Roshven

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Roshven
Marino Lodge, Roshven - geograph.org.uk - 371395.jpg
Marino Lodge
Lochaber UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Roshven
Location within the Lochaber area
OS grid reference NM7078
Civil parish
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LOCHAILORT
Postcode district PH38
Dialling code 01687
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°50′17″N5°45′29″W / 56.838°N 5.758°W / 56.838; -5.758

Roshven (Scottish Gaelic : Roisbheinn) is a township located on the eastern shoreline of Loch Ailort, in Lochaber, in the council area of Highland, Scotland. Towering above it is Rois-bheinn, the highest hill in the area.

Contents

History

Grounds of what was the Roshven House, home to the Blackburns A remote house on the shore of Loch Ailort - geograph.org.uk - 86252.jpg
Grounds of what was the Roshven House, home to the Blackburns

Historically, the hamlet was named Irin. Ranald Macdonald, younger brother of Donald Macdonald 4th of Kinlochmoidart, was granted the tack of Irin from Clanranald in 1749.[ citation needed ] According to the 1841 census, the main house by the burn was occupied by a Mary Anderson, originally from Kinlochailort. [1] In 1854, Jemima Blackburn, an artist, and her husband, Hugh Blackburn, professor of mathematics at the University of Glasgow, bought the Roshven Estate, from Doctor Donald Martin of the Beallach family. Blackburn was noted for capturing the area's scenery, flora and fauna in her nationally famous illustrations. She was particularly adept at painting birds and flowers. [2] Roshven Estate covered some 4500 acres. They subsequently renovated the Georgian house in the hamlet. [2] Their homes in Glasgow and at Roshven became a focus for visits from some of the most celebrated figures of the century including John Ruskin, Sir John Everet Millais, Anthony Trollope, the Duke of Argyll, Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Lister, Professor Helmholtz, Lord Kelvin and James Clerk-Maxwell, Jemima's first cousin.

On 12 January 1894, around 11.50 pm, the aftershock of an earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale was experienced at Roshven and the settlements of Arisaig and Glenmoidart. [3]

Geography and climate

Two burns meet at Roshven Two burns meet, Roshven - geograph.org.uk - 371919.jpg
Two burns meet at Roshven
Anchorage point near Roshven Farm Small anchorage by Roshven farm - geograph.org.uk - 125799.jpg
Anchorage point near Roshven Farm

Roshven is situated in the Highlands of Scotland, in the area of Lochaber. It lies on the southeastern bank of Loch Ailort along the A861 road, southwest of the settlement of Inverailort and east of Glenuig. [4] Boats can be moored in shallow water on the Loch near Roshven House. [5] At one time there were plans to build a terminal and a pier at Roshven. [6] The area is mountainous, Rois-Bheinn being the highest and most dominant mountain, although Roshven is surrounded by other mountains such as An Stac, Sgurr Na Ba Glaise and Sgurr Dhomhuill Mor. The largest burn that comes through Roshven is the Irin Burn which originates in Lochan na Craoihhe and runs down past Roshven Farm. Its estuary is located on the shore in front of the farm.

Roshven has quite a varied and unpredictable climate. Fort William which is located around 30 miles away experiences on average 3500-4500mm of rainfall every year. It experiences warm and wet summers and mild and wet winters. Snow is not very frequent because Roshven, like much of Lochaber, is subject to warm, moist air from the Gulf Stream. [7] According to the Royal Meteorological Society, one of the descendants of Hugh and Jemima Blackburn, Vera Philippa Blackburn (widow of William) who died in 1932, was keen on meteorology and had kept a rain gauge at Roshven in which she recorded the climate and rainfall for many years. [8]

Wildlife

Fauna

Like many Highland areas, many forms of wildlife are found at Roshven, both aquatic and land-based. In Loch Ailort there are many varieties of fish found such as mackerel, sea trout and salmon. Brown trout are also found in the burns and streams which run down off the surrounding hills. There have been occasional sitings of dolphins and whales in the loch, and once a whale died after being washed up onto the beach. Deer, foxes, wild cats, squirrels and pine martens are regularly seen in the area. The birds however are the major attraction of Roshven and this is what inspired Blackburn in her paintings. Golden eagles are often seen either flying over the loch or, more frequently, in front of the mountains and trees.

