Strachur
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Sunset on Loch Fyne near Strachur. | |
Location within Argyll and Bute | |
OS grid reference | NN 09600 01400 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area |
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Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CAIRNDOW |
Postcode district | PA27 |
Dialling code | 01369 |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Strachur (Scottish Gaelic : Srath Chura) and Strathlachlan (Scottish Gaelic : Srath Lachlainn) are united parishes located on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. Strachur is a small village on the eastern coast of Loch Fyne.
Cowal is the large peninsula situated between Loch Long to the east and Loch Fyne to the west and bordered to the north by the arterial road A83. Strachur is located 7 miles (11 km) south of the A83, linking Loch Lomond and A82 to Inveraray, Lochgilphead and Campbeltown, and is 18 miles (29 km) north of Dunoon, the main town of the Cowal peninsula.
The area around Strachur borders the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The parish is bounded along its north-west side by Loch Fyne - Strachur forming its north-western district, and Strathlachlan its south-western one; and it is bounded on other sides by the parishes of Lochgoilhead, Kilmun, Dunoon, and Kilmodan. It is mostly uplands, and altitudes rise to 3,000 feet (910 m).
Loch Eck touches the parish for 3 miles (5 km) on the south-east.
Local transport is by bus with a regular service between Dunoon and Inveraray, and Dunoon and Carrick Castle, situated south of Lochgoilhead on Loch Goil. Access to Inveraray used to be via the ferry from St Catherine's just north of Strachur. This ferry closed in the 1960s.
The name 'Strachur' comes from the Gaelic for 'River Valley (srath) of the Cur' - Cur being the name of the river flowing from the hills east of Strachur village, turning south to flow into Loch Eck.
The parish church of Strachur dates from 1789 and can accommodate 400. That of Strathlachlan was built in 1792 and can hold 150. The parishes were united in 1950. [1] On a hill overlooking the village, stands the Cailleach Bheur (Scottish Gaelic : The Sharp Old Woman), a stone that is believed to have the power to move from hill top to hill top. [2] The Churches Entrance Porch was built in the late 60's by Stonemason Mr John Magee of Strachur.
By tradition, Strachur has been held as one of the original strongholds of Clan Campbell, and in 1870 the principal landowners of the parish were Campbell of Strachur and McLachlan of that ilk. The principal country houses there at that time were Strachur Park, Castle Lachlan, Strachurmore, Glenshellis, Balliemore, and Glenbranter. Strachur House was bought by Fitzroy Maclean and is currently the residence of his son, Charles Maclean. The MacLachlan family still reside on the Strathlachlan estate. The walls of Old Castle Lachlan have been restored. Younger members of the MacLachlan clan currently run Inver Cottage, one of Argyll's Seafood Trail restaurants.
Probably the most famous “son of Strachur” was John Campbell of Strachur (1727-1806), although Sir Harry Lauder was the laird of the Glenbranter estate, [3] between Lock Eck and Strachur, in the first half of the twentieth century. There is a memorial to his son Captain John Lauder, of the 8th Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, in Glenbranter who died 26 December 1916, during the First World War. [4] Much of the Glenbranter estate was subsequently acquired by the Forestry Commission, who encourage public access to the land. During the 1930s, the Ministry of Labour opened a work camp on the estate for young unemployed men. Known as Instructional Centres, the camp regime sought to "harden" the unemployed, many of whom came from industrial West of Scotland and had previously worked in mining or other industries hit by depression, and prepare them for work elsewhere. The Glenbranter camp hit the headlines in 1935 when the trainees organised public walk-outs, and again in 1936 when there was a mass meeting to protest against conditions.
During World War II, Glenbranter House and grounds were taken over by Combined Operations. It became a landing craft signals school, and was designated as a Royal Navy shore establishment, and named HMS Pasco. The Forestry Commission failed to maintain the mansion house, and it fell into continual decay. Due to the poor condition, Glenbranter House was demolished in the 1960s.
Dr Peter Laird McKinlay retired to Strachur and died there in 1972. [5]
Food writer Lady Veronica Maclean lived in Strachur, running Creggan's Inn.
Strachur is also the name of the local Shinty team. They reached the Camanachd Cup final in 1983, losing to local rivals Kyles Athletic 3–2.[ citation needed ] They have also won the shinty world cup eight times.[ citation needed ]
The 2008 UK swamp football championships were held in Strachur in June 2008. [6]
Strachur Primary School is a small school averaging 60 pupils, it has three classrooms and a fair sized playground. The school does work for the community such as: beach cleans at Loch Fyne, litter pick ups around the village, and various work with the Loch Lomond Park Rangers and GRAB Trust. [7]
Strachur has a post office, the two churches of Strachur and Strathlachlan, a hotel/bar, the well-known Creggans Inn, and a local bar, the Clachan. The village Memorial and New halls host events local and for the whole of Cowal and beyond.
The local smiddy, which closed as a blacksmiths in the 1950s after over 150 years and four generations of the Montgomery family of smiths, is now the Smiddy Museum, open from Easter to 30 September.
Strachur has its own post office though as of 2013 it is open only 3 days a week and is under threat of closure. [8] [9]
Strachur Medical Practice covers a massive geographical area reaching from Cairndow to Strathlachlan. As of 2012 the GP claimed his practice was close to bankruptcy because of NHS funding changes. [10]
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.
