Shieldaig
Shieldaig (Scottish Gaelic: Sìldeag; Old Norse: síld-vík, lit. 'herring bay')[1] is a village in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.[2]
Shieldaig
| |
|---|---|
 Shieldaig looking north along the sea-front | |
  Shieldaig Location within the Ross and Cromarty area | |
| OS grid reference | NG815539 |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Kinlochewe |
| Postcode district | IV54 |
| Dialling code | 01520 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Geography and history
The village was founded in 1800[3] with a view to training up seamen for war against Napoleon. After his (initial) defeat and exile to Elba, the community found itself a new role as a fishing village. The small island just offshore never had its tall pines harvested to rig warships, and has now become a nature sanctuary.
The name of the village is derived from the Old Norse síld-vík, meaning 'herring bay'.[1]
Shieldaig is a community of around 85 people,[4] with its own school, a small pub, a village hall, a church and two restaurants. It is much used as a holiday destination, attracting those interested in fishing, touring the North Coast 500 or explorers of the Torridon Hills, which are a few miles around the coast.
Shieldaig holds a community fete in the second weekend of August.
Another Shieldaig
12 miles (19 kilometres) to the north lies another Shieldaig.[4]
See also
References
- W. J. Watson, Place-names of Ross and Cromarty, 1904, p. 208.
- Gittings, Bruce; Munro, David. "Shieldaig, Highland". The Gazetteer for Scotland. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- Shieldaig Undiscovered Scotland
- "Torridon & Shieldaig". Steve Carter. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
External links
Media related to Shieldaig at Wikimedia Commons