Image Details
A fine winters day, and I had spent the afternoon walking along the hill tops behind Laide and stretching along to Achgarve. A walk well remembered because during this enjoyable walk I fell suddenly into a one-metre ditch that had become overgrown!
I took this photograph on the way back home as I walked along the single-track road that leads to Mellon Udrigle. I love the colours of the grasses and bracken in winter, as in the foreground of this view. Below the trees is the old Fishing Station at Laide, and this will be featured in another photograph at a future time in this gallery.
Beyond the trees is Gruinard Bay; the bay is situated in the Scottish North-west Highlands, and beyond the bay is one of Scotland's greatest mountains, An Teallach.
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.
Achgarve; From the Gaelic is An t-Achadh Garbh meaning ‘the rough field’.
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.
Laide; In Gaelic it is An Leathad meaning ‘a slope’.
Mellon Udrigle; A hybrid Gaelic/Norse name meaning ‘Udrigle's Hill’. 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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