. Download the hotel’s
brochure at the Web site.
http://www.lochcarronhotel.com/index.htm
Lotta Dubh
Lotta Dubh is a modern family run bed & breakfast establishment in Ardaneaskan (6 miles from
Lochcarron), set amidst the stunning scenery of Wester Ross. Some rooms overlook the sea and the Cuillin Hills on the Isle of
Skye. It is an ideal base for hillwalkers and those wishing to tour the surrounding area.
http://www.lottadubh.co.uk/
The Old Byre, Arinacrinachd
The Old Byre is located at Arinacrinachd, on the Applecross peninsula (some 15 miles from Applecross on the coast road, or about 17 miles from Torridon), and offers stunning views over Loch Torridon and the mountains beyond. This self-catering accommodation is in a converted country byre and is suitable for up to four people.
http://www.wester-ross.freeserve.co.uk/Torridon/index_1024.html
The Old Manse
Offers luxury bed and breakfast accommodation in a recently refurbished granite vicarage, enjoying splendid views overlooking Loch Carron. The property is on the outskirts of Lochcarron, but within easy walking distance to the village shop, bank, and other amenities. Accommodation comprises two double bedrooms, two twin bedrooms, and one single ground floor bedroom, all with en suite facilities with toilet and shower or bath, tea/coffee making facilities, and TV. The tariff is £25 per person per night.
http://www.theoldmanselochcarron.com/
The Potting Shed Café & Restaurant
The Potting Shed Café & Restaurant, in the restored Walled Garden of Applecross House, has recently attracted the attention (and praise) of foodie writers. Less than half a mile from the sea, on the Inner Sound of Raasay in
Appelcross, it offers locally caught fish, an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit sourced directly from its gardens, shellfish caught with their own boat, wild deer and organic lamb from the surrounding hills and crofts, wild mushrooms from the woods, as well as home baking. The Potting Shed Cafe & Restaurant can also provide a highly romantic venue for Highland weddings, and it holds a licence for civil marriage ceremonies.
http://www.eatinthewalledgarden.co.uk/
The Rockvilla Hotel and Restaurant
Now under new owners Peter and Wendy Bartlett, this small hotel is right next door to Glais
Bheinn, offering comfortable accommodation in the centre of the village. The rooms have fine views overlooking the loch and the mountains beyond. The hotel’s restaurant is "Taste of Scotland" recommended, while regular “Theme evenings”, focusing on Chinese, Italian, and Mexican cuisine, are promised to start in October 2005. Bar meals are served in the lounge bar, which has a wide choice of single malt whiskies, and where traditional real ale, mainly from Scottish breweries, is served. A take-away service is also available.
http://www.rockvilla-hotel.co.uk/
Self-catering Holidays in Lochcarron, Wester
Ross, Scotland
Offers two self-catering houses in Lochcarron, and this site has also some very attractive
photographs, as well as some information on local history and a short guide to wildlife in
the area.
http://lochcarron.net/Default.htm
Stalker's Cottage
A traditional Highland stone cottage in very quiet rural position just outside
Lochcarron, but within a short distance of all the local amenities in the village. This self-catering accommodation sleeps two people, and is situated in open estate land approximately one third of a mile from the main road, enjoying very attractive views of the surrounding mountains.
http://www.stalkers-cottage.co.uk/
Taobh-an-Allt B & B
Elsa Ward offers comfortable bed and breakfast accommodation in a modern bungalow in a quiet semi-rural position above
Lochcarron, but within walking distance from all village amenities. The property is in an elevated position on a south-facing hillside and the two letting rooms enjoy stunning views across Loch
Carron, looking towards Attadale and the hills and mountains to the south.
http://www.elsas-bedandbreakfast.co.uk/
Tigh An Eilean Hotel, Shieldaig
This small hotel, in an idyllic setting on the shoreline of the picturesque village of Shieldaig on the southern shore of Loch Torridon, was the winner of the 2005 Good Hotel Guide 'Scottish Inn of the Year' award, and its restaurant enjoys a well-deserved reputation for the high quality of its cooking, offering sea food specialities and other local produce. The hotel has 11 en-suite bedrooms, most with sea views. The simple Shieldaig Bar is next door to the hotel and is open to non-residents from 11am daily. It sells beers on tap and a selection of quality wines, teas and coffees, home baking, light meals, and fresh local seafood. Live traditional music on most weekends.
