Aberfoyle, Stirling

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Aberfoyle
Main Street, Aberfoyle.jpg
The main street in Aberfoyle
Stirling UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Aberfoyle
Location within the Stirling council area
Population790 (2022) [1]
OS grid reference NN518012
  Edinburgh 49 mi (79 km)
  London 366 mi (589 km)
Civil parish
  • Aberfoyle
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town STIRLING
Postcode district FK8
Dialling code 01877
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°10′44″N4°23′06″W / 56.179°N 4.385°W / 56.179; -4.385

Aberfoyle (Scottish Gaelic : Obar Phuill) is a village in the historic county and registration county of Perthshire and the council area of Stirling, Scotland. The settlement lies 27 miles (43 kilometres) northwest of Glasgow.

Contents

The parish of Aberfoyle takes its name from this village, and had a population of 1,065 at the 2011 census. [2]

Geography

The town is situated on the River Forth at the foot of Craigmore (387 m or 1,270 ft high). Since 1885, when the Duke of Montrose constructed a road over the eastern shoulder of Craigmore to join the older road at the entrance of the Trossachs pass, Aberfoyle has become the alternative route to the Trossachs and Loch Katrine; this road, known as the Duke's Road or Duke's Pass, was opened to the public in 1931 when the Forestry Commission acquired the land.

Loch Ard, about 2 miles (3 kilometres) west of Aberfoyle, lies 40 m (130 ft) above the sea. It is 3 mi (5 km) long (including the narrows at the east end) and 1 mi (1.5 km) broad. Towards the west end is Eilean Gorm (the green isle), and near the north-western shore are the falls of Ledard. The loch's northern shores are dominated by the mountain ridge of Beinn an Fhogharaidh (616 m or 2,021 ft). Two miles (three kilometres) northwest of Loch Ard is Loch Chon, at 90 m (300 ft) above the sea, 1+14 mi (2 km) long and about 12 mi (800 m) broad. It drains by the Avon Dhu to Loch Ard, which is drained in turn by the Forth.

Toponym

Aberfoyle supposedly originates from the Brittonic Celtic, aber poll or aber phuill (Scottish Gaelic, Obar Phuill), meaning (place at the) mouth of the Phuill Burn (the Pow Burn enters the River Forth at Aberfoyle). Historically, alternative spellings such as Abirfull, Aberfule, Aberfoill and Aberfoil have been recorded before the current spelling became accepted by the 20th century. [3] The river-name is from either Gaelic poll or Brittonic pol, both of which mean 'pool, sluggish water'. [4]

An old milepost near Craigmaddie House. Notice the spelling of Aberfoyle. Milepost on A81 - geograph.org.uk - 988577.jpg
An old milepost near Craigmaddie House. Notice the spelling of Aberfoyle.

Industry

The slate quarries on Craigmore which operated from the 1820s to the 1950s are now defunct; at its peak this was a major industry. Other industries included an ironworks, established in the 1720s, as well as wool spinning and a lint mill.

From 1882 the village was served by Aberfoyle railway station, the terminus of the Strathendrick and Aberfoyle Railway which connected to Glasgow via Dumbarton or Kirkintilloch. The station closed to passenger traffic in 1951, and the remaining freight services ceased in 1959.

The above industries have since died out, and Aberfoyle is supported mainly by the forestry, industry and tourism. [5]

Tourism

Visitors were first attracted to Aberfoyle and the surrounding area after the publication of The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott in 1810. The poem described the beauty of Loch Katrine. Aberfoyle describes itself as The Gateway to the Trossachs, and is well situated for visitors to access attractions such as Loch Lomond and Inchmahome Priory at the Lake of Menteith. A tourist information office run by VisitScotland sits in the centre of town, offering free information, selling souvenirs and acting as a booking office for many of the local B&B's and hotels. Aberfoyle Golf Club was built in 1860 and is located just south of town near the Rob Roy restaurant. Aberfoyle is also part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. [6]

Aberfoyle is also home to the largest Go Ape adventure course in the UK, featuring the longest death slide, or 'zip-line', in the UK.

Historical figures

Visit the grave of the Rev Robert Kirk at the Old Kirk in Aberfoyle The Old Kirk Graveyard in Aberfoyle.jpg
Visit the grave of the Rev Robert Kirk at the Old Kirk in Aberfoyle

Aberfoyle has connections to many historical figures such as Áedán mac Gabráin, Rob Roy and Mary, Queen of Scots. A Life of the Irish saint Berach of Cluain Chairpthe has the saint travel to Eperpuill (Aberfoyle) to seek Áedán mac Gabráin's adjudication in a land dispute. [7] Robert Roy MacGregor was born at the head of nearby Loch Katrine, and his well-known cattle stealing exploits took him all around the area surrounding Aberfoyle. It is recorded, for example, that in 1691, the MacGregors raided every barn in the village of Kippen and stole all the villagers' livestock. [8] There currently stands a tree in the village that MacGregor was reputed to have climbed and hid in to escape the clutches of the law. Also, Mary, Queen of Scots, visited nearby Inchmahome Priory often as a child, and during her short reign. She also used the priory during her short reign, particularly in 1547, where she felt safe from the English Army.

