Drumnadrochit
Drumnadrochit
| |
---|---|
Drumnadrochit in 2007 | |
Location within the Inverness area | |
Population | 1,130 (2020)[1] |
OS grid reference | NH508301 |
• Edinburgh | 107 mi (172 km) |
• London | 439 mi (707 km) |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area |
|
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | INVERNESS |
Postcode district | IV63 |
Dialling code | 01456 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Drumnadrochit ( to the south. The villages act as a centre for regional tourism beside Loch Ness, as well as being a local economic hub for the nearby communities.
Geography
The village lies in Glen Urquhart on the
History
The settlement grew up around a bridge over the River Enrick, and the name Drumnadrochit derives from the Scottish Gaelic Druim na Drochaid, "the ridge of the bridge". The first stone bridge was completed between 1808 and 1811 as part of works led by Thomas Telford.[4] The bridge was extensively damaged by flooding in 1818.[4] It was later widened in 1933 to accommodate the expanded A82 road.[4]
Historically the village was within the local government
The Drumnadrochit Hotel is a Category B listed three-storey hotel completed in 1882.[5] The former Caledonian Bank building is also a prominent structure in the village and was constructed in 1895, although it is no longer a bank.[6]
A small strip of the estate's land still exists to this day, mostly north of the small settlement of Balbeg that lies north of Balnain.[7] It is largely publicly accessible and is mostly used for grazing cattle in the summer.
Established after the
In 2006, the village hall, originally funded by Bradley Martin of Balmacaan House, celebrated its centenary.[9]
Balmacaan Estate
Much of Glenurquhart was historically part of the Balmacaan Estate (also known as the Glen Urquhart Estate), owned by the Grant family of Seafield between 1509 and 1946. The estate was rented to the wealthy American industrialist and local benefactor Bradley Martin in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and flourished in the 1880s and 1890s, but went into decline after the 1920s. The estate then changed hands so frequently that the issue was raised in parliament.
Education
Drumnadrochit is served by the local Glen Urquhart High School which is also home to the community library.[19]
Culture and community
The village's shops include a pharmacy, a Post Office and a supermarket. There are also several restaurants and cafés. There is a doctor's surgery under NHS Scotland and a team of local Community First Responders who cover nights and weekends in serious emergencies.
The Loch Ness Hub is a community owned transport and visitor information centre.[20]
At Urquhart Bay Harbour in Drumnadrochit there is a RNLI inshore lifeboat station.[21] The lifeboat station was established in 2008 to respond to maritime emergencies on Loch Ness.[21]
Balmacaan is an ancient woodland, managed by the Woodland Trust, that overlooks the village.[22] Formerly part of Balmacaan House, the Earl of Grant's estate, the woodland estate is now open to the public.[22]
Transport
There are several buses a day that pass through Drumnadrochit, notably the 17 between Drum and Inverness bus station. Buses are less frequent outside the summer season, especially on a Sunday.
Economy
The village is popular with tourists and there are three larger hotels in (or close to) the village, two smaller inns (the Ben Leva Hotel and Fiddler's Rest) and a hostel (the Loch Ness Backpackers Lodge). Attractions include the nearby Urquhart Castle, one of the most visited sites managed by Historic Scotland, and Nessieland, and a "Nessie" themed exhibition about the Loch Ness Monster, the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition for those wanting a more serious interpretation. The village hosts the Glenurquhart Highland Games at the end of August each year. A winter event, "Drums and Rockets", has also taken place in recent years.[23] The community hosts a Bonfire Night fireworks display around 5 November.
Two long-distance hiking routes pass through or start at the village. The
Agriculture and forestry are also major local employers. Drumnadrochit is the home of the Hanging Tree Brewery, a microbrewery launched in 2018. Drumnadrochit is also home to Cobbs Cakes traditionally made and distributed across the UK and Ireland. Cobbs is also the largest employer in the village, running the Drumnadrochit Hotel and the Clansman Visitor Centre, and recently bought the Loch Ness Beer brand after the Brewery went into administration in 2016.
Sports
The village is home to shinty team Glenurquhart Shinty Club. Also, there is a Bowls Club and Badminton.
In popular culture
Drumnadrochit is featured in the film Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster as the closest town to Blake Castle, the home of Daphne Blake's Scottish ancestors. When the main characters are first driving into the town, Fred Jones is unable to pronounce its name correctly, while Scooby-Doo is able to.
In Lawrence Block's novel The Burglar in the Library, there is a fictional scotch enjoyed by Bernie called Glen Drumnadrochit.
In The Family Ness theme song, You'll Never Find A Nessie In The Zoo, the refrain states "You can go to Auchtermuchty and to Drumnadrochit too, but you'll never find a Nessie in the zoo".
See also
References
- ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Drumnadrochit, General (104237)". Canmore.
- ^ "Craigmonie Centre | Natural History". www.craigmoniecentre.co.uk.
- ^ a b c Historic Environment Scotland. "DRUMNADROCHIT, BRIDGE OVER RIVER ENRICK (LB15005)". Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "DRUMNADROCHIT, DRUMNADROCHIT HOTEL (LB15008)". Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Drumnadrochit, Caledonian Bank (261301)". Canmore. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Property Page: Balmacaan Estate". www.whoownsscotland.org.uk.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Drumnadrochit, Drumnadrochit Bridge, War Memorial (287385)". Canmore. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Glen Urquhart Public Hall. "Village Hall".
- ^ "Balmacaan Estate (Hansard, 26 October 1943)". parliament.uk.
- ^ "Architecture Notes | Canmore". canmore.org.uk.
- ^ "Balmacaan House | Canmore". canmore.org.uk.
- ^ "Local History: Drumnadrochit, Scotland—The Appendix". theappendix.net.
- ^ Trust, Woodland. "Balmacaan - Visiting Woods". Woodland Trust.
- ^ "On Balmacaan Estate". Am Baile.
- ^ "Loch Ness and mountains from a Highland estate". 6 June 2019.
- ^ http://johnclegg.s3.amazonaws.com/bunloit-estate_360060312.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Bunloit, Glenurquhart (116736)". Canmore.
- ^ Redmond J. "Glen Urquhart High School". Archived from the original on 1 September 2013.
- ^ "Home page". Loch Ness Hub. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Loch Ness Lifeboat Station". RNLI. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Balmacaan". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Loch Ness Hogmanay Festival. "Drums and Rockets". Archived from the original on 15 December 2006.
- ^ "Affric Kintail Way (Walkhighlands)". Walkhighlands.