Kyle of Lochalsh
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Kyle of Lochalsh (from the Scottish Gaelic Caol Loch Aillse, "strait of the foaming lake") is a small village on the north-west coast of Scotland, 63 miles (100 km) west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye. A ferry which used to connect the two villages was replaced by the Skye Bridge, about a mile (2 km) to the south, in 1995.
The village is the transport and shopping centre for the area as well as having a harbour, marina with pontoons for maritime visitors. The surrounding scenery and wildlife are regarded as attractions of the village, as is the slow pace of life. Crofting as well as more recent crofting pursuits like salmon farming are some of the activities taking place in Kyle of Lochalsh.
The village is connected to Inverness by the Kyle of Lochalsh railway line, built in 1895 to improve public transport to the north-west of Scotland. The line ends on the water's edge, near where the ferry connection used to run.
[edit] In popular culture
- In 1980 the BBC did a series of documentaries, entitled "Great Railway Journeys Of The World". The Kyle of Lochalsh appeared in an episode entitled "Confessions of a Trainspotter", presented by Michael Palin, in which by various trains, Palin travelled from London to the Kyle of Lochalsh. Palin's humour was evident throughout the documentary, and upon reaching the Kyle of Lochalsh, Palin purchased a large piece of railway memorabilia, being the Kyle of Lochalsh railway platform sign. The ending credits shows Palin taking the oversized sign with him back to London, which he hangs up on his garden wall at home.
[edit] References
- ^ Census 2001. Population figures. Retrieved on August 17, 2005.
