Image Details
This is the only photograph which actually has my home in it.
My home is in the village of Laide, and in the photo it's in the little cluster of houses in the foreground, looking over Gruinard Bay to one of Scotland's greatest mountains, An Teallach, below which are the beautiful pristine beaches at Little Gruinard.
Gruinard Bay is situated on Scotland's north-west coast and has, in my opinion, the widest sweeping vista's in the whole of the Scottish Highlands, perhaps even Europe I have heard other people say. I feel very privileged to live here and the above view is just a small part of a much wider panorama.
I had been commissioned by the new owner of a local hotel to provide him with an image that showed the magnificent scenery in which his hotel was located. The best spot for this was to be about one and a half kilometres up the hill behind my house, but en route I stopped to look at the view, and I thought this would make a nice shot with my home in it.
As I went on up the hill to where it levelled out, I discovered to my annoyance that the best view of the hotel meant I had to go and stand in a peat bog!! I hate doing that; there is always the fear that one day I'll sink beneath one never to be found again. An irrational fear perhaps, but it bothers me nevertheless.
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’.
Little Gruinard; This is the name of the area around the estuary of the Little Gruinard River where it enters Gruinard Bay. There is also another nearby river called the River Gruinard and the term ‘Little’ is added to the smaller river to distinguish the two. The rivers themselves are named after the bay into which they flow, Gruinard Bay, Gruinard being derived from the old Norse grunnfjörðr meaning ‘shallow firth’.
Images; Copyright © Gordon C Harrison All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.
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