Image Details
I decided one summers evening to go along to Udrigle, a small village just over a kilometre from my home in Laide. When I set out there was some sunshine around. I was hopeful of getting some images attractively lit by the low evening sun.
The sunlight didn't last for long however, clouds drifted up from the south and gave quite a different atmosphere to the scene. Much more moody for photography, but also likely to be the harbingers of bad weather tomorrow.
Eventually the clouds became so heavy that the scene descended into heavy gloom and I had to abandon my evening of photography. However the transition revealed fine cloud patterns in the sky, and on the far right, across Gruinard Bay,a shower to the south of An Teallach.
The small village in the foreground is Udrigle. It consists of just a handful of houses, one of which, second from the left, Udrigle House, was built in 1745. The history of this house is interesting and when I have time to spare I will add an article about Udrigle House to my website.
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.
Gruinard Bay; possibly from the Norse grunnfjörðr meaning shallow firth.
Laide; In Gaelic it is An Leathad meaning ‘a slope’.
Udrigle; Udrigle is possibly a Norse name, however Professor Watson suggests it may be derived from the Norse útargill, meaning outer cleft or gully.
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