Salen () is a coastal village on the

Ardnamurchan Ardnamurchan (, ) is a peninsula in the ward management area of Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, noted for being very unspoiled and undisturbed. Its remoteness is accentuated by the main access route being a single track road for much of its l ...

peninsula, overlooking

Salen Bay Salen may refer to: Places *Salen, Ardnamurchan, a village on the Ardnamurchan peninsula in the highland region of Scotland. *Salen, Mull, a village on the island of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland *Sälen, in Dalarna, Sweden Surname * Bea ...

which is an inlet of the sea loch, Loch Sunart. Located in the Scottish council area of

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

, it is on the road to Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly point of mainland

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

Etymology

Salen is from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

''Sàilean'', meaning "small inlet. Many of the local names relate to the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

such as Sunart, which is derived from ''Suaineart'' meaning "Svein's fjord" and

Acharacle Acharacle (; , "Torquil's ford") is a village on the landward end of the Ardnamurchan peninsula in the Scottish Highlands, at the foot of Loch Shiel. The ford referred to in the name spans the River Shiel, and, according to legend, was the site ...

originally meaning "Torquil's field".Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 2 This is evidence of the Scandinavian occupation of much of northern and western Scotland from the 9th century.

Somerled Somerled (died 1164), known in Middle Irish as Somairle, Somhairle, and Somhairlidh, and in Old Norse as Sumarliði , was a mid-12th-century Norse-Gaelic lord who, through marital alliance and military conquest, rose in prominence to create the ...

, who founded the Lordship of the Isles, may have hailed from the area.

History

In the 1990s the restoration of the oak woodland surrounding Salen began and the area was proposed as a Special Area of Conservation. There are many local walks where evidence of human activity going back to the Stone Age can be found. Salen has for centuries been one of Loch Sunart's safest anchorages. The stone pier was built when Salen was one of the main ports in the 19th century visited by steamers and other vessels. In 2011 the facilities at the pier were enhanced with a nine berth pontoon. The Salen Hotel was built by C.D. Rudd, the diamond millionaire, who along with Cecil Rhodes each bought a quarter share of De Beers gold mine and diamond fields. During the Second World War, due to the remoteness and ease with which the peninsula could be cut off, the entire area was used for Special Forces military training. The foundations of military buildings can be seen in Salen Village and evidence of training in the form of spent cartridges can be found on local walks.

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External links

{{Lochaber Populated places in Lochaber Ardnamurchan

Etymology

History

See also

Notes

References

External links