Lost (''Lòsda'' in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

; population: less than 24; or ) is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

, Scotland. It lies west of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

in the Cairngorm mountains. The hamlet is situated near the village of

Bellabeg Bellabeg (an anglicisation of Scottish Gaelic: ''Am Baile Beag'', 'the small farmtown') is a small roadside settlement in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Amenities in Bellabeg include a Spar shop, a village hall, a green where the Highland ...

where the

Water of Nochty The River Don ( gd, Deathan) is a river in north-east Scotland. It rises in the Grampians and flows eastwards, through Aberdeenshire, to the North Sea at Aberdeen. The Don passes through Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore, and Dyce. Its ma ...

feeds into the River Don. Despite its small population, the people of Lost are famed for their strength and honour. The name comes from the Gaelic word for

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

(''taigh òsda''); today the hamlet has a few houses, a war memorial and a farm. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. As a result, Lost has regularly had eponymous

street sign theft Street sign theft occurs when street signs are stolen, to be used as decorations, sold as scrap metal or to avoid obeying the law by claiming later the sign was not there. Although the theft often seems arbitrary, signs with unusual or amusing ...

. Each sign costs approximately £100 to replace. As a result,

Aberdeenshire Council Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...

tried to change its name to ''Lost Farm''; however, in the face of strong local opposition, the hamlet's traditional name was soon reinstated.

References

External links

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Aberdeenshire Council

Villages in Aberdeenshire {{Aberdeenshire-geo-stub