http://www.stevecarter.com/hotel/rest.htm
Tigh Charran Self Catering Flat, Lochcarron
This brand new, and newly equipped self-catering flat is situated in an
elevated, and enviable, position on the south-facing hillside of Lochcarron, offering
panoramic views across the loch and the mountains. The property is fully furnished with
all the mod cons and provides comfortable accommodation for two people.
http://www.tigh-charrann.co.uk/
Visit-Lochcarron.com
Jim Mould's holiday letting agency with details and photographs of the various properties that the agency looks after (some of which are also represented with individual links in this section). Additionally, the site offers a variety of information about
Lochcarron, and things to do and see.
http://www.visit-lochcarron.com/
Waterside Apartment, Lochcarron
A self-catering holiday apartment centrally located in the village of Lochcarron, convenient to all local amenities, and with very attractive views across Loch Carron and the hills to the South. It contains three bedrooms and can sleep up to eight people. The site also offers some general information about Lochcarron, places to visit, etc.
http://www.lochcarron-waterside.net/
The Wee Campsite, Lochcarron
A small campsite located in the village, set one road back from the shore in private,
sheltered surroundings, with toilets, showers, and laundry facilities on-site. The
campsite can also cater for a limited number of caravans and mobile homes, with power and
water readily available on-site.
http://www.swanps.co.uk/campsite/campsite.htm
Top ^
The Kyle railway
Dingwall and Skye Railway
Ewan Crawford’s illustrated history of one section of the Highland Railway, opened in
1862 (then operated as the Inverness and Ross-shire Railways) which originally went as far
as Strome Ferry, until it was extended to Kyle of Lochalsh in 1897 (see next entry). The
site provides a chronology of the line’s development and a description of the route.
http://www.railscot.co.uk/Dingwall_and_Skye_Railway/frame.htm
Friends of the Kyle Line
The Kyle line is recognized as one of the world's most scenic railway journeys, from Inverness on the east coast of Scotland through to Kyle of Lochalsh on the west. The Friends of the Kyle Line was originally set up to save this historic railway from threatened closure, and its primary objective today is to protect and ensure a future for one of Scotland's most picturesque railway lines. The site provides a history of the railway and some interesting facts related to it. An arts and crafts shop on the Kyle platform helps to funds the activities of the Friends of the Kyle Line. Also housed in the buildings of Kyle railway station, and well worth a visit, is a Museum of railway memorabilia and an extensive collection of archival photographs.
http://www.kylerailway.co.uk/
Kyle of Lochalsh Extension-Highland Railway
An illustrated history of the Kyle or Highland Railway’s extension from Stromeferry
to Kyle of Lochalsh, which opened in 1897 (see also above entry) with a chronology of its
development and a description of the route. Until recently ferries crossed from Kyle to
Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye, but this has now ceased since the opening of the Skye
bridge.
http://www.railscot.co.uk/Kyle_of_Lochalsh_Extension_Railway/frame.htm
North by Northwest. Images of the Highland
Railway in Scotland Past and Present
From the Scottish Archive Network, this is an interesting online exhibition that
celebrates two of the most picturesque railways in the world, the Kyle of Lochalsh Line
and the Far North Line (to Thurso and Wick), and the impact of the Highland Railway on the
people, landscape, and economy of the Scottish Highlands.
http://www.scan.org.uk/northbywestmicro/index.htm
Top ^
Lochcarron community & local news
Born to be Wild
An interesting article from the Guardian reporting about the restocking of the river Carron by the Inverness College's Seafield Centre, headed by Bob Kindness. The river Carron flows for some 16 miles through the Wester Ross region that lies between Inverness and Skye, running from Loch Sgamhain down through the scenically dramatic Glenn Carron valley to sea level at Loch Carron. The area used to be prime salmon fishing country until stocks collapsed a decade or so ago, depleted by a growing number of predators such as otters and seals, while others believe that commercial salmon farming in the area and the spread of diseases to wild fish, also contributed to the decline. Despite, reportedly, a measure of scepticism among scientists and environmentalists, considerable progress has been made in bringing back wild salmon and sea trout to the river, and it is hoped that this will ultimately attract more visitors to the area and benefit the local community.
