Lairg
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(March 2022) |
Lairg
| |
|---|---|
 Lairg | |
  Lairg Location within theSutherlandarea | |
| Population | 891 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | NC582064 |
| •Edinburgh | 150 mi (241 km) |
| •London | 481 mi (774 km) |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LAIRG |
| Postcode district | IV27 |
| Dialling code | 01549 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Lairg(Scottish Gaelic:An Luirg,meaning "the shank/shin" )[1]is a village and parish inSutherland,Scotland.[2]It has a population of 891[3]and is at the south-eastern end ofLoch Shin.
Lairg is unusual in the northern Highlands in being a large settlement that is not on thecoast.One of the reasons that Lairg is slightly bigger than other non-coastal Highland villages is its central location within the county of Sutherland. Having four roads which meet in the village, it used to be known as "The Crossroads of the North". In the 19th century, it was provided with arailway station(atNC582039), on what is now theFar North Line.This development means that the north-west of Sutherland is now easier to reach. (The Far North Line linksInvernessin the south withThursoandWickin the north.)
Sheep sales
[edit]Lairg is the location of the largest single-day sheep sale in Europe. These auctions take place in August and bring people from all over Scotland to buy or sell their animals.
Gala Week
[edit]In July, Lairg holds a Gala Week. This is organised by a local committee in order to put on fun activities for adults and children. Events include fancy-dress parades, a pet show, fishing competitions on Loch Shin or the Little Loch Shin, and dances with live music in the community centre.
Lairg Crofters' Show
[edit]This one-day event has been running for 100 years. It attracts many spectators and participants for activities such as horse-jumping, sheep and cow judging, children's sports, Highland sports (e.g. tossing the caber, throwing the wellie/haggis) and homemade crafts. Sheep racing has even become a significant attraction in recent years.
Little Loch Shin
[edit]Little Loch Shin lies directly in the centre of the village. It is a manmade loch created by the hydroelectric dam scheme, and is the home of the "Broon's hoose", a small, wooden dwelling on an islet. Loch Shin itself lies to the north of Lairg and is 17 miles (27 km) long.
Facilities
[edit]Lairg has a petrol station, pub/hotel, post office, bank, caravan site, primary school, tourist information centre, and various shops, cafes and B&Bs. Tourists attractions include theShin Falls,fishing, sightseeing and hillwalking.
Transport
[edit]Lairg railway stationlies on the picturesqueFar North Line,north ofInvershinand west ofRogart.It is managed byScotRail.
A proposal on the rail routes to the north ofInvernessis to create a more direct rail from Inverness toDornochvia a new bridge and an old branch line, which would leave Lairg isolated on a circuitous loop away from the main route. Although the link would shorten journey times toThursoandWick,reducing the rail service to Lairg would be detrimental to the local economy. Given the huge cost of building a rail bridge over the Dornoch Firth and both the Scottish government and the Highland Regional council's lack of enthusiasm for the project, it seems unlikely the proposal will become reality.[4]
The B864 road leads south and passes through the hamlet ofAchany.The parallelA836 roadalso runs south toBonar Bridge,and passes through the village ofAchinduich.The areas to the north and west are sparsely populated and crossed by just threesingle track roads.
Impact crater
[edit]Lairg is prospectively the site of the fifteenth largest impact crater on Earth, theLairg Gravity Lowwhich dates from 1.2 billion years ago and is 25 miles (40 km) across.[5]
Evidence for abolideimpact centered onUllapoolwas published by a combined team of scientists from theUniversity of Oxfordand theUniversity of Aberdeen,in March 2008.[6]
IV27 (Lairg) postcode area
[edit]IV27, with Lairg as its postal town, is the largest postcode area in the United Kingdom, at 1,393 square miles (3,608 km2). It covers a vast area of far north west Scotland, includingLochinver,Cape WrathandTongue.[7]
People associated with Lairg
[edit]- Sam McDonald(1762–1802), soldier and strongman
- SirJames Matheson(1796–1878), entrepreneur
- Alastair Bruce of CrionaichK.stJOBEVR(born 1960),Fitzalan Pursuivant Extraordinaryand historical advisor to film and television productions includingDownton Abbey,as well as the current Governor of Edinburgh Castle (appointed July 2019).
- RevJohn MacKay MacLennan,minister of Lairg Free church 1923 to 1965,Moderator of the General Assemblyin 1938
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Gaelic and Norse in the Landscape: Placenames in Caithness and SutherlandArchived21 September 2011 at theWayback Machine.Scottish National Heritage.
- ^Gittings, Bruce; Munro, David."Lairg, Highland".The Gazetteer for Scotland.School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society.Retrieved7 February2019.
- ^GROS."Standard Outputs - Census Data Explorer - Scotland's Census".www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk.
- ^"Council giving short shrift to rail, claims union".www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 7 November 2017.Retrieved15 September2012.
- ^"Ancient meteorite crater mapped".14 September 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^"Britain's biggest meteorite impact found"(Press release). University of Aberdeen. 26 March 2008.Retrieved22 March2015.
- ^"All you need to know about postcodes but were afraid to ask".Retrieved13 August2021.
External links
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Media related toLairgat Wikimedia Commons- Photographs of Lairg
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