Appin () is a coastal district of the Scottish West Highlands bounded to the west by

Loch Linnhe Loch Linnhe ( ) is a sea loch in the Highland Council area, in the west of Scotland. The part upstream of Corran is known in Gaelic as (the black pool, originally known as Loch Abar), and downstream as (the salty pool). The name ''Linnhe ...

, to the south by

Loch Creran Loch Creran is a sea loch in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. It is about long from its head at Invercreran to its mouth on the Lynn of Lorne, part of Loch Linnhe. The loch separates the areas of Benderloch to the south and Appin ...

, to the east by the districts of Benderloch and Lorne, and to the north by Loch Leven. It lies northeast to southwest, and measures . The name, meaning "abbey land", in reference to Lismore Abbey, is derived from the

Middle Irish Middle Irish, also called Middle Gaelic (, , ), is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from AD; it is therefore a contemporary of Late Old English and Early Middle English. The modern Goideli ...

''apdaine''. The district is mainly in

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

, with a coastal strip to the north, along Loch Leven, within the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Ac ...

. The scenery of the district is a combination of seascapes with rugged and mountainous country inland. Appin forms part of the Lynn of Lorn National Scenic Area, one of 40 in Scotland."National Scenic Areas"
. SNH. Retrieved 30 Mar 2011. The principal hills are double peaks of Beinn a' Bheithir – , respectively – and Creag Ghorm – – in the north, and Fraochaidh , Meall Bàn and Beinn Mhic na Cèisich near the western flank of Glen Creran. The chief rivers are the Coe and Laroch, flowing into Loch Leven, the Duror and Salachan flowing into Loch Linnhe, and the Iola and Creran flowing into

The leading industries are forestry and tourism, with

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

mining and slate quarrying being of former importance, but the Glensanda superquarry, in Morvern on the opposite bank of Loch Linnhe also provides local employment.

Ballachulish The village of Ballachulish ( or , from Scottish Gaelic ) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries, and now primarily serves tourists in the area. Name The name Ballachulish (from Scottish Gaelic, ''Baile a' Chao ...

, Duror, Portnacroish, Appin Village and Port Appin are the principal villages. Appin was the country of a distinct local branch of

Clan Stewart Clan Stewart (Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Stiùbhart'') is a Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highland and Scottish Lowlands, Lowland Scottish clan, clan. The clan is recognised by Court of the Lord Lyon; however, it does not have a Scottish clan chi ...

. The A828 road runs along the coast of Appin. A passenger-only ferry to the island of Lismore runs from Port Appin. The district formerly had a railway, but the Caledonian Railway company's branch line from Connel to Ballachulish was closed in 1966. Appin is where the Appin Murder took place in 1752.

Notable residents

* Elizabeth Macquarie (née Campbell), wife of the fifth governor of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, was born in the area. During his term the governor named the towns of Appin and Airds after his wife's birthplace and her family's estate respectively. The Female Orphan School in

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

is said to have been modelled on the estate's main house.

References

External links

Further information on the history of AppinCastle Stalker
Geography of Argyll and Bute Geography of Highland (council area) Villages in Argyll and Bute {{Argyll-geo-stub