Ullapool
Encyclopedia
Ullapool (ˈʌləpuːl) is a small town
of around 1,300 inhabitants in Ross and Cromarty
, Highland
, Scotland
. Despite its small size, it is the largest settlement for many miles around, and is a major tourist destination of Scotland. The North Atlantic Drift
passes by Ullapool, bringing moderate temperatures. A few small pandanus trees are grown in the town and are often mistaken for palm trees.
, Ullapool was founded in 1788 as a herring
port by the British Fisheries Society. It was designed by Thomas Telford
.
The harbour is still the edge of the town, used as a fishing port, yacht
ing haven, and ferry
port
. Ferries sail to Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides
.
Many of the pivotal discoveries of the Victorian era
that contributed to the development of the concept of plate tectonics
were made in this area, and there are still regular international geological conferences.
Parliament granted permission in the 1890s for a railway from Ullapool to the main Highland network at Garve
, but insufficient funds resulted in the scheme being abandoned.
The region surrounding Ullapool is dominated by rugged mountains, and especially by An Teallach
to the south, Beinn Dearg
and Bheinn Ghobblach to the east close to the head of Loch Broom
, and Ben Mhor Coigach to the north. An Teallach is a massive mountain which dominates the area, and consists of Torridonian sandstone, which is layered nearly horizontally. It is an easy climb but is several miles form the nearest road, so a long trek is needed before the ascent begins. The walker will be rewarded by magnificent views of the surrounds, especially to the sea and the islands to the west, but also to the south, and the desolate Whitbread wilderness.
Ullapool has a strong reputation as a centre for music, the arts and performance.
The town boasts a small award winning museum
housed in a Telford Church, An Talla Solais an arts centre
with constantly changing exhibitions and workshops, a swimming pool
and fitness centre, and plenty of pubs (including the Arch Inn on the shores of Loch Broom, Argyll) and bed and breakfasts (including the newly opened Riverview, Eilean Donan Guesthouse, Spindrift, and Broombank), restaurants and hotels. It is a centre for walk
ers, wildlife enthusiasts and other holidaymakers in the area and is situated in a spectacular and remote part of the United Kingdom.
In May every year there is the three day Ullapool Book Festival attracting a diverse range of writers and with work in both Scottish Gaelic and English
. There is also The Macphail Centre which has a theatre hosting a regular programme of musical, dance and theatrical performances, many by the Scottish national companies but some work from smaller reps and travelling Edinburgh Fringe
performers. Often the sheer number of performances in any week will overspill to the Village Hall and other venues.
July 2011 will see the highly celebrated Tall Ships visit Ullapool, which will be a major event for the village and the surrounding area.
Ullapool is home to the shinty
team Lochbroom Camanechd.
s in the local halls and hotels - especially in The Ceilidh Place and The Arch Inn. The Ullapool Guitar Festival takes place in early October every year, attracting high-calibre performers at several venues over the weekend. The Loopallu Music Festival, first held in 2005, was very well received and has become a major regional annual event, more than doubling the size of the village during the festival. In 2007 it attracted several extremely popular bands including The Saw Doctors
, Dreadzone
and had world renowned Franz Ferdinand
headline on the second night. There are also fringe events at local bars. The Pigeon Detectives
have played the Village Hall. Amy MacDonald
in 2008 and Paolo Nutini in 2007 both played The Ceilidh Place. Mumford & Sons
have also played in Ullapool twice.
Ullapool also has its own radio station
called Loch Broom FM on 102.2 and 96.8 FM
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of around 1,300 inhabitants in Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use...
, Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Despite its small size, it is the largest settlement for many miles around, and is a major tourist destination of Scotland. The North Atlantic Drift
North Atlantic Current
The North Atlantic Current is a powerful warm ocean current that continues the Gulf Stream northeast. West of Ireland it splits in two; one branch, the Canary Current, goes south, while the other continues north along the coast of northwestern Europe...
passes by Ullapool, bringing moderate temperatures. A few small pandanus trees are grown in the town and are often mistaken for palm trees.
History
On the east shore of Loch BroomLoch Broom
Loch Broom is a sea loch located in northwestern Ross and Cromarty, in the former parish of Lochbroom, in the west coast of Scotland. The small town of Ullapool lies on the eastern shore of the loch...
, Ullapool was founded in 1788 as a herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
port by the British Fisheries Society. It was designed by Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
.
The harbour is still the edge of the town, used as a fishing port, yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
ing haven, and ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
. Ferries sail to Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
.
Many of the pivotal discoveries of the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
that contributed to the development of the concept of plate tectonics
Plate tectonics
Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that describes the large scale motions of Earth's lithosphere...
were made in this area, and there are still regular international geological conferences.
Parliament granted permission in the 1890s for a railway from Ullapool to the main Highland network at Garve
Garve railway station
Garve railway station is a railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Garve in the north of Scotland. Garve is located at the eastern edge of Loch Garve. It was to be the junction for the Ullapool and Garve Railway, intended to connect Ullapool, the Western Isles' nearest...
