Tour Scotland wee video of old photographs of Kyleakin, Scottish Gaelic: Caol Àcain, a village situated on the east coast of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides. From 1841 to October 16, 1995 a ferry service operated from Kyleakin to the mainland across the narrow strait of Loch Alsh, until it was replaced by the Skye Bridge. The village is also the site of Castle Moil, an ancient ruined fortress built in the late 15th century. Legend states that it was originally built for a Norwegian princess known as Saucy Mary who would charge a toll to any boat using the narrow channel by hanging a chain from the castle to the mainland to prevent unpaid crossings. Her remains are said to buried on the top of Beinn na Caillich, Gaelic for mountain of the old woman, the large mountain to the rear of the castle ruins. Kyleakin Lighthouse is situated at the south western end of Eilean Bàn. It was built by David and Thomas Stevenson in 1857, and is linked to a pair of keepers' houses. The lighthouse was automated and converted to use acetylene gas in 1960. Following the start of construction of the Skye Bridge, the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1993. The island supports part of the Skye Bridge, which crosses the mouth of Loch Alsh from the mainland to Skye. Its name derives from strait of Haakon named after the King Haakon IV of Norway whose fleet moored there prior to the Battle of Largs in 1263 which ended Norwegian rule of the island.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs
No comments:
Post a Comment