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 is located in Ross and Cromarty
Shieldaig
Shieldaig
Location within the Ross and Cromarty area
OS grid referenceNG815539
Civil parish
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKinlochewe
Postcode districtIV54
Dialling code01520
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
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.

Education

It is in the catchment area of Gairloch High School.[5]

Another Shieldaig

12 miles (19 kilometres) to the north lies another Shieldaig.[4]

Shieldaig from above

See also

References
  1. W. J. Watson, Place-names of Ross and Cromarty, 1904, p. 208.
  2. 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.
  3. Shieldaig Undiscovered Scotland
  4. "Torridon & Shieldaig". Steve Carter. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  5. "Schools - Gairloch High School". The Highland Council. Retrieved 22 October 2023.

Media related to Shieldaig at Wikimedia Commons

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