~ Fàilte ~
Ballachulish Community Council Website
The result of the vote for the community company to try and buy the Glencoe Hospital were as follows;
Voting Papers Sent Out - 2200
Voting Papers Returned - 1182
Voting Papers Spoilt - 1
Voting Papers Not Returned - 1018
Votes For Buyout - 689
Votes Against - 492
The fact that 1018 residents did not vote, nearly 50% of south Lochaber were not interested enough in buying the Glencoe Hospital, tells us all we need to know! Surely Scottish Ministers will not allow this to go forward with so many residents in South Lochaber not interested or voting against it?
SCOTTISH WATER SEE SENSE!
Scottish Water this week have sent out letters to all house holds informing us of their decision to go ahead with the Wastewater Treatment Works at option 1 (existing site at North Ballachulish). Thank you to everyone that gave their support to the community council by signing letters for option 1.
The name Ballachulish (in Gaelic, Baile a' chaolais) means "settlement on the strait". The strait in question is Caolas Mag Phadraig - Peter or Patrick's narrows, at the mouth of Loch Leven. The principal industry is now tourism, although most visitors pass swiftly by the village itself.
Shinty is a popular local sport and the village is the traditional boundary of the North/South divide in shinty, with teams north of the village playing in the North district's competitions and those South playing in their respective competitions. Ballachulish's shinty team plays in the South Leagues. However, Ballachulish is still considerably far North in relation to most of Scotland. As there was no road to the head of Loch Leaven, until it was built in 1927, the Ballachulish ferry, established in 1733, and that at Caolas na Con were essential. The Ballachulish ferry closed in December 1975 when the Ballachulish Bridge finally opened.
The hamlet of Glenachulish (pronounced Glen - ah - hoolish) lies in Gleann a'Chaolais, the glen that runs down to the narrows. This is the subject of the beautiful Gaelic Song, Gleann Bhaile Chaoil. Gleann a'Chaolais is ringed by Beinn a'Bheithir (pronounced Ben Vair), a massif which contains two munros - Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr Domhnuill. Glenachulish originally consisted of a row of forestry houses. In recent years a number of new houses have been built locally along with holiday chalets and an art gallery. In recent years the fields of Gleann a'Chaolias have been turned into a 9-hole golf course.
Overlooking the narrows is the monument to James of the Glen, "hanged on this spot for a crime of which he was not guilty". Robert Louis Stevenson based his novel Kidnapped around the story of the Appin Murder. Whoever did kill the Red Fox (Campbell of Glenure) is still not known, but the story is a reminder that a people subject to unjust occupation and persecution, as the Jacobite Highlanders were, will sometimes resort to violence and rebellion.