Connel
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St Oran's Church, September 2014 | |
Location within Argyll and Bute | |
OS grid reference | NM910341 |
• Edinburgh | 91 mi (146 km) |
• London | 403 mi (649 km) |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | OBAN |
Postcode district | PA37 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
Connel (Gaelic: A' Choingheal [1] ) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is situated on the southern shore of Loch Etive. The Lusragan Burn flows through the village and into the loch.
The most noticeable feature in the village is Connel Bridge, a large cantilever bridge that spans Loch Etive at the Falls of Lora. It was built to carry the Callander and Oban Railway's branch line to Ballachulish that opened in 1903.
There is a non-denominational primary school in the village, called Achaleven Primary School. [2] Other buildings of note include the Falls of Lora Hotel and St. Oran's Church (Church of Scotland). The church is linked with two others. The first is in the nearby village of Dunbeg, the second is on the isle of Coll. Church services at St Oran's are held every Sunday at 10:30.
There is a village shop and post office located in the main village. There are two bus stops, one located opposite the post office and the second on the A85, just south of Connel Bridge Junction, which serves both sides of the road. Restaurants can be found at the Falls of Lora Hotel and at The Oyster Inn. There are also several B&Bs to be found throughout the village.
Connel lies on the A85 trunk road that runs between Oban and Perth. The A828 Connel to Ballachulish trunk road joins the A85 at a junction towards the west end of the village. Vehicles turning onto the A828 head south then follow the road on a long left-hand curve as it climbs to Connel Bridge, which crosses over the A85. Connel is just five miles (eight kilometres) to Oban by main road. There is also a minor "back road" to Oban that runs by way of Ardchonnell and Barranrioch.
A ferry formerly transported people and vehicles across the loch to North Connel.
When the Callander and Oban Railway came to Connel in 1880, a station was opened in the village and named "Connel Ferry". The station is still open, it being situated on the West Highland Line to Oban. It is now unstaffed.
Oban Airport is nearby on the opposite side of Loch Etive.
Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary authority 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 Robin Currie, a councillor for Kintyre and the Islands.
Argyll, sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.
Loch Awe is a large body of freshwater in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such as Innis Chonnell and Inishail.
The village of Ballachulish in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries. The name Ballachulish was more correctly applied to the area now called North Ballachulish, to the north of Loch Leven, but was usurped for the quarry villages at East Laroch and West Laroch, either side of the River Laroch, which were actually within Glencoe and South Ballachulish respectively.
Loch Etive is a 30 km sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It reaches the sea at Connel, 5 km north of Oban. It measures 31.6 km long and from 1.2 km to 1.6 km (1 mi) wide. Its depth varies greatly, up to a maximum of 150 m (490 ft).
The Callander and Oban Railway company was built with the intention of linking the sea port of Oban to the railway network. This involved a long line from Callander through wild and thinly populated terrain, and shortage of money meant that the line was opened in stages from 1866 to 1880.
Oban railway station is a railway station serving Oban in Scotland. It is the terminus of one branch of the highly scenic West Highland Line, sited 71 miles 44 chains (115.1 km) from Callander, via Glen Ogle. It was originally the terminus of the Callander and Oban Railway. All services are operated by ScotRail, who also manage the station.
Appin 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. The name, meaning "abbey land", in reference to Ligmore Abbey, is derived from the Middle Irish apdaine.
Bonawe is a village in Ardchattan Parish Argyll and Bute, Scotland opposite Taynuilt on the north shore of Loch Etive, most famous for the shipping firm J & A Gardener's Bonawe Quarry - now owned by Breedon Aggregates Scotland Ltd. Bonawe is primarily a linear settlement along on the B845 road and the coast. The iron furnace is at Bonawe in Glenorchy & Inishail Parish across Loch Etive nr Taynuilt in Muckairn Parish.
Taynuilt is a large village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland located at the western entrance to the narrow Pass of Brander.
North Connel was a railway station located in North Connel, Argyll and Bute, on the north shore of Loch Etive. Its location was at the north end of Connel Bridge. It was on the Ballachulish branch line that linked Connel Ferry, on the main line of the Callander and Oban Railway, with Ballachulish.
Benderloch was a railway station located in Benderloch, Argyll and Bute, on the north east shore of Ardmucknish Bay. It was on the Ballachulish branch line that linked Connel Ferry, on the main line of the Callander and Oban Railway, with Ballachulish.
Creagan was a railway station located on the north shore of Loch Creran 1⁄4 mile (400 m) north of the Creagan Inn in Argyll and Bute. It was on the Ballachulish branch line that linked Connel Ferry, on the main line of the Callander and Oban Railway, with Ballachulish.
Appin was a railway station in Scotland, close to the Sound of Shuna on the east shore of Loch Laiche - an arm of Loch Linnhe, Portnacroish, Appin in Argyll and Bute. It was on the Ballachulish branch line that linked Connel Ferry, on the main line of the Callander and Oban Railway, with Ballachulish.
Barcaldine was a railway station located in Barcaldine, Argyll and Bute, near the southern shore of Loch Creran. It was on the Ballachulish branch line that linked Connel Ferry, on the main line of the Callander and Oban Railway, with Ballachulish.
Connel Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans Loch Etive at Connel in Scotland. The bridge takes the A828 road across the narrowest part of the loch, at the Falls of Lora. It is a category B listed structure.
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.
Oban is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, the town can have a temporary population of up to over 24,000 people. Oban occupies a setting in the Firth of Lorn. The bay forms a near perfect horseshoe, protected by the island of Kerrera; and beyond Kerrera, the Isle of Mull. To the north, is the long low island of Lismore and the mountains of Morvern and Ardgour.
Benderloch is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The name is derived from Beinn eadar dà loch, meaning "mountain between two lochs".