, but insufficient funds resulted in the scheme being abandoned.
Landscape
An Teallach
An Teallach is a mountain in Scotland. It lies to the southwest of Dundonnell and overlooks Little Loch Broom, in an area often nicknamed the "great wilderness"...
to the south, Beinn Dearg
Beinn Dearg (Ullapool)
Beinn Dearg is a mountain in the Inverlael area of the Highlands of Scotland. It is most frequently climbed by following the River Lael up Gleann na Sguaib. Starting from near the head of Loch Broom a path follows the glen to a bealach about a kilometre north of the summit...
and Bheinn Ghobblach to the east close to the head of Loch Broom
Loch Broom
Loch Broom is a sea loch located in northwestern Ross and Cromarty, in the former parish of Lochbroom, in the west coast of Scotland. The small town of Ullapool lies on the eastern shore of the loch...
, and Ben Mhor Coigach to the north. An Teallach is a massive mountain which dominates the area, and consists of Torridonian sandstone, which is layered nearly horizontally. It is an easy climb but is several miles form the nearest road, so a long trek is needed before the ascent begins. The walker will be rewarded by magnificent views of the surrounds, especially to the sea and the islands to the west, but also to the south, and the desolate Whitbread wilderness.
Culture
The town boasts a small award winning museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
housed in a Telford Church, An Talla Solais an arts centre
Arts centre
An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues for musical performance, workshop areas, educational...
with constantly changing exhibitions and workshops, a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and fitness centre, and plenty of pubs (including the Arch Inn on the shores of Loch Broom, Argyll) and bed and breakfasts (including the newly opened Riverview, Eilean Donan Guesthouse, Spindrift, and Broombank), restaurants and hotels. It is a centre for walk
WALK
WALK may refer to:*WALK , a radio station licensed to East Patchogue, New York, United States*WALK-FM, a radio station licensed to Patchogue, New York, United States...
ers, wildlife enthusiasts and other holidaymakers in the area and is situated in a spectacular and remote part of the United Kingdom.
In May every year there is the three day Ullapool Book Festival attracting a diverse range of writers and with work in both Scottish Gaelic and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. There is also The Macphail Centre which has a theatre hosting a regular programme of musical, dance and theatrical performances, many by the Scottish national companies but some work from smaller reps and travelling Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
performers. Often the sheer number of performances in any week will overspill to the Village Hall and other venues.
July 2011 will see the highly celebrated Tall Ships visit Ullapool, which will be a major event for the village and the surrounding area.
Ullapool is home to the shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
team Lochbroom Camanechd.
Music
Throughout the year there are many small fèisean and music festivalMusic festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s in the local halls and hotels - especially in The Ceilidh Place and The Arch Inn. The Ullapool Guitar Festival takes place in early October every year, attracting high-calibre performers at several venues over the weekend. The Loopallu Music Festival, first held in 2005, was very well received and has become a major regional annual event, more than doubling the size of the village during the festival. In 2007 it attracted several extremely popular bands including The Saw Doctors
The Saw Doctors
The Saw Doctors are an Irish rock band. Formed in 1986 in Tuam, County Galway, they have achieved eighteen Top 30 singles in Ireland, including three number ones. Their first number one, "I Useta Lover," topped the Irish charts for nine consecutive weeks in 1990, and still holds the record for the...
, Dreadzone
Dreadzone
Dreadzone are a British band whose music is an eclectic fusion of dub, reggae, techno, folk and rock. They have so far produced six studio albums and two live albums.-Career:...
and had world renowned Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
headline on the second night. There are also fringe events at local bars. The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives are an English indie rock band from Rothwell, West Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. They have been championed by such well known DJs as Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley, and performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2006, where they were tagged "the band most likely to leap to...
have played the Village Hall. Amy MacDonald
Amy Macdonald (singer)
Amy Macdonald is a Scottish recording artist. Macdonald rose to fame in 2007 with her debut album, This Is the Life and its fourth single, "This Is the Life". The single charted at number one in six different countries worldwide, and charted inside the top ten in another eleven countries worldwide...
in 2008 and Paolo Nutini in 2007 both played The Ceilidh Place. Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons are a British folk rock band. The band consists of Marcus Mumford , Ben Lovett , Country Winston Marshall , and Ted Dwane...
have also played in Ullapool twice.
Ullapool also has its own radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
called Loch Broom FM on 102.2 and 96.8 FM
External links
- Visit Ullapool tourist information and gallery
- Ullapool Accommodation updated daily by the accommodation providers
- Ullapool tourism, community and business website
- Loopallu Festival website
- Ullapool pictures and information
- Ullapool ferry terminal
- Ullapool — UKULA Travel
- Biggest UK space impact found — BBC News