Old Photograph Loch Eriboll Scotland

Old photograph of Loch Eriboll, a nine mile long sea loch on the coast of Northern Sutherland, Scotland. This Scottish loch has been used for centuries as a deep water anchorage as it is safe from the often stormy seas of Cape Wrath and the Pentland Firth. Around the shores of the loch are the crofting townships of Eriboll, Laid, Heilam, Portnancon and Rispond. Eilean Hoan island is located at the northern, seaward end of the loch and there are various small islets in the vicinity including A' Ghoil-sgeir, An Cruachan, An Dubh-sgeir, Eilean Clùimhrig, and Pocan Smoo. The Royal Navy have been frequent visitors to the loch, particularly during World War II. Portnancon, on the western shore of Loch Eriboll, was where the company of the HMS Hood spent their last shore leave prior to the Battle of the Denmark Strait, and there are stones arranged by sailors into the names of their warships, including Hood and Amethyst, on the hillside above the hamlet of Laid. It was nicknamed " Lock orrible " by the British servicemen stationed here during the war because of the often inclement weather. The largest island in the loch, Eilean Choraidh, was used as a representation of the German battleship Tirpitz for aerial bombing practice by the Fleet Air Arm prior to the successful Operation Tungsten in April 1944. The surviving 33 German U-boats, for example U-532 and U-295, formally surrendered here in 1945, ending the Battle of the Atlantic.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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