Muir of Ord ( gd, Am Blàr Dubh) is a village in

Easter Ross Easter Ross ( gd, Ros an Ear) is a loosely defined area in the east of Ross, Highland, Scotland. The name is used in the constituency name Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, which is the name of both a British House of Commons constitue ...

, in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

council area of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. It is situated near the western end of the

Black Isle The Black Isle ( gd, an t-Eilean Dubh, ) is a peninsula within Ross and Cromarty, in the Scottish Highlands. It includes the towns of Cromarty and Fortrose, and the villages of Culbokie, Jemimaville, Rosemarkie, Avoch, Munlochy, Tore, and N ...

, about west of the city of

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histor ...

and south of Dingwall. The village has a population of and sits above sea level. The Scottish geologist Sir

Roderick Murchison Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, 1st Baronet, (19 February 1792 – 22 October 1871) was a Scottish geologist who served as director-general of the British Geological Survey from 1855 until his death in 1871. He is noted for investigating and ...

was born in the village in 1792. In September 2022, the village came to media attention when a local fish and chip shop owner uploaded a

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...

video celebrating the death of Queen Elizabeth II with a bottle of champagne. The owner was then chased away from the village by angry locals who vandalized the chip shop with eggs and tomato ketchup.

History

Named ''Tarradale'' until 1862, historically access to the village was limited by the natural obstacles of the

River Beauly The River Beauly ( gd, Abhainn nam Manach, ) is a river in the Scottish Highlands, about 15 km west of the city of Inverness. It is about 25 km long, beginning near the village of Struy, at the confluence of the River Farrar and the ...

and the River Conon. This changed in 1814 with the construction of the Conon Bridge.

Cattle drive A cattle drive is the process of moving a herd of cattle from one place to another, usually moved and herded by cowboys on horses. Europe In medieval central Europe, annual cattle drives brought Hungarian Grey cattle across the Danube River ...

rs used the new routes to transport livestock and markets were set up in 1820 close to where the village now lies. In 1835

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...

distilling operations were legally granted in the village and by 1885 the ''Mill of Ord'' produced per year. The village grew extensively in the 19th century due to the establishment of the

distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the hea ...

and goods industries.

Castle Hill Henge

Also known as the ''Muir of Ord Fort'', it is a

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

or Bronze-Age henge and national monument of Scotland situated from

Muir of Ord railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Muir of Ord railway station, Highland (geograph 4413654).jpg , caption = The view south from the station in 2015 , borough = Muir of Ord, Highland , country = Scotland , coordinates = , g ...

. Today it is situated on the green of the Muir of Ord golf course. The henge measures and is surrounded by an wide ditch which is deep. There also are two standing stones about away from the henge.

Amenities

Just outside of the centre of the village is the

Glen Ord Distillery The Singleton of Glen Ord is a whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands and is the only remaining single malt scotch whisky distillery on the Black Isle. They produce a 12 year old, 15 year old and 18 year old single malt that's available fo ...

, one of the few remaining whisky distilleries on the

. The

Black Isle Show Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, one of the largest agricultural shows in Scotland, is held every August in a showground near Muir of Ord. The showground is a popular exhibition site thanks to the surrounding flower fields. Muir of Ord used to have a local football team in the 2000s, Muir of Ord Rovers F.C., that competed in the North Caledonian Football League. The Muir Hub is the newest community building in Muir of Ord. Originally belonging to Tarradale primary school the building had been left unused for numerous years before being refurbished in January 2017. It is now a charity funded venue situated in the heart of the village. The building is multi-functional serving as a cafe, small cinema, conference space and social space. Many local groups meet here and rooms can be rented out for events, clubs, meetings, etc.

Transport

The major route of the A9 road passed through the village until 1982, when it was bypassed by the

Kessock Bridge The Kessock Bridge ( gd, Drochaid Cheasaig) carries the A9 trunk road across the Beauly Firth at Inverness, Scotland. Description The Kessock Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Beauly Firth, an inlet of the Moray Firth, between the ...

. The village is served by

, which is on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the Far North Line between and .

References

External links

The Muir of Ord community website
{{Authority control Populated places on the Black Isle