http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,1309317,00.html
Crafts in Scotland – Poetry on Silk project
Records the work undertaken by textile artist Heather Butlin, and an
innovative project which involved working with groups of adults and children in five
different locations on the West Coast of Scotland, including Applecross, Gairloch, and
Lochcarron. Participants came with a poem they had either written or chosen themselves,
and they were asked to create an image inspired by, and using the words. The poems and the
paintings from Lochcarron children can be found at http://www.craftsinscotland.co.uk/lochcarronchildren.htm,
and those by adults at http://www.craftsinscotland.co.uk/lochcarronadults.htm.
http://www.craftsinscotland.co.uk/project.htm
Lochcarron
Highland Games - 2008: Saturday 19 July, 11.30 to 17.00
The traditional Highland Games are colourful competitive events held in
towns and villages throughout the Scottish Highlands and also by Scots in
many countries abroad. Activities include tossing the caber, throwing the
hammer, chucking wellies, hurling haggis, tug-o-wars, as well as well as
more conventional track and field athletic events, for children and
grown-ups alike and for which prizes are offered to the best competitors.
The games are accompanied by playing of bag pipes, displays by Highland
dancers, and other entertainment or exhibits related to aspects of Scottish
and Gaelic culture. The Lochcarron Highland Games are always held on the
third Saturday of July each year (i.e. in 2008 it will be on Saturday 19
July). Held at the picturesque venue of the Attadale Estate (see also http://www.attadale.com/about_attadale.html),
they are run by the Lochcarron Highland Games Association and the proceeds
are used to provide support for local organizations, groups, and charities,
who are also given an opportunity to raise their own funds by running stalls
and sideshows. The Web site offers pictures and results from the 2007 event,
and the programme of events for 2008, (including prize money for the
different events), together with details of Lochcarron Highland Games
records and current record holders.
http://www.lochcarrongames.org.uk/
Lochcarron Primary School & Carron Times
This is the Web site of the local primary school, situated on the shores of Loch Carron in a spectacular setting. The site has some pictures of the school buildings, while a separate Highland Council site (see below) also provides access to the school's 16-page Handbook in pdf format. The school is well resourced with computers and the school children, as a demonstration of their Internet savvy, have recently launched the magazine
Carron Times, available in a print edition as well online at http://www.lochcarron.highland.sch.uk/news.htm, with a home page photograph of a dramatic sunrise over Loch Carron. Edited by Brandon Wilkins and a team of helpers, it offers pages on puzzles, sport, fashion, poetry, wildlife, and reports about school activities. Pupils also contribute drawings of teaching and administrative staff at the school, which includes a striking, Miró-like drawing of head teacher Anne Stewart!
http://www.highlandschools-virtualib.org.uk/school_info/lochcarron.htm
(Handbook)
http://www.lochcarron.highland.sch.uk/
(School site, still under construction)
Lochcarron, Wester Ross, Highlands of Scotland
This is Lochcarron's premier Web site, assembled and hosted by Alex Ingram, a TV cameraman and photographer based in the village. It presents a photographic tour of the Lochcarron area - and many places further
afield, including photographs from the Applecross peninsula and Skye - through a series of photo galleries and themed pictures, at least one of which changes each month. There is also a
"Pic of the day" which changes daily (and for which the complete archive is accessible), together with a variety of Lochcarron news. This is a most attractive site, which offers a nice blend of great photography of the region with pictures and news items of interest to the local community. More than 1,700 images are available here, and an added attraction is that the
"Pic of the day" archive now allows searching by date or image description. Search results show the ten most recent pictures relating to the search term.
http://www.lochcarron.tv/
Lochcarron. The Pictures of 2000
A selection of the news pictures by local photographer Alex Ingram of the year 2000, taken
in and around the Lochcarron area.
