Kyleakin (;

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

: ''Caol Àcain'') is a village situated on the east coast of the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...

in the

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides ( ; ) is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which experience a mild oceanic climate. The Inner Hebrides compri ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. The village is along the strait of Kyle Akin, opposite the northwest Scottish mainland town of Kyle of Lochalsh. Kyleakin is within the parish of Strath, also known as Strath Swordale.

History

The etymology of Kyleakin is disputed. The most popular account is that the name is derived from 'Strait of Haakon', named after King

Haakon IV of Norway Haakon IV Haakonsson ( – 16 December 1263; ; ), sometimes called Haakon the Old in contrast to his namesake son, was King of Norway from 1217 to 1263. His reign lasted for 46 years, longer than any Norwegian king since Harald Fairhair. Haak ...

, whose fleet moored there prior to the

Battle of Largs The Battle of Largs (2 October 1263) was a battle between the kingdoms of Kingdom of Norway (872–1397), Norway and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, on the Firth of Clyde near Largs, Scotland. The conflict formed part of the Scottish–Norwegian ...

in 1263, the battle which ended Norwegian rule of the island. Another possible origin is from Acunn, a Celtic mythological hero. In the early 19th century, Lord Macdonald conceived a grandiose plan for the development of Kyleakin, to be re-christened "New Liverpool". A contemporary print, intended to illustrate his plans, shows row upon row of tenement buildings but the project never came to fruition. 2007-07-06-06646 GreatBritain Scotland Kyleakin

2007-07-06-06646 GreatBritain Scotland Kyleakin

The village of Kyleakin is also the site of Castle Moil, a ruined fortress built in the late 15th century. Legend states that there were much older fortifications on the site, and 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 be 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. However, some local historians contest this and claim that she was laid to rest by another mountain of the same name a few miles west in the village of Broadford, so that she may forever face the land of her birth. According to the poet Alexander Smith, in his 19th century works "A Summer in Skye", the village was the first in Britain to successfully grow

watermelon The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding ...

s in hothouses (then, a popular means of growing in adverse conditions).

Transport

From 1841 to 16 October 1995 a ferry service operated from Kyleakin to the mainland across the narrow strait of

Loch Alsh Loch Alsh (, "foaming lake") is a sea inlet between the isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides and the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The name is also used to describe the surrounding country and the feudal holdings around the loch. The area i ...

, until it was replaced by the controversial Skye Bridge. Initially a

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...

, the tolls were discontinued in 2004 following protests by local people.

Sport

Kyleakin plays host to Kyleakin Football Club, who won the Skye and Lochalsh Bagshaw league in 2009, legendary goalkeeper, Lennie Chiffers, is also part of an accomplished

bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...

team in the village. It also hosts a new year football match between bachelors and married men. It is also a breeding ground for

shinty Shinty () is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. It is played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and among Highland migrants to the major cities of Scotland. The sport was formerly more widespread in Scotland and even played in Northern ...

players, including John "Slippy" Finlayson, who won the Camanachd Cup with Skye Camanachd in 1990, and Steven Morrison, Scotland Under-21 Captain. Kyleakin Primary School are also the only primary school age team to have ever won the Mod Cup in 2001. Image:Castle Moil - Kyleakin.jpg, Caisteal Maol. Image:Kyleakin harbour.jpg, The Skye Bridge spanning Kyle Akin. Image:Bronze_otter_sculpture_Kyleakin_Isle_of_Skye_by_sculptor_Laurence_Broderick.jpg, Bronze Otter at Kyleakin, by sculptor Laurence Broderick

References

External links

Kyleakin village website
{{Skye Populated places in the Isle of Skye

History

Transport

Sport

See also

References

External links