However, the most local historical figure is the Reverend Robert Kirk, born in 1644. It was the Rev. Kirk who provided the first translation into Scottish Gaelic of the Metrical Psalms and then the whole Christian Bible, [9] however, he is better remembered for the publication of his book "The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies" in 1691. [10] [11] Kirk had long been researching fairies, and the book collected several personal accounts and stories of folk who claimed to have encountered them.

Use in fiction

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perthshire</span> Historic administrative division in Scotland

Perthshire, officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south; it borders the counties of Inverness-shire and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus to the east, Fife, Kinross-shire, Clackmannanshire, Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire to the south and Argyllshire to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Forth</span> River in central Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menteith</span>

Menteith or Monteith, a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the Teith and the Forth. Earlier forms of its name include Meneted, Maneteth and Meneteth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stirling (council area)</span> Council area of Scotland

The Stirling council area is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and has an estimated population of 92,530 (2022). It was created in 1975 as a lower-tier district within the Central region. The district covered parts of the historic counties of Stirlingshire and Perthshire, which were abolished for local government purposes. In 1996 the Central region was abolished and Stirling Council took over all local government functions within the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Katrine</span> Freshwater loch, reservoir in Stirling area, Scotland

Loch Katrine is a freshwater loch in the Trossachs area of the Scottish Highlands, east of Loch Lomond, within the historic county and registration county of Perthshire and the contemporary district of Stirling. The loch is about 8 miles (13 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at its widest point, and runs the length of Strath Gartney. It is within the drainage basins of the River Teith and River Forth.

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SS <i>Sir Walter Scott</i> Small steamship ferry service on Loch Katrine in the scenic Trossachs of Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trossachs</span> Area in the southern Scottish Highlands

The Trossachs generally refers to an area of wooded glens, braes, and lochs lying to the east of Ben Lomond in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The name is taken from that of a small woodland glen that lies at the centre of the area, but is now generally applied to the wider region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Ard</span> Freshwater loch in grid reference

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inchmahome Priory</span> Priory in Stirling, Scotland, UK

Inchmahome Priory is situated on Inchmahome, the largest of three islands in the centre of the Lake of Menteith, close to Aberfoyle, Scotland.

The Glasgow to Aberfoyle Line was a railway line in Scotland, built in stages, leaving the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway near Lenzie. Tourist traffic was a dominant part of the motivation for building the line, and road tours to the Trossachs from Aberfoyle formed a significant part of the traffic.

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Inversnaid is a small rural community on the east bank of Loch Lomond in Scotland, near the north end of the loch. It has a pier and a hotel, and the West Highland Way passes through the area. A small passenger ferry runs from Inversnaid to Inveruglas on the opposite shore of the loch, and also to Tarbet. There is a seasonal ferry that also operates between Ardlui and Ardleish as well, which is a walkable distance from Inversnaid. To reach Inversnaid by road involves a 15-mile (24-kilometre) route from Aberfoyle. Nearby is an alleged hideout of Rob Roy MacGregor known as Rob Roy's Cave. The cave is difficult to access, and is best seen from Loch Lomond, where there is white paint indicating the location of the hideout.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Chon</span> Freshwater loch in Stirlingshire, Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Menteith</span> Village in Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Finglas</span>

Glen Finglas is a glen in the Trossachs, in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It is an area of forest in Highlands of the former county of Perthshire, north of Brig o' Turk, close to Callander in Menteith. To the west is Loch Katrine.

The Strathendrick and Aberfoyle Railway was a railway line in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinlochard</span> Village in Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craigmore (hill)</span>

Craigmore is a prominent hill, 387 metres high, above the village of Aberfoyle in the council area of Stirling in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Elizabeth Forest Park</span>

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References

  1. "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usual Resident Population, published by National Records of Scotland. Website http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ retrieved Apr 2018. See "Standard Outputs", Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish 1930, Area: Aberfoyle
  3. McNiven, Peter E. (2011). Gaelic place-names and the social history of Gaelic speakers in Medieval Menteith (PDF) (PhD). University of Glasgow. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
  4. Grant, Alison (2010). Macleod, Iseabail (ed.). The Pocket Guide to Scottish Place-Names. Glasgow: Richard Drew Ltd. p. 24. ISBN   978-1-899471-00-3. OCLC   759569647.
  5. "Aberfoyle Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland".
  6. "About Aberfoyle". Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2007.
  7. Coleman, Keith (2022), Áedán of the Gaels:King of Scots, Pen & Sword, Yorkshire, pp. 5 - 7, ISBN   9781526794901
  8. Hood, John (2000). Old Aberfoyle, Thornhill and the Forth Villages. Catrine, Ayrshire: Stenlake Publishing. p. 3. ISBN   9781840331103. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  9. "Parish of Aberfoyle". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  10. Kirk, Robert (30 November 2006). The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies (hardcover ed.). New York Review of Books Classics. ISBN   1-59017-177-2.
  11. Hare, John Bruno (27 February 2004). "The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies" . Retrieved 14 August 2009.