http://www.geocities.com/carronnach/2000.html
Sunrise over Attadale
Another Web page from local photographer Alex Ingram (see also http://www.lochcarron.tv/
above). This is a slide sequence of a spectacular sunrise over Attadale, on the opposite shore of Loch Carron, photographed from Lochcarron village.
http://www.geocities.com/carronnach/Sunrise.html
The Wayfarers Project
Set up by the Ross & Cromarty Heritage Society, the Wayfarers Project
encourages each of its 36 communities in Ross-shire to provide a multi-media account of
life in its community. The results, as they become available, appear on this site, and
will eventually be preserved on a CD. Each account is divided into seven broad categories:
Environment, Folk, Heritage, Places, Recreations, Societies, Work, and then grouped under
a range of sub-topics. This ambitious project is currently still in its early stages and
information for some communities is inevitably still quite patchy; and navigation (through
a series of pop up menus) could be a bit more user-friendly. Some searches for Lochcarron,
under various topics, come up with slightly puzzling or inappropriate results, or without
descriptive captions of any kind. Nonetheless, when completed this will be an enormously
valuable and rich resource.
http://www.wayfarers.net/
Top ^
Maps and weather
BBC Weather - Strathcarron
Local weather information from the BBC for the Strathcarron/Lochcarron area and other nearby locations in Wester Ross.
It includes a daily and 5 day forecast, providing a summary forecast for each day, maximum and minimum temperatures, wind (mph), visibility, pressure (mb), a sun index chart, and an indication of atmospheric pollution. For each day there are also sunrise and sunset times, and in summer a pollen index is included as well. The forecast is given in Celsius, but can also be viewed in Fahrenheit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=2285
Map of Lochcarron
From Streetmap.co.uk and the Ordnance Survey this is a map of Lochcarron. Each grid square on the map represents 1,000m and the map can be panned in any direction, zoomed out to give a wider view or zoomed in to give a more detailed view. (Note: if the URL below doesn't work go to
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/ and enter the IV548YB, or other IV54 postcode into the search box and tick "GB Place").
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=190660&y=839980&z=0&sv=IV548YB&st=2&pc=IV54+8YB
&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf
Map of Lochcarron
From multimap.com, this is another zoomable map of Lochcarron (Post code IV54 8YB) and neighbouring areas--albeit with misleading "nearest train station" and "motorway junction" information!
http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?
pc=IV548YB&GridE=&GridN=&scale=50000
&title=Map+of+Lochcarron+area&cat=des
Ordnance
Survey Maps One-inch 2nd edition, Scotland, 1898-1904 (Lochcarron &
Applecross)
These map
series, with parishes shown in colour and 6"/25" sheet lines, were
published as indexes to larger scale mapping at six-inch and 25-inch to the
mile scales, and were intended to reduce the confusion that existed between
the two series. The extent and boundaries of civil parishes, incorporating
the (then) recent and extensive changes of the Local Government Act
(Scotland) 1894, are a striking feature of the maps, and will be great value
for genealogists and local historians. Click on to sheet 81 for Applecross
and sheet 82 for Lochcarron, both revised in 1894/5 and published in 1903.
Also of interest is Sheet 36, the Lochcarron & Dornie map for 1926-8,
64.3x83.6cm published as part of the Ordnance
Survey Maps One-inch "Popular" edition, Scotland, 1921-1930,
which can be accessed on the complete inventory of maps in this series at http://www.nls.uk/maps/early/os_scotland_popular_list.html
(scroll down the page and click on the relevant map). Other maps in this
series include Sheet 25 – Raasay & Applecross, and Sheet 26 – Loch
Maree and Achnasheen. All maps have “zoom in” (or out) features that
allow you to view the maps in considerable detail, and also enable you to
pan up/down and left/right.