Flora

Vegetation at Roshven Estate Roshven Estate - geograph.org.uk - 370114.jpg
Vegetation at Roshven Estate

The vegetation growing at Roshven is lush, due to plentiful rainfall, but somewhat varied. One of the main plants is rhododendron, and trees such as Scots pine, oak, birch and ash are common. Despite the rainfall, however, the land is not good for growing crops because the soil is thin, lacks fertility and can often be too inundated with water.

Economic and business

Tourism is important to the local economy. The Roshven Farm contains five chalets which are let out to visitors. [9] Deer stalking is carried out on the hills as well as hillwalking, fishing, sailing and rock climbing. Hill sheep farming is also practised and hay and silage are also grown on the lower, shore-bordering fields as these have thicker soils and can be used to produce food for cattle and sheep to feed on in the winter.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munro</span> Scottish peak over 3,000 ft and listed on the SMC tables

A Munro is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over 3,000 feet (914.4 m), and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles at 4,411 ft.

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

Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the 2011 census. It shares borders with the council areas of Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Moray and Perth and Kinross. Their councils, and those of Angus and Stirling, also have areas of the Scottish Highlands within their administrative boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuillin</span> Mountain range on the Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Cuillin is a range of mostly jagged rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The main Cuillin ridge is also called the Black Cuillin to distinguish it from the Red Cuillin, which lie to the east of Glen Sligachan.

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

Knoydart is a peninsula in Lochaber, Highland, on the west coast of Scotland. Knoydart is sandwiched between Lochs Nevis and Hourn — often translated as "Loch Heaven" and "Loch Hell" respectively, although the somewhat poetic nature of these derivations is disputed. Forming the northern part of what is traditionally known as na Garbh-Chrìochan or "the Rough Bounds", because of its harsh terrain and remoteness, Knoydart is also referred to as "Britain's last wilderness". It is only accessible by boat, or by a 16-mile (26 km) walk through rough country, and the seven miles (11 km) of tarred road are not connected to the UK road system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lochaber</span> Ward management area of the Highland Council

Lochaber is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation of Quoad Sacra parishes in the 19th century. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of Loch Leven, a district called Nether Lochaber, to beyond Spean Bridge and Roybridge, which area is known as Brae Lochaber or Braigh Loch Abar in Gaelic. Lochaber is now also used to refer to a much wider area, one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region. The main town of Lochaber is Fort William.

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

Ullapool is a village and port located in Northern Scotland. Ullapool has a population of approximately 1,500 inhabitants. It is located around 45 miles northwest of Inverness in Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. Despite its modest size, it is the largest settlement for many miles around. It is an important port and tourist destination. The North Atlantic Drift passes Ullapool, moderating the temperature. A few Cordyline australis are grown in the town and are often mistaken for palm trees. The town lies on Loch Broom, on the A835 road from Inverness. The Ullapool River flows through the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Morar</span> A lake in Lochaber, Scotland

Loch Morar is a freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is the fifth-largest loch by surface area in Scotland, at 26.7 km2 (10.3 sq mi), and the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles with a maximum depth of 310 m (1,017 ft). The loch was created by glacial action around 10,000 years ago, and has a surface elevation of 9 metres (30 ft) above sea level. It separates the traditional district of North Morar, from Arisaig and Moidart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Rannoch</span> Freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross, Scotland

Loch Rannoch is a freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is over 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long in a west–east direction with an average width of about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi), and is deepest at its eastern end, reaching a depth of 130 metres (440 ft). The River Tummel begins at its eastern end, where the small village of Kinloch Rannoch can be found, whilst the wild expanse of Rannoch Moor extends to the west of the loch. The area surrounding Loch Rannoch, along with Rannoch Moor itself, was formerly part of the native Caledonian Forest that stretched across much of Northern Scotland. Native forest is now largely absent from much of the area, due partly to logging, and partly to the climate becoming wetter, and Loch Rannoch is now largely surrounded by commercial forestry and open hillsides, although a small area remains at the Black Wood of Rannoch on the southern shore of the loch.

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

Loch Shiel is a freshwater loch situated 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Fort William in the Highland council area of Scotland. At 28 kilometres long it is the 4th longest loch in Scotland, and is the longest to have retained a natural outflow without any regulation of its water level, being 120 m (393 ft) deep. Its nature changes considerably along its length, being deep and enclosed by mountains in the north east and shallow surrounded by bog and rough pasture in the south west, from which end the 4 km River Shiel drains to the sea in Loch Moidart near Castle Tioram.

