Elgol

Elgol (Scottish Gaelic: Ealaghol) is a village on the shores of Loch Scavaig towards the end of the Strathaird peninsula in the Isle of Skye, in the Scottish Highlands.

Name

According to tradition, its name derives from a battle fought with five ships by Aella, a follower of Vortigern, against the Picts and Scots (“Aella-gol”). [Derek Cooper, "Skye" (Routledge, 1983), at page 52]

History

The Strathaird peninsula was historically a heartland of the Mackinnons, a robustly Jacobite clan. On 4 July 1746, the Young Pretender found sanctuary at Elgol in the course of his wanderings under the protection of Mackinnon of Mackinnon and Captain John Mackinnon of Elgol. The cave where he is said to have waited for a boat to the mainland (“Prince Charlie’s cave”, or “Uamh Phrionnsa”) can still be visited today, a short walk to the south of the village. [Walter Blaikie, "Itinerary of Prince Charles Edward Stuart" (Scottish History Society, Edinburgh, 1897), at page 55]

Present day

The village had a considerably higher population prior to the Clearances. It now has a population of approximately 100, a significant proportion of whom are Gaelic speakers. [Scotland census results, 2001]

The village is also a terminal for boat trips to Loch Coruisk.

References