Population 200 Country Scotland Post town PORTREE Local time Thursday 7:20 PM Council area Highland | OS grid reference NG396634 Sovereign state United Kingdom Postcode district IV51 Dialling code 01470 UK parliament constituency Ross, Skye and Lochaber | |
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Weather 12°C, Wind S at 18 km/h, 78% Humidity Scottish parliament Ross, Skye and Inverness West Lieutenancy areas Highland, Ross and Cromarty | ||
The village of Uig (Scottish Gaelic: Ùige) lies at the head of the sheltered inlet of Uig Bay on the west coast of the Trotternish peninsula on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Contents
Map of Uig, Portree, UK
Name
The name is thought to be derived from Old Norse vík, which means bay or inlet. It was thus originally the same placename as Wick, Highland, Vik, Sogn og Fjordane and Vík í Mýrdal.
Geography
Uig is situated partly on the raised beach around the head of the bay and partly on the steep slopes behind it. Two watercourses enter the bay at Uig; the River Rha from the north and the River Conon which drains Glen Uig to the east. The lower courses of both of these small rivers are characterised by waterfalls.
Uigg, Prince Edward Island, Canada was named by settlers from Uig.
Demography
The population is estimated to be between 200–300 inhabitants.
Road
Uig is served by the A87 road from Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh to the south and the A855 road which runs northwards around the end of the Trotternish peninsula before also turning south to Portree. As of August, 2006, Uig is accessible via intercity buses on Skye, and Scottish Citylink buses, which travel as far south as Fort William and Glasgow.
Ferries
From its sheltered port, Caledonian MacBrayne ferries run to Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist providing links with the Outer Hebrides. Uig Tower is a prominent local landmark associated with the Highland Clearances.