Ardgay

General View of Ardgay

Ardgay lies on the south west side of the Kyle of Sutherland looking across the latest of three road bridges that have crossed the Kyle to Bonar Bridge.

Ardgay Rail Station Clach Eiteag Boulder Old Kincardine Parish Church Bar, Restaurant, Cafe, Post Office...

Ardgay owes its existence, indirectly, to the 3rd Duke of Sutherland. When the railway from Inverness to the far north was being build in the early 1860s the Duke's estates were so extensive he could exercise considerable control over the route followed. He was keen to open up the western parts of his estate, so the main line followed the south side of the Kyle of Sutherland inland to Lairg. As a result, Bonar Bridge station had to be built on the far side of the Kyle from the village: and the settlement that grew around it became Ardgay.

Memorial to Sir Charles & Lady Ross

The first developments to follow the railway station were a hotel and a post office. Today the post office is housed in a multi-purpose building in the centre of the village that is also home to a restaurant, a bar, and a cafe. Almost opposite is the Clach Eiteag, a boulder said once to have been moved from parish to parish to mark the location of fairs.

Ardgay lies at the entrance to Strathcarron, the valley of the River Carron that extends far into the mountainous area to the south west. This is the key to the efforts by some to devise a route that allows walkers to cross Scotland in a day, from the Kyle of Sutherland in the east to Loch Broom in the west. Like many inland areas of northern Scotland, Strathcarron was once home to many more people than it is today. But most were cleared from the land to make room for sheep in the late 1700s and early 1800s. A poignant reminder of that era can be found at Croick Church, where the churchyard was used as a shelter by displaced families.

Ardgay itself used to be rather busier than it is today. The main A9 used to pass through the village en route to Bonar Bridge and the far north: but the building of the Dornoch Firth Bridge in the 1980s saved through traffic 20 miles and bypassed both Ardgay and Bonar Bridge.

Bonar Bridge Seen from Old Kincardine Parish Church