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The Fain is a flat plain just over 300 metres above sea level and is only a few minutes drive from the shores of Little Loch Broom at Dundonnell. In these few minutes one is transported from a place of grandeur and beauty surrounded by mountains, to a high severe plateau where even the weather is more harsh than that left behind a few minutes ago.
A prominent landmark on the plain is the ruined building about midway along the plain and just next to the road. It is reputed to have been a drovers inn in days gone by but I have yet to have seen this confirmed, or any other history of it for that matter, in any authoritative source. Whatever it's original purpose it is popular with artists who are frequently to be seen painting or photographing it, often looking west with An Teallach as the backdrop (as in this case), or looking east to the Fannichs.
On this day I was making my way home when I stopped to photograph this scene. We had had heavy snow for a few days and, although not apparent in the photograph, I had earlier discovered when leaving the road that the snow would reach up to my knees. To reach the chosen viewpoint I had to cross a deep ditch where the snow would be even deeper and rather than wade through it I elected to leap over it. This I soon discovered was not a wise decision.
On my back I had a large and heavy backpack containing all my photographic gear, and attached to back pack was a heavy Gitzo tripod. I leapt the ditch all right but lost my footing and balance at the other side, fell backwards, and ended up like an upturned tortoise wallowing in the deep snow in the ditch.
Just at that moment, and to my embarrassment, a lorry came into view and the driver, spotting me lying half covered in the snow in the ditch, assumed I was in distress. I saw him slow down intending to help me so I frantically waved my arms at him to try indicate I was perfectly well. Seeing this, and no doubt thinking it better not to get involved with such a strange character, he drove on.
Anyway I got out of the ditch and trudged through the snow till I got a viewpoint that I liked. Returning to the car I did not make any further attempts to leap across the ditch....
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.
Dundonnell In Gaelic Acha dà Dòmhnaill means the 'Field of two Donalds'.
Fain; Gaelic na Fèithean meaning ‘the bog channels’.
Fannich; Fannich Hills, named from the loch of that name. Gaelic Fainich the meaning of which is uncertain. Watson has this to say:- In spite of its Gaelic ring Fainaich is rather an obscure and difficult word. Assuming that the ‘f’ is radical and does not represent an aspirated ‘p’ we may compare it with Welsh gwaneg a surge, gwanegu, to rise in waves, Welsh gw corresponding to Gaelic f, as in Welsh gwern, Gaelic fearn, alder. Another step backward would lead us to an early Celtic van- or ven-, which suggests a comparison with the Gaulish Lacus Ven-etus, now Lake of Constance, and the two Gaulish tribes of Veneti, both maritime. But the name is one in which it is unsafe to be positive.
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).
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