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Taken in the evening sunshine late in August the grasses were changing from their lush summer green into the brilliant golden shade that I always find so attractive.
Viewed from the village of Badcaul, just down the hillside from the road that goes to Badluarach, the view shown here is looking east along Little Loch Broom towards the village of Dundonnell at the loch's end.
What initially caught my attention was the brightly lit cloud cap that had settled on An Teallach's Sail Mhor peak.
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.
An Teallach; Gaelic, ‘The Forge’, according to Wikipedia from its colour in certain lighting rather than its shape. From personal experience I can agree with this explanation. In the summer, during a good sunset, and when looking east over Gruinard Bay An Teallach can appear bright red with the reflected light from the sunset in the west. However Professor Watson says that the being called the forge is due either to its smoke like mists or from supposed resemblance to a forge.
Badcaul; Gaelic is am Bad-call meaning ‘the hazel clump’.
Badluarach; Written as Badluachrach by Watson. The clump of rushes, from luachair, rushes.
Dundonnell In Gaelic Acha dà Dòmhnaill means the 'Field of two Donalds'.
Little Loch Broom; Gaelic an Loch Beag according to Watson, i.e. ‘the little loch’. He does not explain the origin of its anglicised name and I assume it is derived after its nearby neighbour, Loch Broom, being small in comparison to it. The name Loch Broom is an anglicised version of its true Gaelic name which is Loch Bhraoin. Bhraoin means a 'drop of water or rain' and is named after the river that flows from Loch a' Bhraoin high in the Braemore (Am Braigh Mor).
Sail Mhor; One of An Teallach’s peaks; Gaelic Sàil Mhòr meaning ‘great heel’.
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