Enard Bay is a large remote tidal coastal
embayment
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...
, located 10.5 miles northwest of
Ullapool
Ullapool (; gd, Ulapul ) is a village and port located in Northern Scotland. Ullapool has a population of around 1,500 inhabitants. It is located around northwest of Inverness in Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. Despite its modest size, ...
, in northwestern
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latt ...
,
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
in the west coast of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. The mouth of the bay is about 4.5 miles across running from the head of
Rubha Mòr peninsula at Rubna Na CòiGeach (English:
Ru Coygach) point to Rubna Na Brèige (English:
Kirkaig point) to the east.
Settlements
In the coast of the bay, which travels almost on a north bearing downwards in diagonal from west to east has a number of settlements, the principle settlement is
Lochinver
Lochinver (''Loch an Inbhir'' in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic) is a village that is located at the head of the sea loch Loch Inver, on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Scottish Highlands, Highland, Scotland. A few miles northeast is Loc ...
, which is located on its inlet to the north west.
Geography
Enard Bay is bounded by
Rhuba Mòr peninsula that runs from the northwest to the southeast in the south. To the south of Rhuba Mòr lies the
Summer Isles
The Summer Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Samhraidh, ) are an archipelago lying in the mouth of Loch Broom, in the Highland region of Scotland.
Geography
Tanera Mòr is the largest island and was the last one to remain inhabited.Kane, Jenny (20 Nov ...
and further which is in the verdant and ancient
shire
Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
of
Argyll
Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.
Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
, whose old name was A’ Chleit.
On the west most south coast of Enard Bay, before the coast bears northwest is an inlet that forms into Enard Bay from
Achnahaird Bay. At the head of Achnahaird Bay is a large white sandy beach. To the east of Achnahaird Bay is Garvie Bay, with a small sandy beach. Slightly Further east is the small Lag na Saille inlet. Polly bay is further to the east and north, close to the small rocky Green island. To the north of Polly bay is the sea loch, Loch an Èisg Brachaidh located to the west of the group of small islands.
The bay has a number of small islands, of which
Eilean Mòr, located on the northeast corner of the bay is the largest. Fraochlan Island located less than quarter mile north is the next smallest, followed by the Eilean Mòineseach. Green Island is a small island located to the south in the southeast of the bay.
A number of small fast flowing streams flow into the bay, the biggest amongst them is the River Polly, which flows into the Polly bay inlet.
The sea lochs,
Loch Inver
Loch Inver is a long sea loch in Assynt, Sutherland and is on the northwest coast of Scotland. The loch meets the coastal embayment of Enard Bay at the north end and The Minch, where it meets Soyea Island at its mouth.
Geography
At the head of ...
and much larger
Loch Kirkaig
Loch Kirkaig is a small tidal sea loch, located in the region and parish of Assynt in south-west of Sutherland, in the west coast of Scotland and in the Scottish Highlands. Loch Kirkaig is 1.25 miles south of Loch Inver. The scattered crofting ...
are located to the north of the bay.
Gallery
File:From the Achiltibuie Road - geograph.org.uk - 655035.jpg, From the Achiltibuie Road Looking across Garvie Bay, up to Enard Bay; the island is probably Eilan Mor, with Green Island towards the right.
File:Rubh a Choin - geograph.org.uk - 1475896.jpg, Rubh a Choin Rocky shoreline near the end of the peninsula between Garvie and Achnahaird bays. Suilven in the distance across Enard Bay.
File:Bracken slopes down to Loch an Eisg-brachaidh - geograph.org.uk - 1380313.jpg, Bracken slopes down to Loch an Eisg-brachaidh The islands in Enard Bay beyond.
File:Loch Roe - geograph.org.uk - 82485.jpg, Loch Roe. Looking south over the entrance to Loch Roe with Enard Bay in the west. The headland in the distance is Rubha na Coigich.
File:Quinag from Achnahaird - geograph.org.uk - 7285.jpg, Quinag from Achnahaird. A glint of sunshine picks out the ridge of Quinag across Enard Bay from Achnahaird.
File:Cnoc Mor - geograph.org.uk - 1492223.jpg, Cnoc Mor is a low ridge reaching 72m above sea level overlooking Achnahaird and Enard Bays. Looking in a northerly direction towards the coast near Stoer.
See also
*
List of lochs in Scotland
This list of lochs in Scotland includes the majority of bodies of standing freshwater named as lochs but only a small selection of the generally smaller, and very numerous, lochans. This list does not currently include the reservoirs of Scotla ...
References
{{reflist
Bays of Ross and Cromarty