Scourie

Last updated

Scourie
Handaquinag.jpg
Quinag and Scourie across the Sound of Handa
Sutherland UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Scourie
Location within the Sutherland area
OS grid reference NC157447
Community council
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LAIRG
Postcode district IV27
Dialling code 01971
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
58°21′07″N5°09′04″W / 58.3519°N 5.1512°W / 58.3519; -5.1512

Scourie (Scottish Gaelic : Sgobhairigh), historically spelled "Scoury", is a village on the north west coast of Scotland, about halfway between Ullapool and Durness. The name comes from the Gaelic word Sheiling or shed, a stone-built place of shelter used during the summer months. [2] It is in the civil parish of Eddrachillis, in the traditional county of Sutherland, now part of the Highland council area; the 2011 Census classified Scourie as 'Very remote rural' with an adult population of 132. [3]

Until the 19th century, Clan Mackay was the predominant family in the area with a junior branch of the family owning Scourie itself; in 1640, it was the birthplace of Hugh Mackay, a Scottish general who settled in the Netherlands and commanded the forces of William III at Killiecrankie in July 1689. The last of the Mackays' Scottish estates including Scourie were sold in 1829, although the name is still common in the area. [4]

The nearby island of Handa is a nature reserve and the site of a large seabird colony, including puffins, skuas, guillemots and razorbills. The Scourie estate is owned by Dr Jean Balfour. [5] The palm trees in the grounds of Scourie House next to the harbour are claimed to be the most northerly specimens in the world not grown in artificial conditions. However, this is a popular misconception. The "palms" in the grounds are actually Cordyline australis , a native New Zealand tree which is found in lowland and montane areas. In the UK it is commonly referred to as "Torbay palm" or "Cornwall palm". [6]

Being on the popular North Coast 500 (NC500) scenic route, the village has accommodation for tourists at a hotel with 21 rooms, bed and breakfasts and a campsite. Fishing, particularly fly fishing, is popular due to the large number of freshwater lochs that offer brown trout.

Scourie plays host to the home matches of shinty team, Kinlochbervie Camanachd Club and North Caledonian Football League side Scourie Football Club.

Related Research Articles

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

Fort William is a town in Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands, located on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe. At the 2011 census, Fort William had a population of 10,459, making it the second largest settlement in both the Highland council area, and the whole of the Scottish Highlands; only the city of Inverness has a larger population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harris, Outer Hebrides</span> Region of Lewis and Harris island, Scotland

Harris is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Although not an island itself, Harris is often referred to in opposition to the Isle of Lewis as the Isle of Harris, which is the former postal county and the current post town for Royal Mail postcodes starting HS3 or HS5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway</span> Village in rural lowland Scotland

Thornhill is a village in the Mid Nithsdale area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, south of Sanquhar and north of Dumfries on the main A76 road. Thornhill sits in the Nithsdale valley with the Carsphairn and Scaur range to the west and the Lowther hills to the east. It was initially a small village, planned and built in 1717 on the Queensberry Estate on the road linking Dumfries to Glasgow. The Earl of Queensberry initially named the village 'New Dalgarnock' however the name did not achieve popular approval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunbar</span> Town in East Lothian, Scotland

Dunbar is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately 30 miles east of Edinburgh and 30 mi (50 km) from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plockton</span> Village in the Scottish Highlands

Plockton is a village in the Lochalsh, Wester Ross area of the Scottish Highlands with a 2020 population of 468.

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

Gairloch is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. A tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a museum, several hotels, a variety of shops, takeaway restaurants, a community centre, a leisure centre with sports facilities, a local radio station, beaches and nearby mountains. Gairloch is one of the principal villages on the North Coast 500 route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutherland</span> Historic county in Scotland

Sutherland is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire to the south and the Atlantic to the north and west. Like its southern neighbour Ross-shire, Sutherland has some of the most dramatic scenery in Europe, especially on its western fringe where the mountains meet the sea. These include high sea cliffs and very old mountains composed of Precambrian and Cambrian rocks.