http://www.nls.uk/maps/early/os_scotland_2nd_ed_list.html
Strathcarron/Lochcarron Weather
Another web site to check out the weather for Strathcarron and Lochcarron (the IV54 Post code). Provided by the Weather Channel, it includes weather maps in motion and a 10 day forecast. Accuracy of the forecasts would appear to be distinctly variable however, and frequently it seems to be stuck with "Light rain" or "Scattered showers" even when the sun is shining brightly! For example, on Wednesday 18 May 2005, a reasonably sunny day, it forecast "Rain" whereas the BBC Web site (see above) more accurately forecast that the predominant weather would be "Sunny intervals".
http://uk.weather.com/weather/local/UKXX1272?x=7&post=post&code=code&y=3
Weather - North-West Scotland
From the Met Office, check out the weather forecast for the North-West of Scotland here, including five day forecasts for certain areas, e.g. Portree on the Isle of Skye. From this site you can also access severe weather warnings - or early warnings of severe weather to come - for the whole of the UK, or by region, including the North-West of Scotland. This site enables you to view some interesting weather statistics, for example "Scotland Sunshine (total hours) Areal Series", from 1929 to the present; or you can do the same for Scotland rainfall figures, starting from 1914. The year of 1999 was the worst in terms of rainfall, by a considerable margin. You can similarly track down some statistics that relate to Lochcarron, for example that it enjoyed the highest temperature in the whole of the UK on 17 April 2003, a blistering 26.9 °C, and which was almost matched on June 26 of the same year. Bring back 2003! Less appealing is another statistic from the year 2002 when, on 21 February 2002, Locharron recorded the 6th highest 24hr rainfall in the UK of 66.2mm. (Note: for those interested in weather statistics, check out the informative local community magazine An Carrannach, which includes a Weather Record-Slumbay in each monthly issue, recording maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall in inches for the month, and providing comparative running total figures for the current and previous year)
http://www.met-office.gov.uk/weather/europe/uk/nwscotland.html
Top ^
Outdoor activities
& sport
Bealach-na-Ba Challenge
Set in a dramatic landscape, the Bealach-na-Ba (Gaelic, "Pass of the Cattle") is the UK's biggest road climb at 2,053ft (626m) from sea level in just 6 miles or 10km. It is a twisting single-track road with tight hairpin bends and steep gradients of up to 20%, and can be quite treacherous during the winter months, when it is frequently impassable because of heavy snow. The climb starts at Tornapress on the A896, a few miles to the West of
Lochcarron, and ends in the isolated village of Applecross (until the late 20th century the Bealach-na-Ba was the only road linking Applecross with the rest of the country). The pass has now become the focus of an annual cycling event open to competitors of all standards and ages (including "fat blokes"), who ride to achieve the best time they can, or simply do it as a challenge, and enjoy the wonderful scenery en route. It is not a race as such - the start is staggered in groups of 100 going off at two minute intervals - although detailed results are published for various categories of starters. The Web site has the results of the 2006 Challenge, event details, stories and pictures of some of the riders, and maps and details of the route: starting at Kinlochewe near Loch
Maree, and from there through Glen Carron to Lochcarron, up the main climb to the Bealach-na-Ba summit and then descend to sea level again at
Applecross; thereafter along the winding Applecross peninsula coastal road to
Shieldaig, and through spectacular, rugged Glen Torridon mountain country back to the finish at
Kinlochewe--a total of 90 miles (143km) and 9,630ft (2,935m) of ascent. The 2006 challenge, which attracted some 500 riders, was a highly successful event, and could well establish itself as a major annual event in Wester Ross in the coming years.
http://bealach-na-ba.co.uk/bealach-na-ba/index.htm
Bounci
TV
A
new Shinty Web site (replacing the previous Spòrs/MNE
Television-Shinty Online) with fully interactive video streams of
Shinty matches with audio commentary (in Gaelic, partly with
English-sub-titles) from Marine Harvest Premier League fixtures including
those by Lochcarron Camanachd http://www.lochcarronshinty.org.uk/.
