Aberfoyle (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Phuill) is a village in the historic county and registration county of Perthshire and the council area of Stirling, Scotland. The settlement lies 27 miles (43 kilometres) northwest of Glasgow.
Aberfoyle
| |
|---|---|
 The main street in Aberfoyle | |
  Aberfoyle Location within the Stirling council area | |
| Population | 790 (2022)[1] |
| OS grid reference | NN518012 |
| • Edinburgh | 49 mi (79 km) |
| • London | 366 mi (589 km) |
| Civil parish |
|
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STIRLING |
| Postcode district | FK8 |
| Dialling code | 01877 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
The parish of Aberfoyle takes its name from this village, and had a population of 1,065 at the 2011 census.[2]
Geography
editThe town is situated on the River Forth at the foot of Craigmore (387 m or 1,270 ft high). Since 1885, when the Duke of Montrose constructed a road over the eastern shoulder of Craigmore to join the older road at the entrance of the Trossachs pass, Aberfoyle has become the alternative route to the Trossachs and Loch Katrine; this road, known as the Duke's Road or Duke's Pass, was opened to the public in 1931 when the Forestry Commission acquired the land.
Loch Ard, about 2 miles (3 kilometres) west of Aberfoyle, lies 40 m (130 ft) above the sea. It is 3 mi (5 km) long (including the narrows at the east end) and 1 mi (1.5 km) broad. Towards the west end is Eilean Gorm (the green isle), and near the north-western shore are the falls of Ledard. The loch's northern shores are dominated by the mountain ridge of Beinn an Fhogharaidh (616 m or 2,021 ft). Two miles (three kilometres) northwest of Loch Ard is Loch Chon, at 90 m (300 ft) above the sea, 1+1⁄4 mi (2 km) long and about 1⁄2 mi (800 m) broad. It drains by the Avon Dhu to Loch Ard, which is drained in turn by the Forth.
Toponym
editAberfoyle supposedly originates from the Brittonic Celtic, aber poll or aber phuill (Scottish Gaelic, Obar Phuill), meaning (place at the) mouth of the Phuill Burn (the Pow Burn enters the River Forth at Aberfoyle). Historically, alternative spellings such as Abirfull, Aberfule, Aberfoill and Aberfoil have been recorded before the current spelling became accepted by the 20th century.[3] The river-name is from either Gaelic poll or Brittonic pol, both of which mean 'pool, sluggish water'.[4]
Industry
editThe slate quarries on Craigmore which operated from the 1820s to the 1950s are now defunct; at its peak this was a major industry. Other industries included an ironworks, established in the 1720s, as well as wool spinning and a lint mill.
From 1882 the village was served by Aberfoyle railway station, the terminus of the Strathendrick and Aberfoyle Railway which connected to Glasgow via Dumbarton or Kirkintilloch. The station closed to passenger traffic in 1951, and the remaining freight services ceased in 1959.
The above industries have since died out, and Aberfoyle is supported mainly by the forestry, industry and tourism.[5]
Tourism
editVisitors were first attracted to Aberfoyle and the surrounding area after the publication of The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott in 1810. The poem described the beauty of Loch Katrine. Aberfoyle describes itself as The Gateway to the Trossachs, and is well situated for visitors to access attractions such as Loch Lomond and Inchmahome Priory at the Lake of Menteith. A tourist information office run by VisitScotland sits in the centre of town, offering free information, selling souvenirs and acting as a booking office for many of the local B&B's and hotels. Aberfoyle Golf Club was built in 1860 and is located just south of town near the Rob Roy restaurant. Aberfoyle is also part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.[6]
Aberfoyle is also home to the largest Go Ape adventure course in the UK, featuring the longest death slide, or 'zip-line', in the UK.
Historical figures
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2023) |
Aberfoyle has connections to many historical figures such as Áedán mac Gabráin, Rob Roy and Mary, Queen of Scots. A Life of the Irish saint Berach of Cluain Chairpthe has the saint travel to Eperpuill (Aberfoyle) to seek Áedán mac Gabráin's adjudication in a land dispute.[7] Robert Roy MacGregor was born at the head of nearby Loch Katrine, and his well-known cattle stealing exploits took him all around the area surrounding Aberfoyle. It is recorded, for example, that in 1691, the MacGregors raided every barn in the village of Kippen and stole all the villagers' livestock.[8] There currently stands a tree in the village that MacGregor was reputed to have climbed and hid in to escape the clutches of the law. Also, Mary, Queen of Scots, visited nearby Inchmahome Priory often as a child, and during her short reign. She also used the priory during her short reign, particularly in 1547, where she felt safe from the English Army.
However, the most local historical figure is the Reverend Robert Kirk, born in 1644. It was the Rev. Kirk who provided the first translation into Scottish Gaelic of the Metrical Psalms and then the whole Christian Bible,[9] however, he is better remembered for the publication of his book "The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies" in 1691.[10][11] Kirk had long been researching fairies, and the book collected several personal accounts and stories of folk who claimed to have encountered them.
Use in fiction
edit- Aberfoyle was used as the location and inspiration for the adventure novel "Les Indes noires" (English title: The Child of the Cavern) by Jules Verne.
- The "Clachan of Aberfoil", then (in 1715) a small hamlet, plays a significant role in the second Volume of the novel Rob Roy by Walter Scott.
- Aberfoyle is where two grandfathers grew up in Shadow Land by Adam Wright. The grandfathers are the ancestors of two sub-characters who are related to Shellycoats. In the book, it is surmised that people from Aberfoyle have a hint of the faerie in their blood.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usual Resident Population, published by National Records of Scotland. Website http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ retrieved Apr 2018. See "Standard Outputs", Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish 1930, Area: Aberfoyle
- ^ McNiven, Peter E. (2011). Gaelic place-names and the social history of Gaelic speakers in Medieval Menteith (PDF) (PhD). University of Glasgow. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
- ^ Grant, Alison (2010). Macleod, Iseabail (ed.). The Pocket Guide to Scottish Place-Names. Glasgow: Richard Drew Ltd. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-899471-00-3. OCLC 759569647.
- ^ "Aberfoyle Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland".
- ^ "About Aberfoyle". Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2007.
- ^ Coleman, Keith (2022), Áedán of the Gaels:King of Scots, Pen & Sword, Yorkshire, pp. 5 - 7, ISBN 9781526794901
- ^ Hood, John (2000). Old Aberfoyle, Thornhill and the Forth Villages. Catrine, Ayrshire: Stenlake Publishing. p. 3. ISBN 9781840331103. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ "Parish of Aberfoyle". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ Kirk, Robert (30 November 2006). The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies (hardcover ed.). New York Review of Books Classics. ISBN 1-59017-177-2.
- ^ Hare, John Bruno (27 February 2004). "The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies". Retrieved 14 August 2009.
External links
edit
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Read more about Aberfoyle and its history