Isle of Skye UK relief location map labels

Strathaird is a peninsula on the island of

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

, Scotland, situated between Loch Slapin and Loch Scavaig on the south coast.

W. H. Murray William Hutchison Murray (18 March 1913 – 19 March 1996) was a Scottish mountaineer and writer, one of a group of active mountain climbers, mainly from Clydeside, before and just after World War II. Life Murray was born in Liverpool, the son ...

said that "Skye is sixty miles long, but what might be its breadth is beyond the ingenuity of man to state". Strathaird is however a straightforward triangular shape with the apex to the south where the lochs meet. Its base to the north is less clear-cut and is contained within the complex 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 Sli ...

range of mountains. The

Munro A Munro () is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nev ...

Blà Bheinn that reaches is within Strathaird. It is the smallest and least populous of Skye's main peninsulas, containing only the hamlets of

Elgol Elgol ( gd, Ealaghol) is a village on the shores of Loch Scavaig towards the end of the Strathaird peninsula in the Isle of Skye, in the Scottish Highlands. Name According to tradition, its name derives from a battle fought with five ships by ...

, Kirkibost, Kilmarie, Drinan and Glasnakille, which are accessed via the B8083 road. The ruins of the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...

hill fort

Dun Ringill Dun Ringill ( Gaelic: ''Dùn'', 'fort', ''Ringill'', 'point of the ravine') is an Iron Age hill fort on the Strathaird peninsula on the island of Skye, Scotland. Further fortified in the Middle Ages, tradition holds that it was for several cen ...

are east of Kirkibost on the shores of Loch Slapin. The Strathaird peninsula was historically a heartland of

Clan Mackinnon Clan MacKinnon ( gd, Clann MhicFhionghain ) is a Highland Scottish clan from the islands of Mull and Skye, in the Inner Hebrides. Popular tradition gives the clan a Dalriadic Gaelic origin. The 19th-century historian W. F. Skene named the clan ...

and tradition holds that Dun Ringill was once the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair, a chair ...

of the clan. The Strathaird Estate was bought by musician

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist, acoustic guitarist and leader of the British rock band Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist ...

, the frontman for Jethro Tull, in 1978. Anderson started a salmon farming business at Strathaird, which expanded throughout Scotland. The business was reportedly worth over £10 million by the mid 1990s, though much of it has now been sold off. Anderson sold the estate to the John Muir Trust in 1994, for around £750,000. The Trust also own the neighbouring estates of

Torrin Torrin ( gd, Na Torrain) is a settlement on the island of Skye in Scotland. Geography The crofting and fishing village of Torrin lies on the eastern shore of Loch Slapin, southwest of Broadford (''An t-Àth Leathann''), on the road to Elgol ...

and

Sconser Sconser ( gd, Sgonnsair) is a small crofting township on the island of Skye, in Scotland, situated on the south shore of Loch Sligachan. The main A87 road of Skye passes through Sconser and the ferry to Raasay departs from the pier. Less than ...

Notes

References

* Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London; Heinemann. {{Skye Landforms of the Isle of Skye Peninsulas of Scotland Highland Estates Protected areas of Highland (council area) Clan Mackinnon

See also

Notes

References