The site also offers match reports and roundups of Shinty games and results
throughout in the Highlands, interviews with players and managers, team
profiles, and blogs. You
will require Windows Media player (or other) to view the videos. Allow
for 10 seconds loading time;
double click on videos to watch full screen. Picture quality – if using a
Broadband connection - is remarkably good.
http://www.bounci.tv/shinty/news.html
Lochcarron
Golf Club
Lochcarron’s nine hole golf course is located in a splendid
setting just outside the village and its grounds are partly along the shore
of loch. It measures 3,575 yards for eighteen holes and offers an enjoyable
challenge. The Standard Scratch Score and par score for the course is 60.
For more information about the course check out a virtual hole-by-hole tour
starting at http://www.lochcarrongolf.co.uk/hole1.php. The course is open
throughout the year with catering available (during the main season) at a
recently opened new clubhouse. The clubhouse is located adjacent to a public
car park and picnic area and is situated in a wonderful elevated position
overlooking Loch Carron and the surrounding hills, and with extensive views
over virtually the entire golf course. It boasts a large decked area at the
rear, which can be accessed through the lounge, offering an opportunity of
relaxing with refreshments 'al fresco'. It is open from April to October
when a wide range of snacks and meals at modest prices are served daily from
11am until 5pm.
http://www.lochcarrongolf.co.uk/index.php
Lochcarron
Sailing Club
Lochcarron has
a very active sailing club, which organizes dinghy and yacht races on Loch
Carron, a variety of social events on water and ashore, as well as RYA
certified training in dinghy sailing, power boating, and First Aid. The Club
has a Clubhouse and Dinghy Park and ten dinghies are available for the use
of members. The Lochcarron Sailing Club Commodore is local GP David Murray.
The Web site includes a calendar of events for the year, regatta results,
photos from past events and competitions, and more. The Club welcomes as
members both local residents and visitors. Classes of membership include
junior membership for those under the age of 18, individual and family
membership, and visitor membership valid for one month is offered for half
the annual rates (i.e. £20 for individual visitor members). A membership
application form is available at the Web site.
http://www.lochcarronsailing.com/
Lochcarron Shinty Club/Comann Camanachd Loch Bhraoin
The new Web site of the local Shinty Club. Shinty (or Camanachd in Gaelic)
is Scotland’s oldest team sport with its origins traced back to the early
Celtic heroic area, and it is played throughout the Highlands. Lochcarron is
one of the northernmost outposts of the game, and the Lochcarron Shinty
Club, founded in 1883, one of the oldest clubs in the West Highlands. Games
take place in the scenic setting of Battery Park in Lochcarron on most
Saturdays from early March to late October. Shinty is a fast-moving game of
considerable ferocity, with some semblance to lacrosse, Irish hurling, and
hockey, although the rules are significantly different. Shinty plays a huge
part in the life of the community, and most of its locally-based players are
drawn from the traditional occupations of the Highlands, fishing, stalking,
crofting and forestry. The Club’s Web site, in addition to fixtures,
results, membership information etc., includes pages devoted to the club’s
history and its achievements, current and archival photographs, links to
other Shinty clubs and to the Lochcarron community, and there is also a link
to an informative Wiki entry with the full rules of the game.
http://www.lochcarronshinty.org.uk/
Martin Moran Mountaineering
A Strathcarron-based family-run business offering mountaineering courses, holidays and
expeditions in the north-west of Scotland (as well as in the Swiss Alps and the
Himalayas).
http://www.moran-mountain.co.uk/
West Highland Hawking
Offers short courses for both adults and children (12 years and up, supervised by an adult) in the ancient art of flying trained falcons and hawks, either in the form of a two hour 'Hawk Walk' through spectacular hillside or along a loch side, flying the hawk in her own environment; or through a half day course that aims to help you understand the exhilaration of the closeness of these magnificent birds, and at the same time gain an insight into their training and handling techniques. It also offers a five day residential course (at
Hill Haven Kinlochewe Bed & Breakfast, see above) for people wishing to take up falconry.
