Image Details
This image is not what it seems. It appears to be a sunset or early morning scene, but was in fact taken in late afternoon at springtime.
I was on the Scottish island of Skye for a few days and on this day was exploring its west coast. I had reached Boust Hill, not far from Bracadale, and to take this landscape photograph I was looking out at the entrance to Loch Harport, Ardtreck Point (left) and Ullinish Point (right).
The orange coloured sky was not the result of a setting sun which was still high in the sky, but was in fact due to smoke from burning hillsides. In the spring the hillsides in the West Highlands are set alight to burn the heather and encourage new growth for sheep and cattle to graze. In the main it is controlled but occasionally it can get out of hand.
On this occasion extensive areas of hillside were ablaze filling the air beyond the peninsulas with smoke, creating the unusual juxtaposition of an apparent sunset sky with blue water which was reflecting the clear blue sky above me.
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.
Ardtreck Point; Gaelic, thought to be aird bhreac - the speckled point.
Boust Hill; On Skye, I could find no references to this name. However Alex Macbain’s ‘Place names of Highlands & Islands of Scotland’ explains that ‘bost’ is a common suffice in place names from the Norse bólstaðr meaning steading or farm. So perhaps it means ‘farm hill’.
Bracadale; Gaelic is Bràcadal. One source (Scottish Parliament) states it is derived from old Norse and means ‘slope valley’ while another source claims it means ‘place of meeting of townships.
Loch Harport; From old Norse meaning loch by the goat fjiord.
Skye; Skye's history includes the influence of Gaelic, Norse and English speaking peoples and the relationships between their names for the island are not straightforward. The Gaelic name for the "Isle of Skye" is An t-Eilean Sgitheanach (or Sgiathanach, a more recent and less common spelling). The meaning of this name is not clear. Various explanations have been proposed, such as the ‘winged isle’ or ‘the notched isle’ but no definitive solution has been found to date.
Ullinish Point; According to the Scottish Parliament website this name is derived from the Norse Uilinis or Uilbhinis meaning ‘Wolf Headland’. However some Skye websites, although agreeing on its Norse origin, claim it means Ulli’s point.
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