Appin
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Appin village, at the seaward end of the Strath of Appin | |
Location within Argyll and Bute | |
• Edinburgh | 133 miles |
• London | 510 miles |
Council area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Appin |
Postcode district | PA38 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Appin (Scottish Gaelic : An Apainn) is a coastal district of the Scottish West Highlands bounded to the west by Loch Linnhe, to the south by Loch Creran, to the east by the districts of Benderloch and Lorne, and to the north by Loch Leven. It lies northeast to southwest, and measures 23 by 11 kilometres (14 by 7 miles). [1] The name, meaning "abbey land", in reference to Lismore Abbey, is derived from the Middle Irish apdaine. [2]
The district is mainly in Argyll and Bute, with a coastal strip to the north, along Loch Leven, within the Highland council area.
The scenery of the district is a combination of seascapes with rugged and mountainous country inland. Appin forms part of the Lynn of Lorn National Scenic Area, one of 40 in Scotland. [3] The principal hills are double peaks of Beinn a' Bheithir – 1,025 and 1,001 m (3,362 and 3,284 ft), respectively – and Creag Ghorm – 723 m (2,372 ft) – in the north, and Fraochaidh 879 m (2,883 ft), Meall Bàn 655 m (2,148 ft) and Beinn Mhic na Cèisich 638 m (2,093 ft) near the western flank of Glen Creran. The chief rivers are the Coe and Laroch, flowing into Loch Leven, the Duror and Salachan flowing into Loch Linnhe, and the Iola and Creran flowing into Loch Creran. [1]
The leading industries are forestry and tourism, with lead mining and slate quarrying being of former importance, but the Glensanda superquarry, in Morvern on the opposite bank of Loch Linnhe also provides local employment. Ballachulish, Duror, Portnacroish, Appin Village and Port Appin are the principal villages.
Appin was the country of a distinct local branch of Clan Stewart. [1]
The A828 road runs along the coast of Appin. A passenger-only ferry to the island of Lismore runs from Port Appin. The district formerly had a railway, but the Caledonian Railway company's branch line from Connel to Ballachulish was closed in 1966.
Appin is where the Appin Murder took place in 1752.
Firth is a word in the English and Scots languages used to denote various coastal waters in the United Kingdom, predominantly within Scotland. In the Northern Isles, it more often refers to a smaller inlet. It is linguistically cognate to Scandinavian fjord and fjard, with the original meaning of "sailable waterway". The word has a more constrained sense in English. Bodies of water named "firths" tend to be more common on the Scottish east coast, or in the southwest of the country, although the Firth of Clyde is an exception to this. The Highland coast contains numerous estuaries, straits, and inlets of a similar kind, but not called "firth" ; instead, these are often called sea lochs. Before about 1850, the spelling "Frith" was more common.
Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod. The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Councillor Jim Lynch.
The A82 is a major road in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Inverness via Fort William. It is one of the principal north-south routes in Scotland and is mostly a trunk road managed by Transport Scotland, who view it as an important link from the Central Belt to the Scottish Highlands and beyond. The road passes close to numerous landmarks, including Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe, the Ballachulish Bridge, Ben Nevis, the Commando Memorial, Loch Ness, and Urquhart Castle. Along with the A9 and the A90 it is one of the three major north–south trunk roads connecting the Central Belt to the North.
Lismore is an island of some 2,351 hectares in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The climate is damp and mild, with over 166 centimetres (65 in) of rain recorded annually. This fertile, low-lying island was once a major centre of Celtic Christianity, with a 6th-century monastery associated with Saint Moluag, and later became the seat of the medieval Bishop of Argyll. There are numerous ruined structures, including a broch and two 13th-century castles.
Argyll, sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area now forms part of the larger Argyll and Bute council area.
Loch Leven is a sea loch located onto the west coast of Scotland. It is spelled Loch Lyon in Timothy Pont's map of the area and is pronounced Li' un. However, the local Gaelic pronunciation is Lee' oon
The village of Ballachulish in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries, and now primarily serves tourists in the area.
Glen Coe is a glen of volcanic origins, in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the north of the county of Argyll, close to the border with the historic province of Lochaber, within the modern council area of Highland. Glen Coe is regarded as the home of Scottish mountaineering and is popular with hillwalkers and climbers.
Beinn a' Bheithir is a mountain south of Ballachulish and Loch Leven in the Scottish Highlands. It has two Munro summits: Sgorr Dhearg at 1,024 m (3,360 ft) and Sgorr Dhonuill at 1,001 m (3,284 ft).
Ardgour is an area of the Scottish Highlands on the western shore of Loch Linnhe. It lies north of the district of Morvern and east of the district of Sunart. Administratively it is now part of the ward management area of Lochaber, in Highland council area. It forms part of the traditional shire and current registration county of Argyll.
Glenachulish is a hamlet and glen which lie close to the village of Ballachulish in the Scottish Highlands.
The Appin Murder was the assassination by a concealed marksman of Colin Roy Campbell, the Clan Campbell tacksman of Glenure and Factor for the Forfeited Estates Commission, on 14 May 1752. The murder, which took place on the confiscated estate of Clan Stewart of Appin in Lochaber in the west of Scotland, was an act of violent resistance against the large scale clearances taking place on the estate during the aftermath of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The assassination led to the trial and execution of James Stewart of the Glens, often characterized as a notorious miscarriage of justice. The murder also inspired events in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novel Kidnapped and its sequel Catriona.
Clan Stewart of Appin is the West Highland branch of the Clan Stewart and have been a distinct clan since their establishment in the 15th century. Their Chiefs are descended from Sir James Stewart of Perston, who was himself the grandson of Alexander Stewart, the fourth High Steward of Scotland. His cousin Walter Stewart, the 6th High Steward, married Marjorie Bruce, the daughter of King Robert the Bruce, and their son Robert II was the first Stewart Monarch. The Stewarts of Appin are cousins to the Royal Stewart Monarchy.
Eriska is a flat tidal island at the entrance to Loch Creran on the west coast of Scotland.
National Cycle Route 78 runs from Campbeltown to Inverness. It was officially launched as the Caledonia Way in 2016 as part of the wider redevelopment of Scotland's cycle network. It runs from the Kintyre peninsula to the Great Glen and the route varies from on road to traffic-free forest trails and canal paths.
Benderloch is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The name is derived from Beinn eadar dà loch, meaning "mountain between two lochs".
Cuil Bay, meaning recess, corner, niche or nook, is a 237° facing, large sand and shingle coastal embayment with a semi-circular outline, on a chord of 2 km, situated on the south‐west part of the Ardsheal peninsula, on the southern coast of the sea loch of Loch Linnhe, in the parish of Lismore and Appin, within the council area of Lochaber in Scotland. It was formerly part of Argyll and Bute before boundary changes occurred. The bay is situated adjacent to the village of Duror. The bay is reached by a small road that leads from the Duror Primary School, leaving the main A828 road, following the line of the River Duror, as it races to meet the sea, before opening out into a vista of a long shore of meadows and sea-grasses as the land meets the bay proper.
Duror, occasionally Duror of Appin, is a small, remote coastal village that sits at the base of Glen Duror, in district of Appin, in the Scottish West Highlands, within the council area of Argyll and Bute in Scotland. Duror is known for the first building of the Telford Parliamentary churches by the Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, Thomas Telford, from 1826, the first in a series of 32, built in Scotland. William Thomson was the architect. Duror is the location of the famous Appin Murder. Although no direct evidence for this connection exists, the murder event and the kidnap of James Annesley, supposedly provided the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson writing the novel Kidnapped.