http://www.westhighlandhawking.com/
Top ^
Pictures and images of Lochcarron & Wester Ross
Picsearch
Not as comprehensive and sophisticated as Google Image Search (see below), but if you want to quickly access a range of pictures about Lochcarron or other localities in Wester Ross or elsewhere in Scotland, Picsearch is a good place to start. Key in 'Locharron' into the search field and it will find 68 pictures and images, for each linking directly to the source and the URL, copyright holder, and providing information about picture dimensions, file and image size, and file type. For Shieldaig it finds 62 pictures, or over two hundred for both Applecross and Plockton. Picsearch is a free picture search engine that will very quickly lead you to pictures and images on the Web, on any conceivable object-people, places and countries (including maps), famous sights and landmarks, animals and wildlife, plants, writers, musicians, politicians, sports personalities, pop stars, cartoon characters, and much more. For example, find pictures of 2,190 parrots, 12,208 (!) dolphins, or access 379 pictures of Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, or 841 for David Beckham; almost 10,000 pictures, illustrations, and posters relating to the Harry Potter books; or 688 Pingu's, and over 300 Bart Simpson's or, if you must, view 957 pictures of Tony Blair. There are even 572 pictures for Haggis! There are help pages for searching, and conducting advanced searches, and Picsearch states that it also allows children to surf in safety as offensive material is filtered out by an advanced filtering system. (Note: If you want to use any of the pictures for use on your own Web site, you must obtain the appropriate permissions to use the image from the owners or copyright holders of the material.)
http://www.picsearch.com
Google Image Search
Google's Image Search is the most comprehensive on the Web, with more than 425 million images indexed and available for viewing. Google has even more images than Picsearch (see above) of Lochcarron, Shieldaig, Torridon, Gairloch, and many other Wester Ross locations - and over 3,000 for Haggis! - except that, for example for a 'Lochcarron' search, a large number of the images or photographs not only relate to pictures of the village of Lochcarron, or Loch Carron, but also to Lochcarron tartan, the Lochcarron Shinty Club, self-catering properties in Lochcarron, and people and personalities (e.g. a photograph of Councillor Ewen Mackinnon) in some ways related with Lochcarron. And in order to show you the most relevant results, Google omits some entries very similar to the first five or six pages it displays when showing the initial search results. Google Image Search also has sophisticated advanced search facilities (with different filtering options) and where you can refine your search terms.
http://images.google.com/
Top ^
Travel around Wester Ross, and online guides to its scenic beauty and history
Achnasheen, Wester Ross, Scotland
The tiny village of Achnasheen is approximately 42 miles north west of Inverness on the A832 where the road splits for Gairloch or Lochcarron. It sits at the foot of Bheinn Fionn in the wilderness of Strathbran, and to the west of the village, at the head of Loch a Croisg and Ledgowan, there are spectacular reminders of the Ice Age. The site has some views of the village and the area, with links to accommodation. It is a sparsely populated village, and the Web site tells us that when Queen Victoria visited the NW Highlands in the 1860's she arrived in Achnasheen by train from Inverness, she noted in her journal that apart from the Inn (The Station Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1995) there were only two cottages in the village. There are not many more now-Achnasheen has a population of only 28. and the local primary school has just 9 children.
http://www.achnasheen.uk.com/
Applecross Historical Society - Comunn Eachdraidh na Comraich
Applecross (18 miles from Lochcarron, over the famous Bealach nam Bo pass) was one of the earliest Christian settlements in Scotland. In the year 673 the Irish Monk Maelrubha founded his Christian settlement on the land between the river and Beinn a'Chlachain. He declared the surrounding area a sanctuary, and even today Applecross is known as A'Chomraich - the Sanctuary. Learn more here about the culture, history, and people of this remote peninsula, including its archaeology, genealogy, and Celtic Christianity. This informative site also provides access to the Newsletter of the Society, and includes details of hotels, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts, self-catering establishments, and camping/caravanning sites. The Society's Applecross Heritage Centre is well worth a visit.
http://www.applecrossheritage.org.uk
The Applecross Peninsula
Attempts to provide comprehensive information about Applecross, a tranquil
and remote peninsula in Wester Ross with some spectacular scenery. The site offers a tour
and a brief history of Applecross – one of the earliest Christian settlements in
Scotland, founded by the Irish Monk Maelrubha in the year 673 – together with
suggestions of things to do and places to visit, and practical information about
accommodation, events, etc. In addition to the annual Applecross Games, there is also the
famous annual Applecross duck race!