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

Wester Ross is an area of the Northwest Highlands of Scotland in the council area of Highland. The area is loosely defined, and has never been used as a formal administrative region in its own right, but is generally regarded as lying to the west of the main watershed of Ross, thus forming the western half of the county of Ross and Cromarty. The southwesternmost part of Ross and Cromarty, Lochalsh, is not considered part of Wester Ross by the local tourist organisation, Visit Wester Ross, but is included within the definition used for the Wester Ross Biosphere Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sgùrr an Utha and Fraoch-bheinn</span>

Sgùrr an Utha and Fraoch-bheinn are two hills above Glenfinnan, in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. The two summits are joined by a summit ridge, which is 735 m above sea level at its lowest elevation. The glen of Glen Finnan itself lies just to the east.

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

Sunart is a rural district and community in the south west of Lochaber in Highland, Scotland, on the shores of Loch Sunart, and part of the civil parish of Ardnamurchan. The main village is Strontian, at the head of the loch, which is the location of Ardnamurchan High School, the local fire station, police station and other facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Ailort</span> A sea loch in the Highlands of Scotland

Loch Ailort is a sea loch in Morar, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. Loch Ailort is a shallow V shaped loch, with the small Ardnish Peninsula on the north side, and the large southwest facing Moidart Peninsula to the south. Loch Ailort is bounded in the northeast by the settlement of the same name, Lochailort and in the west, opening out into the Sound of Arisaig. To the north of the loch lies Loch nan Uamh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sgùrr nan Each</span>

Sgùrr nan Each is a Scottish mountain situated in the group of hills known as the Fannichs. It is 27 kilometres (17 mi) south of Ullapool in the Ross and Cromarty district of the Highland council area.

Heasta, Heast, or the anglicised form Heaste, pron. /heɪst/, is a small settlement on the island of Skye, Scotland. It is located on the west coast of the island five miles south of Broadford extending down to the north shore of Loch Eiseort, facing out to the Atlantic to the south west and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Alsh</span> Sea inlet of Scotland, UK

Loch Alsh is a sea inlet between the isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides and the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The name is also used to describe the surrounding country and the feudal holdings around the loch. The area is rich in history, and is increasingly popular with tourists.

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

Mugeary is a farm or croft and former settlement on the island of Skye, Scotland. Located 4 kilometres southwest of Portree, it is known as the location where the basaltic rock mugearite was first identified. The Gaelic name is derived from Old Norse and probably means "narrow field".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">An Stac</span> Mountain in Scotland

An Stac is the name of a 814 m mountain in the Northwest Highlands, Scotland, on the shore of Loch Ailort on the west coast of Lochaber. A steep-sided conical peak, the mountain is usually climbed in conjunction with its higher neighbour Rois-bheinn. The nearest settlement is the hamlet of Lochailort.

Glen Finnan is a glen (valley) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, located at the foot of Streap in the Northwest Highlands mountain range. The River Finnan, which flows into Loch Shiel, flows the entire length of the valley. The Sgùrr Thuilm mountain stands at the head of Glen Finnan.

Allt a' Chaol Ghlinne—also spelled Allt a' Chaol-ghlinne—is a river in the Lochaber area of Highland, Scotland. Located in a glen (valley) within the Northwest Highlands of the Scottish Highlands, Allt a' Chaol Ghlinne is a tributary to the River Finnan, which itself flows into Loch Shiel.

References

  1. Dickson, Joshua (9 October 2009). The Highland bagpipe: music, history, tradition. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 151. ISBN   978-0-7546-6669-1 . Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  2. 1 2 Miers, Richenda (1 September 2006). Scotland's highlands & islands. New Holland Publishers. p. 117. ISBN   978-1-86011-340-6 . Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  3. Davison, Charles (30 July 2009). A History of British Earthquakes. Cambridge University Press. p. 58. ISBN   978-0-521-14099-7 . Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  4. Google Maps (Map). Google.
  5. Thomson, James; Larmor, Sir Joseph (1912). Collected papers in physics and engineering. University press. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  6. Thomas, John; Paterson, Alan J. S. (1984). The West Highland Railway. D. St. John Thomas. p. 44. ISBN   978-0-946537-14-3 . Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  7. "Climate and weather in Fort William and Lochaber". The Outdoor Capital of the UK. 2 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011.
  8. Glaisher, James (1933). Quarterly journal of the Royal Meteorological Society. Royal Meteorological Society. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  9. "Chalets". Roshven.com. Retrieved 2 February 2011.