Boat of Garten

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Boat of Garten
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Boat of Garten
Location within the Badenoch and Strathspey area
OS grid reference NH949191
Council area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BOAT OF GARTEN
Postcode district PH24
Dialling code 01479
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
57°15′05″N3°44′33″W / 57.25129°N 3.74247°W / 57.25129; -3.74247

Boat of Garten (Scottish Gaelic : Coit a' Ghartain; originally: Garten) is a small village and post town in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland. In 1951, the population was less than 400; in 1971, it was almost 500; in 1981, it was almost 700, and the same in 2001. [1]

Contents

Toponymy

Boat of Garten is also known informally as "Osprey village", due to the significant population of Ospreys [2] in the area.

Etymology

The current name of the settlement, Boat of Garten, refers to the nearby site of the old ferry over the River Spey. [3] However, Pont's map of 1600 and Roy's map of 1750 named the location simply "Garten". [1]

Geography and Transportation

Boat of Garten is located between Aviemore and Grantown-on-Spey. It lies northeast of Aviemore, just north of Auchgourish and east of Kinveachy. Grantown is 7+1⁄2 miles (12 kilometres) away. [4] Loch Garten lies to the southeast of the village. To the east of the village is the small settlement of Drumuillie.

Situated at an elevation of 220 metres (720 ft) above sea level, [1] it lies 500 metres (1,600 feet) from the River Spey in the Cairngorms National Park. [5] Being close to the Cairngorm Mountains. [6] it is in view of the Lairig Ghru and the northern Braeriach corries. [5]

The area between Boat of Garten and Loch Garten is within Abernethy Forest National Nature Reserve, [7] Boat of Garten being on the forest fringe. [8]

Boat of Garten is also an intermediate station between Aviemore and Broomhill on the Strathspey Railway, originally part of the Great North of Scotland Railway, now run by the Strathspey Railway Company. [9]

Flora and fauna

Alyssum alyssoides , Cerastium arvense , Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Koeleria macrantha are found in the village, as are Juniperus communis , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi , Empetrum nigrum and Ptilium crista-castrensis . Rare fungi include Amanita virosa , Leucocortinarius bulbiger , Pholiota spumosa , Tapinella atrotomentosa , Cantharellula umbonata , Sarcodon imbricatus , Dentipellis fragilis and Hydnellum scrobiculatum . [10] Boat of Garten has also significant population of Ospreys. [2]

Landmarks

St Columba's Church was built in the summer of 1900, at a cost of £820, and the church hall was added in 1934. [11]

The village is also renowned for the nearby RSPB reserve at Loch Garten, [12] well known for ospreys. It is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east. [13]

The village features a golf course, originally designed by James Braid. Built in 1898, it was expanded in 1931. [8] It has been ranked as one of the top 35 courses in Scotland. [5]

The Community Company created a garden in 2002 and in 2013 two sculptures and an information hub commissioned by the community were installed in the Station Square, adjacent to the Community Garden. [14]

The remains of a medieval motte-and-bailey castle known as Tom Pitlac (or the hill of Bigla or Matilda) is located to the east of the village, adjacent to Drumuillie. [15] It is a scheduled ancient monument, and is believed to date from the 12th or 13th century, with a historic link in the 15th century to Bigla, a daughter of Gilbert Cumin, Lord of Glenchearnach. [16] Associated with the castle, to the south of Drumuillie was the Spey 'Miracle Stone', which commemorated a local legend in which the Spey river waters supposedly divided to allow a funeral to proceed to nearby Duthil. [17] [18] The commemoration stone was said to have been erected as a result of the Disruption of 1843. It was inscribed by one William Grant, and was erected in 1865 in memory of the wife of Patrick Grant. But as it was associated with scandal, the district residents destroyed it and threw it into the river. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badenoch</span> Traditional district in Scotland

Badenoch is a district of the Scottish Highlands centred on the upper reaches of the River Spey, above Strathspey. It is bounded on the north by the Monadhliath Mountains, on the east by the Cairngorms and Braemar, on the south by Atholl and the Grampians, and on the west by Lochaber. The capital of Badenoch is Kingussie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grantown-on-Spey</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Grantown-on-Spey is a town in the Highland Council Area, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Inverness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cairngorms National Park</span> National park in Scotland

Cairngorms National Park is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, which was set up in 2002. The park covers the Cairngorms range of mountains, and surrounding hills. Already the largest national park in the United Kingdom, in 2010 it was expanded into Perth and Kinross.

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

The River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At 98 mi (158 km) it is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom and the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. (The Tay is the longest with the Clyde third in Scotland. It is an important location for the traditions of salmon fishing and whisky production in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strathspey, Scotland</span> Region of Scotland

Strathspey is a region of the Scottish Highlands comprising part of the valley of the Spey. It includes the towns of Aviemore, Boat of Garten, Grantown-on-Spey, and Aberlour.

