Gairloch
( Geārrloch in
Gaelic ) is a small
village on the shores of
Loch Gairloch on the
northwest coast of Scotland. See Gairloch and you've
seen the
Highlands.
Gairloch's history dates
back at least as far as
the Iron Age dun or fort
on a headland near the
golf club. A thousand
years later the loch was
used as a haven by
Vikings. Very little
remains of them except
place names and
folklore. Norwegian rule
of
Scotland's western seaboard ended
after the Battle of
Largs and King Håkon
IV's retreat to Orkney
in 1263, and for the
following two centuries
two clans, the MacLeods
and Mackenzies fought
for dominance of the
area.
In 1494 King James IV
granted the lands to the
Mackenzies, who managed
their estates from
Flowerdale House, a
little inland from Charlestown. And they still do: much of the
area remains in the
ownership of the family.
Every first Saturday in
the month of July, the
community and visitors
come together to meet
old friends and new at
the Gairloch Highland
Gathering, which is
organized and run by
members of the local
community.