Knoydart
| Knoydart | ||
 Knoydart, looking out over Loch Hourn |
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| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 57 ° 4 '12 " N , 5 ° 39' 36" W | |
| Waters 1 | Loch Hourn | |
| Waters 2 | Loch Nevis | |
| surface | ||
Knoydart is a peninsula on the west coast of Scotland . It belongs to the Highland Council Area . The peninsula is known as "Scotland's last wilderness" because it is hardly inhabited and the few settlements can only be reached on foot or by sea.
location
Knoydart is east of the Sound of Sleat , which separates the Isle of Skye from mainland Scotland. To the north and south, Knoydart is bounded by the inlets Loch Hourn and Loch Nevis . The only major settlement is Inverie on the south coast of the peninsula. There is no road connection, the peninsula can be reached by ferry from Mallaig to Inverie. Alternatively, the peninsula can be reached on foot. From Kinloch Hourn at the end of a narrow single track road starting from Invergarry through the Glen Garry and along the north bank of Loch Quoich it is about 27 km of unmarked and partly roadless hike. Only along the west coast around Inverie are there a few kilometers of paved roads and paths with no connection to the rest of the British road network.
nature
The peninsula is characterized by mountains and wide areas of forest and heather. It is also known as The Rough Bounds due to its loneliness and difficult accessibility . The highest point is the Sgùrr na Cìche with 1040 m, which is however on the eastern edge of the peninsula. The highest point in the middle of the peninsula is the Ladhar Bheinn with 1020 m. Other Munros are the Luinne Bheinn (939 m) and the Meall Buidhe (946 m). East of Inverie lies the Loch at Dubh Lochain, the only larger body of water on the peninsula.
Knoydart has a rich flora and fauna. It is therefore classified as a National Scenic Area by the Scottish Government . Over fifty species of birds live on Knoydart, including golden eagles , ptarmigan and oystercatchers . Knoydart is known for its red deer , and otters , pine marten and mountain hare are also some of the animal species that can be found on the peninsula.
The American television broadcaster CNN International classified Knoydart in March 2013 as one of the ten “world's last great wilderness areas”.
history
The name Knoydart suggests an early medieval settlement by Norwegian Vikings and roughly means Knuds Fjord . In the 12th century Knoydart belonged to the kingdom of Somerled , then to the sphere of influence of the Lords of the Isles . From the 15th century at the latest, the peninsula was owned by the Clan Macdonald of Clanranald , a branch of the Clan MacDonald . In the 17th century, the property went to the Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry , another branch of the MacDonalds. In the course of the Highland Clearances, Josephine MacDonnell, the owner at the time, converted most of the peninsula into land for sheep farming . In 1853 most of the crofters of the time had to leave their homeland, many emigrated to Canada and Australia .
In 1856 the MacDonnells sold Knoydart Estate, which at that time comprised almost the entire peninsula. Over the next few decades, the owners changed several times. In the 1930s, Ronald Nall-Cain, 2nd Baron Brocket , grandfather of British playboy and television presenter Charlie Brocket , acquired the property. The residents still consider him to be one of the most notorious landowners due to his attempts to curtail the rights of the remaining crofters in favor of sheep breeding and hunting. During the Second World War , the British Army used the remote peninsula for training commandos and special forces .
After the war in 1948, the attempt by the Seven Men of Knoydart , seven local crofters, to occupy unused parts of the Knoydart Estate and use them for agriculture was directed against Lord Brocket . They relied on a law from the time after the First World War that gave returning veterans the right to take over unused land for agricultural use. Despite great public support, the seven men ultimately failed before the Court of Session , the highest Scottish civil court. An appeal to the Secretary of State for Scotland was also unsuccessful. In 1981 a memorial stone for the seven men was erected in Inverie.
Lord Brocket sold the property soon after his legal victory. At first ownership changed several times, but from 1952 it remained with the Crosthwaite-Eyre family for twenty years. This sold the property to the Chamberlayne-Macdonald family in 1972. Both families made efforts to improve the local infrastructure, during which time Inverie received electricity for the first time and a new pier . The road network was also expanded. In 1983, due to public criticism, plans by the British Ministry of Defense to use parts of the peninsula as a bomb dropping site failed . That same year, Philip Rhodes, a Surrey businessman , took over the estate. He soon started selling parts of the property. Knoydart Estate gradually shrank from 58,000 to 18,000 acres . Some of the residents also bought the houses and land they had previously used. In 1993 the remaining property was sold to Reg Brearley, a businessman from Dundee . He wanted to use the peninsula as a training camp for neglected young people, but did not get a permit. After two further changes of ownership at short notice, the estate was again up for sale as bankruptcy assets .
The residents finally established the Knoydart Foundation in 1997 and acquired the property in March 1999, which covers a little less than the western half of the peninsula. In addition to local residents, partners in the Foundation are the Highland Council , Kilchoan Estate, the John Muir Trust and the Chris Brasher Trust. Since then, the residents have tried to develop their property carefully. The aim of the foundation is the preservation and preservation of Knoydart as a place of living and at the same time the natural beauty, the animal world and the natural resources. The foundation's main source of income is hunting . The residents live from tourism as well as agriculture and forestry. The eastern part of Knoydart is largely part of the Barisdale Estate.
The tenth anniversary was celebrated in 2009 with various events, including a music festival and a reading by Ian McEwan .
population
Until the Highland Clearances, Knoydart was much more densely populated than it is today. In 1853, the then owners of the Knoydart Estate evicted most of the then approximately 2000 inhabitants of the peninsula. Only a few residents remained.
In 1991 the peninsula only had 60 inhabitants. Ten years later there were 98 residents in 37 households. 23.4% of residents were not born in Scotland. By 2011 the population had grown to over 150 inhabitants, an increase of over 55% compared to the last census.
Infrastructure
Inverie has a primary school , post office, church and pub . The nearest shops can be found in Mallaig. A number of bed and breakfasts , a campsite and self-catering cabins are available for overnight stays .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b http://www.knoydart-foundation.com/about/about-knoydart/ (English)
- ↑ http://www.snh.gov.uk/docs/B691407.pdf (English)
- ↑ a b Barisdale Estate (English) ( Memento from July 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/05/travel/worlds-last-greatest-wildernesses (English)
- ↑ Chris Townsend: World Mountain Ranges - Scotland , Cicerone, Milnthorpe 2010, ISBN 978-1-85284-442-4 , p. 339
- ↑ a b c d e http://www.knoydart-foundation.com/about/about-knoydart/knoydart-past/ (English)
- ↑ a b http://www.highlandclearances.co.uk/clearances/postclearances_knoydartseven.htm (English)
- ↑ http://www.jmt.org/li-coire-dhorrcail-estate.asp (English)
- ↑ http://www.knoydart-foundation.com/about/about-the-foundation/ (English)
- ↑ http://www.knoydart-foundation.com/about/about-the-foundation/foundation-projects/2009-our-10th-anniversary-celebrations/ (English)
- ↑ Anke Sparmann: The Knoydart plot. In: Geo Special. No. 3 June / July 2010, Scotland, p. 112.
- ↑ The Highland Council Agenda, Lochaber Area Committee Report, February 27, 2014: Population Change in Lochaber 2001 To 2011 (English)
literature
- Anke Sparmann: The Knoydart plot. In: Geo Special. No. 3 June / July 2010, Scotland, pp. 106–117.
Web links
- Knoydart Foundation (English)
- Hikes on Knoydart (English)