Lairg
Coordinates: 58°01′N 4°24′W / 58.02°N 4.40°W
| Lairg | |
| Scottish Gaelic: An Luirg | |
 Lairg |
|
 Lairg
Lairg shown within the Sutherland area |
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| Population | 700 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NC582064 |
| Council area | Highland |
| Lieutenancy area | Sutherland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LAIRG |
| Postcode district | IV27 |
| Dialling code | 01549 |
| Police | Northern |
| Fire | Highlands and Islands |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross |
| Scottish Parliament | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Lairg (Scottish Gaelic: An Luirg) is a village in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. It has a population of about 700 and is situated at the south-eastern end of Loch Shin.
It is unusual in the northern Highlands, if not unique, in being a sizeable settlement that is not on the coast. Its relatively large size for Sutherland is partly due to its having being provided during the 19th century with a railway station (at NC582039), on what is now called the Far North Line, the hope being that it would "open up" the north-west of Sutherland. (The Far North Line links Inverness in the south with Thurso and Wick in the north.)
The village is an important centre for sheep sales, and in August hosts the largest livestock auction in Europe.[1]
The areas to the north and west of Lairg are very sparsely populated, crossed by just three single track roads.
A current proposal on the rail routes to the north of Inverness is to create a more direct rail link from Inverness to Dornoch via a new bridge and an old branch line, which would leave Lairg isolated on a circuitous alternative loop away from the main route[citation needed]. The new link would shorten journey times to Thurso and Wick. But reducing the rail service to Lairg might well be detrimental to the local economy. However, given the huge cost of building a rail bridge over the Dornoch Firth and the complete lack of enthusiasm for the project from the Scottish government it seems extremely unlikely that this proposal will ever become reality.[original research?]
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[edit] Transport
Lairg railway station lies on the picturesque Far North Line, north of Invershin and west of Rogart. The station is managed by First ScotRail.
The B864 road leads south and passes through the hamlet of Achany. The A836 road also runs south, parallel to this road and passes through the village of Achinduich. [2]
[edit] People associated with Lairg
- Sir James Matheson (1796–1878), entrepreneur
- Stuart Lockhart (Mayor)
- Rev. John Forbes (Free Church Minister)
[edit] References
- ^ Humphreys, Rob, Reid, Donald (2004). The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands (3 ed.). Rough Guides. p. 307. ISBN 1843532697. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=liQ6NSbvomwC&pg=PA307&dq=lairg+sheep&hl=en&ei=SR7ATODbI4SE5Aaui8mUDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=lairg%20sheep&f=false.
- ^ Google. Google Maps (Map).
[edit] External links
- Photographs of Lairg
- Lairg local community web site
- Lairg page at Undiscovered Scotland
- Lairg caravan park
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