The Strathspey Railway (SR) in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland, operates a ten-mile (16 km) heritage railway from Aviemore to Broomhill, Highland via Boat of Garten, part of the former Inverness and Perth Junction Railway which linked Aviemore with Forres. It is one of only a handful of former primary/secondary main lines to be preserved in Britain today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrbridge</span> Village in Badenoch and Strathspey, Scotland

Carrbridge is a village in Badenoch and Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands. It lies off the A9 on the A938, west of Skye of Curr and southeast of Tomatin, near Bogroy. It has the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands and the nearby ancient pine forest contains the Landmark Forest Adventure Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtonmore</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Newtonmore is a village of approximately 1100 inhabitants in Badenoch, within the Highland council area of Scotland. The village is only a few miles from a location that is claimed to be the exact geographical centre of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abernethy Forest</span> Forest in Highland, Scotland, UK

Abernethy Forest is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest in Strathspey, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies within the Cairngorms National Park, close to the villages of Nethy Bridge, Boat of Garten, and Aviemore. The forest is an RSPB reserve, close to Loch Garten Osprey Centre, which is also owned by the RSPB. It is popular with walkers, as there are various trails throughout the reserve. The forest forms part of the wider Abernethy National Nature Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cromdale</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Cromdale is a village in Strathspey, in the Highland council area of Scotland, and one of the ancient parishes which formed the combined ecclesiastical parish of Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie in Morayshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nethy Bridge</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Nethy Bridge is a small village in Strathspey in the Highland council area of Scotland. The village lies 5 miles (8 km) south of Grantown-on-Spey within the historical parish of Abernethy and Kincardine, and the Cairngorms National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dulnain Bridge</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Dulnain Bridge is a village in Strathspey, next to the meeting of the River Dulnain and the River Spey, three miles south-west of Grantown-on-Spey, in the Scottish Highlands and the Highland council area.

The Strathspey Railway was a railway company in Scotland that ran from Dufftown to Boat of Garten. It was proposed locally but supported by the larger Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR), which wanted to use it as an outlet towards Perth. The GNoSR had to provide much of the funding, and the value of traffic proved to be illusory. The line opened in 1863 to Abernethy, but for the time being was unable to make the desired connection to the southward main line. Although later some through goods traffic developed, the route never achieved its intended purpose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviemore</span> Town in the Highlands of Scotland

Aviemore is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm Mountains.

The Strathspey & Badenoch Welfare Football Association is the governing body overseeing amateur Scottish Welfare football in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of Scotland. It is affiliated to Scottish Welfare Football Association and Scottish Football Association and has been running intermittently since its inaugural season in 1929–30. The winners on that occasion were the now-defunct Nethy Bridge F.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drumuillie</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Drumuillie is a small hamlet, which lies 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Boat of Garten and 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Aviemore in Inverness-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. The village is located at the centre of Abernethy Forest and just to the west of the River Spey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broomhill railway station</span>

Broomhill railway station or Broomhill for Nethy Bridge railway station is a reconstructed railway station on the former Highland Railway main line which was originally built to serve the small villages of Nethy Bridge and Dulnain Bridge in Strathspey. It is at present the eastern terminus of the Strathspey Steam Railway.

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

Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club based in Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey, Scotland, currently competing in the Marine Harvest North Division Two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dava Way</span> Trail in Moray, Scotland, UK

The Dava Way is a 38 km (24 mi) long-distance path that mostly follows the route of the former Highland Railway between Grantown and Forres. The railway line, built as a route between Inverness and Perth, opened in 1863 and closed in 1965. The route was reopened as a long distance path in 2005. It is listed as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot, and links directly to two further Great Trails: the Moray Coast Trail and the Speyside Way. It is currently the shortest of the Great Trails, but can be combined with sections of the Moray Coast Trail and Speyside Way to form a 153 km (95 mi) circular route known as the Moray Way. About 5,000 people use the path every year, of whom about 400 complete the entire route.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Smith, Robin; Lawson, Alan (2001). The making of Scotland: a comprehensive guide to the growth of its cities, towns, and villages . Canongate U.S. pp.  104–. ISBN   978-1-84195-170-6 . Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  2. 1 2 Else, David; Berry, Oliver (2005). Great Britain. Lonely Planet. p. 878. ISBN   978-1-74059-921-4 . Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  3. ↑ Gordon, Seton Paul (1951). Highlands of Scotland. R. Hale. p. 184. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. ↑ Reid, William (1895). Grantown and the adjacent country: a guide to Strathspey. pp. 45–. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "Welcome to the Boat of Garten Golf Club". boatgolf.com. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  6. ↑ "Welcome to Moorfield House". moorfieldhouse.com. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  7. ↑ Castle, Alan (2010). Speyside Way. Cicerone Press Limited. pp. 108–. ISBN   978-1-85284-606-0 . Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  8. 1 2 Campbell, Malcolm; Satterly, Glynn (1 October 1999). The Scottish Golf Book. Sports Publishing LLC. pp. 147–. ISBN   978-1-58382-053-7 . Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  9. ↑ "Family Heritage Railway Attraction in the Highlands of Scotland Homepage" . Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  10. ↑ Natural History Society of Glasgow (1892). Transactions of the Natural History Society of Glasgow. The Society. pp. lv, 17–. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  11. ↑ "St Columbas". Boat of Garten.com. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  12. ↑ Murphy, Alan (9 September 2001). Scotland Highlands & Islands handbook: the travel guide. Footprint Travel Guides. p. 189. ISBN   978-1-900949-94-1 . Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  13. ↑ Forgan, Duncan; Gonzalez, Michael; Main, Shona (6 April 2010). Fodor's Scotland. Random House Digital, Inc. pp. 364–. ISBN   978-1-4000-0432-4 . Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  14. ↑ "Welcome to Boat of Garten, The Osprey Village". Boat of Garten.com. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  15. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Tom Pitlac (15397)". Canmore . Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  16. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Tom Pitlac, Motte (SM9110)" . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  17. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Spey, 'miracle Stone' (15392)". Canmore . Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  18. ↑ "The Miracle Stone of the Spey". BBC Radio Scotland. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  19. ↑ Reid, p. 70
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