Minginish ( gd, Minginis) is a peninsula on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It is situated on the west coast of the island and runs from Loch Scavaig in the south (which separates Minginish from the

Strathaird Strathaird is a peninsula on the island of Skye, Scotland, situated between Loch Slapin and Loch Scavaig on the south coast. W. H. Murray said that "Skye is sixty miles long, but what might be its breadth is beyond the ingenuity of man to stat ...

Peninsula), along the western coast of Skye to Loch Bracadale in the north west (which separates Minginish from the Duirinish Peninsula), to

Loch Harport ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is cognate with the Manx lough, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh words for lake, llwch. In English English and Hiberno-English, the anglicised spelling ...

in the north east, and Glen Sligachan in the south east. It includes most of the peaks of the

Cuillin The Cuillin ( gd, An Cuiltheann) 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 Slig ...

hills including Sgurr Alasdair, the highest point on the island at . The island of

Soay Soay (pronounced "soy") is the name of several Scottish islands. It is Sòdhaigh (sometimes anglicised "Soaigh") in Scottish Gaelic, and comes from the Old Norse ''so-ey'' meaning "island of sheep". It may refer to: * Soay, Inner Hebrides off sout ...

lies offshore across the Soay Sound, with the

Small Isles The Small Isles ('' gd, Na h-Eileanan Tarsainn'') are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of main ...

further south across the Cuillin Sound. Much of the interior is uninhabited and the terrain is a series of hills and mountains dissected by steep-sided valleys such as

Glen Brittle Glen Brittle (''Gleann Breadail'' in Scottish Gaelic) is a large glen in the south of the Isle of Skye, in Scotland. It runs roughly south to north, along the River Brittle, which has its mouth at Loch Brittle (a sea loch). The glen is bounded ...

and Glen Eynort. To the east,

Loch Coruisk Loch Coruisk (in Scottish Gaelic, ''Coire Uisg'', the "Cauldron of Waters") is an inland fresh-water loch, lying at the foot of the Black Cuillin in the Isle of Skye, in the Scottish Highlands. Loch Coruisk is reputed to be the home of a kelpie o ...

, which has been painted by

William Daniell William Daniell (1769–1837) was an English landscape and marine painter, and printmaker, notable for his work in aquatint. He travelled extensively in India in the company of his uncle Thomas Daniell, with whom he collaborated on one of th ...

and

J.M.W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbule ...

amongst others and visited by

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

. is only accessible by boat or on foot via a track from

Sligachan Sligachan ( gd, Sligeachan) is a small settlement on Skye, Scotland. It is close to the Cuillin mountains and provides a good viewpoint for seeing the Black Cuillin mountains. Amenities Sligachan is situated at the junction of the roads from Po ...

. There are a number of small settlements in Minginish, principally along the south & east coast of Loch Harport & the north west coast of Loch Bracadale (from which Loch Harport originates), including

Carbost Carbost (Gaelic: Càrrabost) is the name of several settlements: *Carbost, Loch Harport, Isle of Skye, in Highland, Scotland * Carbost, Trotternish, near Portree, Isle of Skye, in Highland, Scotland *Carabost, New South Wales Carabost is a fore ...

, Drynoch, Portnalong, Fernilea, Ardtreck and Fiskavaig. Eynort is further south while Talisker is to the west.

Crofting Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production particular to the Scottish Highlands, the islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man. Within the 19th century townships, individual crofts were established on the bett ...

& tourism are mainstays of the economy and Talisker whisky is distilled in Carbost. The A87 (which runs south to north up Skye from Kyleakin up to Uig) touches Minginish at Sligachan. The Gaelic name ''Minginis'' means "main headland" with the old Norse name being "Mikil Nes" meaning great headland.

Notable residents

Roderick John MacLeod, Lord Minginish Roderick John MacLeod, Lord Minginish, (Gaelic: ''Ruairidh Iain MacLeòid''; born ), also known as Roddy John, is a Scottish advocate. From 2014 until his retirement in December 2022, he was Chairman of the Scottish Land Court and President of ...

(born ), Chairman of the

Scottish Land Court The Scottish Land Court is a Scottish court of law based in Edinburgh with subject-matter jurisdiction covering disputes between landlords and tenants relating to agricultural tenancies, and matters related to crofts and crofters. The Scotti ...

since 2014, was raised in Portnalong in Minginish and now lives in Edinburgh.

Footnotes

Landforms of the Isle of Skye Peninsulas of Scotland Landforms of Highland (council area) {{Highland-geo-stub

Notable residents

See also

Footnotes