Arisaig

Arisaig
Scottish Gaelic: Àrasaig
Arisaig  Arisaig shown within the Lochaber area
OS grid reference	NM661865
Council area	Highland
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Postcode district	PH39 4
Police	Northern
Fire	Highlands and Islands
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
List of places: UK • Scotland •

For the Canadian village, see Arisaig, Nova Scotia.

Arisaig (Scottish Gaelic: Àrasaig) is a village in Lochaber, Invernessshire, on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands.

History

On 20 September 1746 Bonnie Prince Charlie left Scotland for France from a place near the village following the failure of the Jacobite Rising. The site of his departure is marked by the Prince's Cairn which is located at Loch nan Uamh to the east of Arisaig. In 1770 the Scottish Gaelic poet Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair died in Arisaig and was buried in the village's Roman Catholic cemetery. Emigrants from this area founded Arisaig, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1785.

During the Second World War the area was taken over by the Special Operations Executive to train agents for missions in Occupied Europe. Arisaig House, along with many others, were used as training schools. The Land, Sea and Islands Centre in the village has a display on the connection between the SOE and Arisaig.

Arisaig is in the Scottish council area of Highland. Tourism is the main industry in the Arisaig area due to the spectacular scenery and great beaches. Interestingly, several areas of England have Arisaig as the street names, such as in Ouston, County Durham.

Amenities

The Land, Sea and Island Centre

Arisaig has a shop complete with cafe. It also has a hotel and bar.

Transport

Arisaig lies on the A830 which leads to Mallaig to the north and Fort William to the east. The route, which is also known as the Road to the Isles, has been upgraded from a single track to double track carriageway. Work was completed in 2008.

The village is served by Arisaig railway station on the West Highland Line which connects the village to Mallaig and Fort William. It is the most westerly station on the British mainland.

A small passenger ferry sails from Arisaig to the Small Isles of Eigg, Muck and Rùm. The main CalMac service to the Small Isles operates from Mallaig.

Glenuig Bay moorings controversy

In 2008, the new owner of the Glenuig Inn applied for permission to the UK's Crown Estate and the Scottish Executive to place 10 private moorings within Glenuig Bay to attract new business and provide facilities for visiting yachts. However local fishermen, who had used the bay for years to moor their boats free of charge, strongly opposed the plans. They feared it would mean the introduction of fees and eviction if they refused to pay. Despite having no official consent to moor boats in the bay, the local community said the development would stop them keeping their boats close to their homes and businesses. However the owner of the Glenuig Inn said it was a "wake-up call" to everyone enjoying free moorings in Scotland because "the seabed is owned by the Crown Estate".

Following a public meeting in Arisaig in October 2010, agreement was reached between the Crown Estate, representatives of Glenuig Inn and the local community on the location of the new commercial moorings in respect to areas designated for use by local boaters and fishermen.

External links

• Road to the Isles information page on Arisaig
• Undiscovered Scotland page on Arisaig
• Arisaig Marine
• Arisaig Self-catering
• Panorama of the Sound of Arisaig (QuickTime required)
• Sunday Mail, September 2009, reporting on moorings grab controversy