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Coordinates: 55°42'17?N 5°17'41?W? / ?55.7048, -5.2947
Lochranza (Gaelic: Loch Raonasa) is a village located on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The population, somewhat in decline, is around 200 people.
Lochranza is the most northernly sited of Arran's villages and is located in the north-western corner of the island. The village is set on the shore of Loch Ranza, a small sea loch. Ferries run from here to Claonaig on the mainland.[3]
The village is home to a healthy red deer population and, on the northern shore, grey seals are found year-round. Otters and golden eagles are also spotted in the area.
A new pier was constructed in 2003,[4] allowing larger vessels easier access with the possibility to disembark passengers for a short tour of the village. Regular vessels which use the pier include the paddle steamer Waverley and the "Lord of the Glens", a small cruise ship.
Lochranza is the site of the Arran Distillery, built in 1995 and producing the Arran Single Malt.[5] The distillery is one of the major industries of the island.
Lochranza Castle[6] is a fine ruin of a 16th century L-plan castle, across the road from the Lochranza youth hostel. There is also a field study centre, where schools from all over the UK come to study the locality's interesting geology and the nearby Hutton's Unconformity.
Lochranza is reputed to have the least hours of sunshine of any village in the United Kingdom,[citation needed] since it lies in a north-facing valley on an island with a particularly high level of rainfall.
Despite this, the village is celebrated in verse:
| “ |
On fair Lochranza streamed the early day,
Thin wreaths of cottage smoke are upward curl'd
From the lone hamlet, which her inland bay
From the lone hamlet, which her inland bay
And circling mountains sever from world |
” |
The Lord of the Isle - by Sir Walter Scott
- , Committee reports and agendas. North Ayrshire Council (2003). Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
- , Kilbride. UK & Ireland Genealogy (2002, quoting gazetteer of 1882). Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
- , Caledonian MacBrayne
- , Peters, Derek (June 2003). Opening Lochranza Pier. Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
- , Distillery: "the true spirit of nature". Isle of Arran Distillers. Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
- , Garner, C.; Wright, P. (July 1999). Lochranza Castle. Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
[edit] External links
(Source: Wikipedia) |