Lairg

Coordinates: 58°01′N 4°24′W / 58.02°N 4.40°W / 58.02; -4.40

Lairg
Scottish Gaelic: An Luirg
Lairg
Lairg  Lairg shown within the Sutherland area
Population	700
OS grid reference	NC582064
Council area	Highland
Lieutenancy area	Sutherland
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LAIRG
Postcode district	IV27
Dialling code	01549
Police	Northern
Fire	Highlands and Islands
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Scottish Parliament	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Lairg (Scottish Gaelic: An Luirg) is a village in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. It has a population of about 700and is situated at the south-eastern end of [[Loch Shin].

It is unusual in the northern Highlands, if not unique, in being a sizeable settlement that is not on the coast. Its relatively large size for Sutherland is partly due to its having being provided during the 19th century with a railway station (at NC582039), on what is now called the Far North Line, the hope being that it would "open up" the north-west of Sutherland. (The Far North Line links Inverness in the south with Thurso and Wick in the north.)

The village is an important centre for sheep sales, and in August hosts the largest livestock auction in Europe.^[1]

The areas to the north and west of Lairg are very sparsely populated, crossed by just three single track roads.

Current proposals reviewing rail routes to the north of Inverness include the creation of a direct rail link to the town of Dornoch via a new bridge and an old branch line, which would leave Lairg isolated on a circuitous alternative loop away from the main route^{[citation needed]}. The idea is to enable very fast trains to serve the remote towns of Thurso and Wick in reasonable time, and establish a viable connection with the Caledonian Sleeper at Inverness, to make business in these centres more viable, although reducing Lairg's connections to a "slow service" might well be detrimental to the local economy. However, given the huge costs involved in constructing a rail crossing over the Dornoch Firth and the complete lack of enthusiasm for the project from the Scottish government it seems extremely unlikely that this proposal will ever become reality.^{[original research?]}

Transport

Lairg railway station lies on the picturesque Far North Line, north of Invershin and west of Rogart. The station is managed by First ScotRail.

The B864 road leads south and passes through the hamlet of Achany. The A836 road also runs south, parallel to this road and passes through the village of Achinduich. ^[2]

People associated with Lairg

• Sir James Matheson (1796–1878), entrepreneur
• Stuart Lockhart (Mayor)
• Rev. John Forbes (Free Church Minister)

References

1. ^ Humphreys, Rob, Reid, Donald (2004). The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands (3 ed.). Rough Guides. p. 307. ISBN 1843532697. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=liQ6NSbvomwC&pg=PA307&dq=lairg+sheep&hl=en&ei=SR7ATODbI4SE5Aaui8mUDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=lairg%20sheep&f=false. 
2. ^ Google. Google Maps (Map). 

External links

• Photographs of Lairg
• Lairg local community web site
• Lairg page at Undiscovered Scotland
• Lairg caravan park