Craigellachie () is a small village in
Moray
Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...
, Scotland, at the confluence of the
River Spey
The River Spey () is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom and the third longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is an important location for the traditions of salmon fishing an ...
and
River Fiddich (whose valley or
glen
A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. The word is Goidelic in origin: ''gleann'' in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, ''glion'' in Manx. ...
gives its name to the famous Scotch whisky
Glenfiddich
Glenfiddich distillery () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray, Scotland. Is owned by William Grant & Sons. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhai ...
), in walking distance of the town of
Aberlour
Aberlour () is a village in Moray, Scotland, south of Elgin, Moray, Elgin on the road to Grantown-on-Spey, Grantown. The Lour Burn (landform), burn is a tributary of the River Spey, and it and the surrounding parish are both named Aberlour, bu ...
.
The name means "rocky hill" and was first applied to the cliff on which much of the village is sited, above the River Spey. Craigellachie dates back to at least 1750, when there was a ferry across the Spey where today's village now stands. It also stands at the intersection of the
A95 from
Keith to Aberlour and the
A941 from
Rothes to
Dufftown
Dufftown ( ) is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has several listed 19th centur ...
.
Craigellachie has two malt whisky distilleries (
Craigellachie and
The Macallan) and is home to the Speyside Cooperage.
Craigellachie Bridge over the River Spey was built by
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well ...
between 1812 and 1815.
A plaque on one of the castellated towers guarding the entrance to the bridge records that the metalwork was cast in Wales: another that the bridge was restored to this, something like its original condition, in 1964. The bridge is a remarkable piece of engineering, and can be viewed from above or below.
Craigellachie railway station, closed in 1968, provided a link between the
Strathspey Railway and the
Morayshire Railway (later the
Great North of Scotland Railway).
Craigellachie is an important stopping off point on the
Speyside Way, a long distance path from
Buckie
Buckie () is a burgh town (defined as such in List of burghs in Scotland, 1888) on the Moray Firth coast of Scotland. Counties of Scotland, Historically in Banffshire, Buckie was the largest town in the county until the administrative area was ...
in the north to
Aviemore
Aviemore (; ) is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and ...
in the south.
Prehistory and archaeology
In advance of the creation of the new distillery and visitor experience at the Macallan distillery, archaeological excavations were undertaken by AOC Archaeology in 2014. The archaeologists found that people had been living and working in the area for thousands of years. There found evidence of people working in the area in the Middle
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
(
radiocarbon dates of 1681–1503 cal BC); had built a small settlement in the Late Bronze Age (radiocarbon dates of between 1050 and 800 BC); then a single ring-ditch
roundhouse in the Middle Iron Age (radiocarbon dates of 171 BC - AD 51); another small settlement between the ninth to twelfth centuries AD with two post-ring roundhouses; and a 19th century quarry. There was also some evidence (two stone tools) of people being in the area during the
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...
period.
Places in Craigellachie
Notable places in Craigellachie include the Fiddichside Inn, Highlander Inn, and the Craigellachie Hotel. It is home to the
Craigellachie and
Macallan distilleries. There is a petrol station in the top half of the village, with a car wash and an
electric vehicle charger. Nearby sights include
Balvenie Castle and
Glenfiddich distillery in
Dufftown
Dufftown ( ) is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has several listed 19th centur ...
,
Aberlour distillery in
Aberlour
Aberlour () is a village in Moray, Scotland, south of Elgin, Moray, Elgin on the road to Grantown-on-Spey, Grantown. The Lour Burn (landform), burn is a tributary of the River Spey, and it and the surrounding parish are both named Aberlour, bu ...
, and
The Glenlivet distillery.
Craigellachie Golf Club was first recorded in 1898 and continued until the 1950s, after which the location was converted to farmland.
Name connection
Craigellachie, British Columbia
Craigellachie (pronounced ) is a locality in British Columbia, located several kilometres to the west of the Eagle Pass (British Columbia), Eagle Pass summit between Sicamous and Revelstoke, British Columbia, Revelstoke. Craigellachie is the si ...
, is named after the Scottish village and is the place where the
last spike of the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
was driven in November 1885.
[Akrigg, G.P.V. and Akrigg, Helen (1970) ''1001 British Columbia Place Names'', p. 46. Vancouver: Discovery Press]
References
External links
Census data*
from ''Picturesque Scotland'' by Francis Watt M.A. and the Rev. Andrew Carter M.A.
{{authority control
Villages in Moray
Glen Fiddich