Elgol

Elgol (Scottish Gaelic: Ealaghol) is a village on the shores of Loch Scavaig towards the end of the Strathaird peninsula in the Isle of Skye, in the Scottish Highlands.

Elgol Scottish Gaelic: Ealaghol
The village hall in Elgol
Elgol Location within the Isle of Skye
Area	101 km2 (39 sq mi)
Population	168 (2011)
• Density	2/km2 (5.2/sq mi)
OS grid reference	NG521142
Council area	Highland
Lieutenancy area	Ross and Cromarty
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ISLE OF SKYE
Postcode district	IV49
Dialling code	01471
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Ross, Skye and Lochaber
Scottish Parliament	Ross, Skye and Inverness West
List of places UK Scotland 57.152°N 6.098°W / 57.152; -6.098

Name

According to tradition, its name derives from a battle fought with five ships by Aella, a follower of Vortigern, against the Picts and Scots ("Aella-gol").^[1]

History

The Strathaird peninsula was historically a heartland of the MacKinnons, a robustly Jacobite clan. On 4 July 1746, the Young Pretender found sanctuary at Elgol in the course of his wanderings under the protection of MacKinnon of MacKinnon and Captain John MacKinnon of Elgol. The cave where he is said to have waited for a boat to the mainland ("Prince Charlie’s cave", or "Uamh Phrionnsa") can still be visited today, a short walk to the south of the village.^[2]

Gallery

• 
  Elgol Bay
• 
  Boat trips from Elgol
• 
  Investor fishing boat in Elgol bay
• 
  Elgol beach looking north west across Loch Scavaig towards the Cuillin
• 
  Elgol Bay August 2019
• 
  Jazz Buchanan's Highland Cow

Jazz Buchanan's Highland Cow

Present day

The village had a considerably higher population prior to the Clearances. It now has a population of approximately 150.^[3] Elgol's scenic attractions have drawn in many outsiders seeking holiday homes and a majority of the properties there are no longer occupied on a year-round basis. In the 2011 census, 31% of the residents were reported as speaking Gaelic.^[4]

The village is also a terminal for two privately owned boat trips to Loch Coruisk and the Small Isles along with a coffee shop, Bistro and Coruisk House Michelin Guide restaurant. In 1972 the bulk carrier Nermo Smernokoff lost its full cargo of various cheeses which eventually washed up in Elgol Bay.