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

Lossiemouth is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important fishing town. Although there has been over 1,000 years of settlement in the area, the present day town was formed over the past 250 years and consists of four separate communities that eventually merged into one. From 1890 to 1975, it was a police burgh as Lossiemouth and Branderburgh.

Handa Island or simply Handa is an island off the west coast of Sutherland, Scotland. It is 309 hectares and 123 metres (404 ft) at its highest point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troon</span> Town and sea port in Scotland

Troon is a town and sea port in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh</span> Botanical garden in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies four sites across Scotland—Edinburgh, Dawyck, Logan and Benmore—each with its own specialist collection. The RBGE's living collection consists of more than 13,302 plant species, whilst the herbarium contains in excess of 3 million preserved specimens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Mackay</span> Highland Scottish clan

Clan Mackay is an ancient and once-powerful Highland Scottish clan from the far North of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old Kingdom of Moray.

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

Back is a district and a village on the east coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, situated on a coastal area known as Loch a'Tuath, or Broad Bay. Back is within the parish of Stornoway, and is situated on the B895. The village/district utilises the motto "Tre Dhilseachd Buaidh" as seen on the crest of Back FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comrie, Perth and Kinross</span> Highland Town in Scotland

Comrie is a village and parish in the southern Highlands of Scotland, towards the western end of the Strathearn district of Perth and Kinross, 7 mi (11 km) west of Crieff. Comrie is a historic conservation town in a national scenic area along the river Earn. Its position on the Highland Boundary Fault explains why it has more earth tremors than anywhere else in Britain. The parish is twinned with Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada.

Lochinver is a village that is located at the head of the sea loch Loch Inver, on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. A few miles north-east is Loch Assynt which is the source of the River Inver which flows into Loch Inver at the village. There are 200 or so lochans in the area which makes the place very popular with anglers. Lochinver is dominated by the "sugar loaf" shape of Caisteal Liath, the summit peak of nearby Suilven.

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

Strathnaver or Strath Naver is the fertile strath of the River Naver, a famous salmon river that flows from Loch Naver to the north coast of Scotland. The term has a broader use as the name of an ancient province also known as the Mackay Country, once controlled by the Clan Mackay and extending over most of northwest Sutherland.

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

Markinch (, is both a village and a parish in the heart of Fife, Scotland. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the village has a population of 2,420. The civil parish had a population of 16,530. Markinch is east of Fife's administrative centre, Glenrothes and preceded Cupar as Fife's place of warranty and justice prior to the 13th century.

Armadale is a small village on the north coast of Scotland, in the council area of Highland. The village is part of the parish of Farr, in the county of Sutherland. Armadale is about 30 miles west of the town of Thurso, off the A836 road. The population of Armadale is 50 and shrinking, with 32% of the population being retired, and the remaining 68% population are working or at school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Inch, Edinburgh</span> District of Edinburgh

The Inch is a district of Edinburgh, Scotland, located to the south of Inch Park in the south of the city. It is located 2 miles south south-east of central Edinburgh. It incorporates the Inch housing development, Inch Park and the category A listed Inch House, a former country house now used as a community centre. The associated Inch Doocot or dovecot, also a category A listed building, is situated close by, west of Gilmerton Road.

Elizabeth Jean Balfour, , FRSA was a Scottish professional forester, landowner and conservationist.

References

  1. Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland
  2. Scottish Parliament Place Names Reference Archived 2008-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Area Information for Scourie, Lairg, Scotland, IV27 4TB". streetcheck.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  4. Bangor Jones, Malcolm. "From Clanship to Crofting; Land Ownership, Economy and the Church in the Province of Strathnaver" (PDF). ssns.org.uk. Page 51. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  5. ConFor. "2015 - Drs Jean Balfour and Bob McIntosh « Award for Dedicated Service to Forestry « ConFor". www.confor.org.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  6. "Cabbage tree in England".