Population 100 Post town Fort William | OS grid reference NN1752084268 Sovereign state United Kingdom | |
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Gairlochy (Scottish Gaelic: Geàrr Lòchaidh) is a clachan, or hamlet, of population approx. 100. It lies on the southern shores of Loch Lochy, a large freshwater loch in the district of Lochaber in the North West Highlands of Scotland. Gairlochy is surrounded by several other small crofting settlements, the largest of which is Achnacarry. Also close by is Highbridge, the site of the first skirmish of the 1745 Jacobite uprising.
Map of Gairlochy, Spean Bridge, UK
Between 1803 and 1822, the Caledonian Canal was built, passing through Gairlochy, over the original site of the River Lochy. Two locks were built for access onto Lochy Lochy, but only one, the Upper Lock, is still in use.
Completed in 1896, the Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway passed through the clachan, with a small island-platform station, called Gairlochy Station, in nearby Mucomir, the current site of a caravan park and hydro-electric power station.