Plockton
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Plockton ( Am Ploc/Ploc Loch Aillse in Gaelic ) is a village in the Highlands of Scotland, with a population of 378 [link].
It is a picturesque settlement on the shores of Loch Carron. It faces east, away from the prevailing winds, which together with the North Atlantic Drift gives it a mild climate allowing palm trees (actually cabbage trees) to grow.
Most of the houses date from the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a planned community based on fishing in an attempt to stem the tide of emigration from the Highlands. The Church of Scotland in the village (also used by the Free Church of Scotland) was designed by Thomas Telford.
The village is a popular tourist resort, especially since the filming of the TV series Hamish Macbeth which starred Robert Carlyle, in which it represented the village of Lochdubh. Plockton was also used for various scenes in the film The Wicker Man.
The village boasts a small general store with a cafe; a takeaway; newsagent and craft shop; three hotels with pubs; numerous B&Bs; a village hall, which holds community events and art exhibitions; and a railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line. In 2003, the Plockton Hotel and Plockton Inn managed to respectively win AA Pub of the Year and AA Seafood Pub of Year.
Plockton High School serves the village, and a wide surrounding area. Sorley MacLean was the Rector of the school from 1956 until 1972. Duncan Ferguson, chairman of Bòrd na Gàidhlig is the current Rector. Local MSP John Farquhar Munro attended the school in the 1950s. The high school is also home to Computers for Africa, a small but growing charity founded in the summer of 1995 delivering computer technology to deprived areas of Africa.
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Nearby is Duncraig Castle, a 19th century stately home built by the Matheson family, who made their money from the opium trade. The castle was derelict for many years, having previously been used as hospital, catering college and a base for film crews. It is now owned by the extended Dobson family, who are in the process of renovating it.
External links
- http://www.plockton.com
- [BBC on The Dobsons and the Castle]
- [The Kyle Line]
- [Hamish Macbeth at Scotland The Movie]
- [Panorama of Plockton] (QuickTime required)
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