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In the summer of 2007 BBC TV made a reality show featuring Monty Hall and it was based here, at Sand Bay just north of Applecross in the Scottish North-west Highlands. It consisted of 7 or 8 parts supposedly showing a simpler way of life based on the practice of crofting.
Monty is a very engaging chap, ex Royal Marine officer and a qualified marine biologist and his affability was as much a part of the show's success as the stunning landscape in which it is based.
He lived in Beachcomber Cottage by the shore which you can just make out on the far right of the above image. It was a semi-ruined cow shed owned by the Applecross Trust. The income made from the program makers enabled it to be re-roofed and basic amenities such as a stove and a box bed to be installed. This provided a basic level of comfort for Monty.
It is uninhabited again and visitors can enter the hut and sign the visitor book. The program had a major effect on the number of visitors going to Applecross to enjoy it's remoteness and beauty.
Beyond Sand Bay is the Inner Sound which separates the mainland from the Inner Hebrides. Across the Sound and to the right is the southern end of the Isle of Raasay. To the left is the Isle of Scalpay. Beyond both islands the Cuillin mountains of Skye dominate the horizon.
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.
Applecross; For a full explanation of the origin of this name the reader is referred to Professor Watson’s excellent book – click ‘North-west Highland Place Names’ in the main menu for further information. Summing up his comments it appears that the name means the ‘estuary of the Crosan’ which is the river (Abhain Crosan) that flows into Applecross Bay. The word Crosan is of uncertain origin but is assumed to be Pictish, meaning unknown.
Cuillin; This is the anglicised spelling of the Scottish Gaelic An Cuilthionn or An Cuiltheann. From my researches into the meaning of the Gaelic names An Cuilthionn and An Cuiltheann it appears that etymologists are unable to provide a definitive answer. Some suggest the range owes its name to the legendary heroic figure, Cú Chulainn while others propose cuilionn, the Gaelic for holly. However, given the island's Viking heritage and the aspect that the Cuillin ridge presents from afar, the contention that the name comes from the Norse kjollen or keel-shaped, appears to be the most likely explanation.
Inner Sound; This is the sound between the Applecross peninsula and the Isle of Raasay. It has caused me some difficulty in that the sources I rely on for place names have nothing to say about this. A number of web sites give its Gaelic name as An Lighe Rathairseach but they are not authoritative. Assuming they are right the next difficulty is in determining the meaning, Rathairseach refers to the Isle of Raasay so that seems reasonable but An Lighe presents a problem. On page 26 of Professor Watson’s book he refers to An Lighe in another context and ascribes the meaning ‘physician’. However some of my Gaelic dictionaries ascribe the meaning ‘spate’ or ‘flood’ to An Lighe which seems more reasonable. Perhaps some kind etymologist will settle this discussion and provide the answer?
Raasay; In Gaelic Raasay is Ratharsair or Ratharsaigh from the old Norse words Raa-s-oy, Ross-oy, Rásey or Hrossey meaning ‘roe deer island’. In Gaelic the island is also known as Eilean nam Fear Móra, ‘the island of the great men.
Sand Bay; From the Norse sannd, ‘sand’.
Scalpay; Island near Skye. Gaelic is Scalpaidh (Watson) or Sgalpaigh an t-Sratha (Scottish Parliament). Derived from the Norse skálp-á, ‘ship-river’ applied to the island is ‘ship island’.
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.
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