http://www.applecross.info/index.htm
Celtic Fringe: Your Guide to Wester Ross in
North-West Scotland
Produced by the Celtic Fringe Tourism Association, this is probably the most complete
guide to the scenic beauty of the Wester Ross. There is a great deal of practical
information how to travel around the region, which is described as “a land of lochs
and mountains, rich in myths and legends. A land where you can fill your lungs with
intoxicating fresh air and bath your eyes in the clarity of the pure atmosphere. A land of
stunning scenery. A land of constantly changing weather conditions, where you can witness
rain, snow and sunshine all in the same day.” The Celtic Fringe site also offers good
travel and transport information, including bus and railway timetables.
http://www.celticfringe.org.uk/
Eilean Donan Castle
Eilean Donan Castle, a short distance away from Lochcarron and near Kyle of Lochalsh, must be one of Scotland's most photographed monuments-and adorning many a biscuit tin of shortbread! The original castle was built in 1230 by Alexander II to protect ithe area from marauding Vikings. Several centuries later it became a Jacobite stronghold, but was destroyed by English warships in 1719 and abandoned in ruins after the bombardment. It was not until 1912 when work to restore it started, and completed in 1932 following 20 years of reconstruction. Today it attracts a very large number of visitors who can explore almost every part of the Castle from its banqueting hall to the bedrooms, as well as a recreated kitchen. Open all year, it includes a visitor centre, gift and coffee shop.
http://www.eileandonancastle.com/
Gairloch Online
A well-organized local portal providing extensive information about Gairloch for tourists, businesses and the local community. Gairloch (about 50 miles from Lochcarron) is made up of the villages and hamlets around Loch Gairloch from Red Point - which has a wonderful secluded beach - in the southwest to the Rua Reidh Lighthouse in the north. The site provides a short history of Gairloch, information about things to do and places to see, as well as including a photo gallery and virtual Gairloch tour. The site also offers the rather intriguing "A tale of two rivers" drawn from
New Scientist magazine, in which a reader asked "In the north-west of Scotland there is a place where a river divides. Part of the water from Loch na h-Oidhche flows into Loch Gairloch and part flows into Loch Maree... How can this happen? Surely the water will always flow in the direction of steepest descent and this direction is unique at every point?" Read the tale to find an explanation for this historical puzzle!
http://www.gairloch.co.uk/
Gille Dubh Bookshop & Restaurant
This bookshop and restaurant in a converted cottar’s cottage in
Inverasdale on Loch Ewe (nr. Poolewe, on the B8057) offers evening meals three days a
week, and sells new and second-hand books and original art. There is a useful six-page
listing of links to Scottish books, maps, and videos, covering outdoor activities, natural
history, local and social history, and books on food and drink.
http://www.highland-escape.co.uk/gille-dubh.htm
Glenelg-Kylerhea
Skye Ferry
While the much
disputed tolls on the Skye Bridge - opened in 1995 to replace the Kyle of
Lochalsh ferry - have now been abolished and you can cross the bridge at no
charge, there is a more adventurous, more scenic, and rather more romantic way
to travel "over the sea to Skye". This is via Glenelg and by the
ancient ferry route from Glenelg to Kylerhea, although it operates during the
summer months only (from April to late September; dates vary check Web site).
Formerly operated by Roddy Macleod, the Glenachulish – a small puffer, reputed
to be the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world – was recently
acquired by the local community, the Isle of Skye Ferry Community Interest
Company, with the support of a cash grant awarded by the National Lottery. The
ferry, which can carry only six cars at a time with standing-room only for foot
passengers, is now one of only two remaining ferries crossing the sea to Skye
(the other is the publicly subsidized CalMac route between Mallaig and Armadale.)
The Glenachulish takes just 5 minutes to cross to or from Skye; the ferry
crosses every 15 minutes when busy and every 30 minutes when quiet, from early
morning to evening (cost £8.50 for per car for a single crossing, with up to
four passengers; foot passengers pay £1, cyclists £1.50). The ferry sails from
a remote stone jet |
