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Panorama of Dalavich from around 2002.

Dalavich (Scottish Gaelic: Dail Abhaich) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the western bank of Loch Awe and has a population of around 70. It is located 30 miles from the main town and port of Oban, connected by the villages of Kilchrenan and Taynuilt.

"Dalavich" is Gaelic in origin and means "meadows/valley of the River Avich". A hamlet since before the 18th Century, the village was developed in its current form by the Forestry Commission in 1952 to facilitate timber operations in the surrounding Inverliever forest. This was labour-intensive and horses were used to extract timber from the forest - it is possible to get a glimpse of this history by visiting the "old stables" which contain material from this epoch. Nowadays, a number of villagers still earn their living directly from forestry.

Holiday cabins were developed to the north of the village by the Forestry Commission in the 1970s. These have since been sold as individual residences, alongside development plots, and the area is now used as a mix of holiday lets, primary and 2nd homes.

Inverliever forest was acquired by HM Officer of Woods in 1907 and was one of the original "State Forests". In September 1919, the Forestry Act came into force, setting up the Forestry Commission and giving it responsibility for woods in England, Scotland and Wales. The basis of forestry policy in the 1920s was the need to rebuild and maintain a strategic timber reserve. As the surrounding area could not supply adequate labour, the forestry village at Dalavich was established.^[1] By 1959, the town population was 318, with over 125 school aged children. A new school was built by the County Council. In 1971, Inverinan forest was added to Inverliever.

There are forest walks and cycle routes maintained by the Forestry Commission nearby, and houses or cabins are available for tourists. Popular forest walks include the Dalavich Oakwood Trail (where red squirrel, pine marten, woodpeckers and many other woodland inhabitants may be seen), and the Avich Falls; there are many more nature trails, e.g. to Otter Point.

There is a church dating from 1770, a small shop and cafe with a part-time Post Office. There is also a social club as part of the community centre with a seasonal bistro. The village hosted a primary school until it was closed in 1997 due to an insufficient number of pupils. In 1997 there was only 1 pupil. There were 5 pupils in the school when it closed. The school is now converted to holiday accommodation.

There is boat hire and fishing permits can be bought locally. Some of the largest trout caught in Europe have come from Loch Awe. ^[2]

Dalavich Oakwood

Dalavich Oakwood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its significance as few remaining examples of upland oak woodland along the slopes of Loch Awe.^[3]

References

^ An Environmental History of state forestry in Scotland,1919-1970. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/1450
^ UK Game Fish Records. https://www.fish-uk.com/uk_game_fish_records.htm Retrieved April 9, 2020
^ "Dalavich Oakwood Citation". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 2010-09-06.^{[permanent dead link]}

External links

Dalavich Oakwood Trail
Avich Falls Walk
Dalavich Web Site * [1]
Dalavich Blog [2]

Notes

56°15′41″N 5°17′10″W / 56.26139°N 5.28611°W / 56.26139; -5.28611

[1] An Environmental History of state forestry in Scotland,1919-1970. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/1450

[2] UK Game Fish Records. https://www.fish-uk.com/uk_game_fish_records.htm Retrieved April 9, 2020

[snh-3] "Dalavich Oakwood Citation". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 2010-09-06.^{[permanent dead link]}

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@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 '''''"'''Dalavich'''"''''' is Gaelic in origin and means "meadows/valley of the River Avich". A hamlet since before the 18th Century, the village was developed in its current form by the [[Forestry Commission]] in 1952 to facilitate timber operations in the surrounding Inverliever forest. This was labour-intensive and horses were used to extract timber from the forest - it is possible to get a glimpse of this history by visiting the "old stables" which contain material from this epoch. Nowadays, a number of villagers still earn their living directly from forestry.
-Holiday cabins were developed to the north of the village by the Forestry Commission in the early 1980s. These have since been sold as individual residences, alongside development plots, and are now used as a mix of holiday lets, primary and 2nd homes.
+Holiday cabins were developed to the north of the village by the Forestry Commission in the [https://www.forestholidays.co.uk/about/forestry-commission/ 1970s]. These have since been sold as individual residences, alongside development plots, and the area is now used as a mix of holiday lets, primary and 2nd homes.
 Inverliever forest was acquired by HM Officer of Woods in 1907 and was one of the original "State Forests". In September 1919, the Forestry Act came into force, setting up the Forestry Commission and giving it responsibility for woods in England, Scotland and Wales. The basis of forestry policy in the 1920s was the need to rebuild and maintain a strategic timber reserve. As the surrounding area could not supply adequate labour, the forestry village at Dalavich was established.<ref>An Environmental History of state forestry in Scotland,1919-1970. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/1450 </ref> By 1959, the town population was 318, with over 125 school aged children. A new school was built by the County Council. In 1971, Inverinan forest was added to Inverliever.