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A path popular with walkers runs along the top of the sand dunes alongside Gairloch's Golf Course. In the 1990's a storm did much damage to the dunes with huge waves washing much of it away.
Thereafter a great deal of work was undertaken to restore the sand dunes and replant them with special grasses to help stabilise them. At the same time the top of the dunes were protected by laying over the entire length of the dune tops a wooden walkway to give people a safe and pleasant walk.
At the far end of the beach this path leaves the dunes (and the wooden walkway) behind, crosses a hill, An Ard, which eventually brings the walker out at Gairloch Harbour. This photograph was taken from the viewpoint known as An Crasg looking south towards the golf course beyond which are the Torridon mountains Baosbheinn and Beinn Alligin.
North-west Highland Place Names
The landscape of the North-west Highlands and the Gaelic language are intimately connected. Other languages have contributed to the richness of our place names, notably Norse, but the North-west Highlands have for centuries been a Gaelic landscape. In listing the meanings of place names I have relied on authoritative sources wherever possible. For further information about sources please refer to North-west Highland Place Names in the main menu.
Baosbheinn; Watson lists it as Bus-bheinn; Gaelic Badhais-bhinn (or baoghais-bhinn, ao short). The phonetics do not admit the popular explanation - Forehead Hill from the Gaelic bathais. The name is probably a hybrid of the same type as Suilven, Blaven, Goatfell, Gaelic Gaota-bheinn, where Norse fell, a wild hill, has been translated into Gaelic beinn, the first part being left untranslated. The Apamapa website states that the current local Gaelic is Badhaisbheinn which might mean the ’mountain of the hunt’.
Beinn Alligin; Listed as Beinn Ailiginn by Watson. This mountain is named after the stream Abhainn Alligin The name Alligin is usually connected with àilleag, a jewel, a pretty woman, which may possibly be correct but Professor Watson says the single ‘l’ in àiliginn is a serious difficulty.
Crasg; Gaelic, An Crasg, Gaelic, ‘the crossing’; a ridge crossed by the road.
Gairloch; Gaelic, village named after the loch of the same name, Loch Gairloch, An Gearr-loch, the short loch.
Torridon; Professor Watson gives a detailed account starting with the recorded history of this name – Torvirtayne 1464; Torrerdone 1584; Gaelic Toir(bh)eartan compare with the Irish tairbheart, to transfer, carry over, the infinitive of tairbrim. This would give the place the meaning of ‘place of transference’ with reference to the portage from the head of Loch Torridon through Glen Torridon to Loch Maree. The name applies specially to the strip of land at the head of the loch.
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