The Ardnamurchan peninsula sticks out into the Atlantic to the west of Fort William in Highland Scotland. It is most easily accessed by turning off the A82 trunk road from Glasgow and boarding the Corran Ferry, which takes four minutes to cross Loch Linnhe but makes approaching Ardnamurchan seem like crossing to an island. While there is some dispute as the the extent of 'Ardnamurchan', most take it as the area to the west of Acharacle and Salen, while 'West Ardnamurchan' begins where the B8007 crosses the burn at Laga Bay.
Even the name Kilchoan can be confusing. We live in the crofting township of Ormsaigbeg which, with the crofting townships of Ormsaigmore and Kilchoan, make up the geographical village of Kilchoan. Taken as a whole, Kilchoan is the largest settlement on West Ardnamurchan, boasting two churches, a primary school, a pub/hotel, a shop, a community centre which includes a medical facility and a tourist information desk, an education centre (The 'University of Kilchoan'), a fire station, a coastguard station and a telephone exchange. By comparison, the other villages of West Ardnamurchan are small, the smallest boasting a resident population of one.
Some 250 people make up the permanent population of West Ardnamurchan, but this number increases hugely in summer as our visitors arrive. A few have a holiday home which they occupy throughout the season. More often, the houses and caravans provide accommodation for weekly rentals.
As well as being a stunningly beautiful location which is renowned for its empty spaces, white sand beaches and abundant wildlife, this is a welcoming place for visitors. A wide range of facilities are available, and these are described on the companion website to A Kilchoan Diary, West Ardnamurchan News & Information. This site also includes details of, and links to accommodation providers on the peninsula.
The area is steeped in history, with evidence of settlement going back some 6,000 years. West Ardnamurchan is, by past standards, severely depopulated, having seen some of the worst examples of the Clearances that resulted in a large proportion of its people leaving, either to move south to the central belt or overseas, to Canada, the United States, Australia or New Zealand. Neolithic structures and abandoned villages are some of the fascinating features of the countryside.