Lochgoilhead is a village on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It is located within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful areas in Argyll and in Scotland as a whole.
Argyll, sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.
The A83 is a major road in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland, running from Tarbet, on the western shore of Loch Lomond, where it splits from the A82, to Campbeltown at the southern end of the Kintyre peninsula. The road is best known for its section across the Rest and be Thankful pass through the Arrochar Alps between the heads of Loch Long and Loch Fyne.
Cowal is a rugged peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. It is connected to the mainland to the north, and is bounded by Loch Fyne to the west, by Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde to the east, and by the Kyles of Bute to the south.
Loch Fyne, is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends 65 kilometres (40 mi) inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs in Scotland. It is connected to the Sound of Jura by the Crinan Canal. Although there is no evidence that grapes have grown there, the title is probably honorific, indicating that the river, Abhainn Fìne, was a well-respected river.
The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the heads of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil. They are part of the Grampian mountains range, which stretch across Scotland. The villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead are the nearest settlements. Many of the mountains are located on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland.
Beinn an Lochain is a mountain in the Arrochar Alps on the Cowal Peninsula, in western Scotland and is a Corbett at 901.7 metres (2,958 ft). Beinn an Lochain is situated within the Argyll Forest Park which is itself within the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
Portavadie is a village on the shores of Loch Fyne on the coast of the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland.
Clan Maclachlan, also known as Clan Lachlan, Clann Lachainn (Argyll), and Clann Lachlainn, is a Highland Scottish clan that historically centred on the lands of Strathlachlan on Loch Fyne, Argyll on the west coast of Scotland. The clan claims descent from Lachlan Mor, who lived on Loch Fyne in the 13th century, and who has left his name upon the countryside he once controlled: places such as Strathlachlan, Castle Lachlan and Lachlan Bay. Tradition gives Lachlan Mor a descent from an Irish prince of the O'Neill dynasty, Ánrothán Ua Néill, son of Áed, son of Flaithbertach Ua Néill, King of Ailech and Cenél nEógain, died 1036. Clan Maclachlan has been associated with other clans, such as Clan Lamont, Clan Ewen of Otter, Clan MacNeil of Barra, and the MacSweens: as all claim descent from Anrothan O'Neill who left Ireland for Kintyre in the 11th century. From this descent the clan claims a further descent from the legendary Niall Noigíallach, High King of Ireland, who lived from the mid 4th century to the early 5th century.
Strachur and District Shinty Club is a Shinty team from Strachur, Argyll, Scotland. The club re-entered league shinty in 2017 after a year at abeyance at senior level as of March 2016. The side was put back into abeyance in 2018 before returning in 2022 with a combined team of players based in Strachur, Dunoon and Glasgow under the banner of Strachur-Dunoon..
Cairndow is a coastal hamlet on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. The town lies between the A83 road and the head of Loch Fyne.
Loch Eck is a freshwater loch located on the Cowal Peninsula, north of Dunoon, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. It is seven miles long. It is oriented in a north-south direction. Its main inflow, at the northern end, is the River Cur, and its main outflow, at the southern end, is the River Eachaig, which meanders somewhat within the confines of the broad strath before flowing into the head of Holy Loch, about 5 km further south.
The A815 is a major road located on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It runs for about 35.7 miles (57.5 km) from the A83, near Cairndow, in the north to Toward in the south. It passes beside three lochs, while its final stretch is along the Firth of Clyde.
The Douglas Water is a river in Argyll and Bute, in west of Scotland. It emerges from the northeastern end of the diminutive Loch Dubh-ghlas and flows northeastwards through Coire Dubh-ghlas, before turning east then southeast amongst extensive conifer plantations to the bridge which carries the A83 road over it. It then turns east at this point and flows into Loch Fyne.
Glenbranter is a hamlet and former estate, once owned by Sir Harry Lauder, on the northwest shore of Loch Eck in the Argyll Forest Park, on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland.
Strachur Bay is a coastal embayment, on a 114° orientation, on the eastern coast of the longest sea loch in Scotland, Loch Fyne located in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. Strachur Bay provides good anchorage, for small vessels, when the wind is from the northeast and southeast.
The River Cur is a river on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. The position of its source is uncertain, as it is formed from a large number of small burns; for example, one of these rises on the slopes of Cruach nam Mult, at grid reference NN165056 and an elevation of about 2,000 feet (600 m). The river flows south-west until it reaches the head of a glacial valley near Strachur, Loch Fyne. The river does not enter Loch Fyne, but instead turns south-east. At that point it has reached an elevation of only about 160 feet (50 m), and it continues along the valley, losing altitude much more slowly, until it reaches the head of Loch Eck. Before reaching Loch Eck, it passes near the tiny settlements of Balliemore and Invernoaden and Glenbranter.
Glen Kinglas is a glen located on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. The glen is one of the main glens in the Arrochar Alps, the A83 road from Arrochar and Loch Lomond passes through the glen. At the north end of the glen, a pass leads to Glen Croe, passing Loch Restil. At the south of the glen the A815 road leaves the A83 and leads through the Cowal peninsula to Dunoon on the Firth of Clyde coast. The A83 continues on past Cairndow and Loch Fyne Oysters to Inveraray and Inveraray Castle on Loch Fyne.