Moorland and trees above the Sound of Sleat - geograph

The Sound of Sleat ( ) is a narrow sea channel off the western coast of

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 ...

. It divides the

Sleat Sleat ( ) is a peninsula and civil parish on the island of Skye in the Highland council area of Scotland, known as "the garden of Skye". It is the home of the clan '' MacDonald of Sleat''. The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic , which in tur ...

peninsula on the south-east side 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 ...

from

Morar Morar (; ) is a small village on the west coast of The Rough Bounds of Scotland, south of Mallaig. The name Morar is also applied to the northern part of the peninsula containing the village, though North Morar is more usual (the region to the ...

Knoydart Knoydart () is a peninsula in Lochaber, Highland, on the west coast of Scotland. Knoydart is sandwiched between Lochs Nevis and Hourn — often translated as "Loch Heaven" (from the Gaelic ''Loch Néimh'') and "Loch Hell" (Gaelic: ''Loch ...

and Glenelg on the Scottish mainland. The Sound extends in a south-south west direction for from

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 ...

. It is widest () at the south-west entrance and narrows to just at

Kyle Rhea Kyle Rhea is a strait of water in the Highland (council area), Highland area of Scotland. It runs from the Sound of Sleat and the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the southwest to Loch Alsh in the north, separating the Isle of Skye ...

, a narrow channel which connects the Sound through to Loch Alsh. The name is inherited from the peninsula to the north of the Sound, which derives its name from its

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 ...

form ''Sléibhte'' (or ''Slèite''), which in turn comes from

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

''sléttr'' meaning smooth or even. It is pronounced "Slate", ''not'' as spelled. On the mainland side of the Sound are the entrances to

Loch Nevis Loch Nevis (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Nibheis'') is a loch, sea loch in Lochaber on the west coast of Scotland. It runs inland from the Sound of Sleat, and is bounded on the north by the peninsula of Knoydart and on the south by North Morar (the ...

and

Loch Hourn Loch Hourn () is a sea loch which separates the peninsulas of Glenelg, Highland, Glenelg to the north and Knoydart to the south, on the west coast of Scotland. Geography Loch Hourn runs inland from the Sound of Sleat, opposite the island of Skye ...

. The largest settlement on the mainland side is

Mallaig Mallaig (; ) is a seaport, port in Morar, on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. It faces Skye from across the Sound of Sleat. The Mallaig railway station, local railway station is the terminus of the West Highlan ...

which sits at the entrance to the Sound. On the Skye side of the Sound sit Knock Castle, a former stronghold of the MacDonalds, and the village of Armadale. The Sound is traversed on a regular basis in the summer by a ferry operating between Glenelg and Kylerhea. A

Caledonian MacBrayne Caledonian MacBrayne (), in short form CalMac, is the trade name of CalMac Ferries Ltd, the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries to the west coast of Scotland, serving ports on the mainland and 22 of the major islands. It is a subsid ...

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

operates between Mallaig and Armadale throughout the year.

References

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