Aultbea
Aultbea
| |
|---|---|
 The Aultbea Hotel on the foreshore | |
  Aultbea Location within the Highland council area | |
| Population | 370 |
| OS grid reference | NG872890 |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ACHNASHEEN |
| Postcode district | IV22 |
| Dialling code | 01445 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Aultbea (Gaelic: An t-Allt Beithe) is a small fishing village in the North-West Highlands of Scotland.[1] It is situated on the southeast shore of Loch Ewe, about 30 km west of Ullapool. The village has a Primary School and a small Post Office.
Aultbea has two churches, a shop, a masonic lodge and a craft shop. A third small church is currently under construction (winter 2020/21). Aultbea also has a NATO base, where large ships often come inshore to refuel. There is also an annual "fun day" where most people from the village and surrounding area turn up to play football or other activities, or to socialise over a home-baked scone.
The village has two hotels, neither of which are open for business (as of 2021). The Aultbea Hotel closed without warning following a phone call from the owner to staff one morning.[2] The Drumchork Lodge Hotel, which was the home of the Loch Ewe Distillery, also is currently closed and waiting refurbishment by new owners.
The nearest airport is in Stornoway, although that is located on the Isle of Lewis and thus not convenient for onward travel to Aultbea. The nearest railway station is at Achnasheen, which has trains either to Inverness or westwards through the scenic village Plockton to Kyle of Lochalsh. There is also a ferry service to the Isle of Lewis in the relatively nearby town of Ullapool. This service was once proposed to be based in Aultbea but due to Aultbea's remote setting, Ullapool was granted the ferry port.[citation needed] In 1893, a rail track to Aultbea was planned but again the decision went against the village as demand for such a service was expected to be low.
Sport[]
Together with the nearby village of Gairloch, Aultbea has an amateur football team – Gairloch Aultbea United or GA United. Most of the local population support Scottish Premier League side Ross County F.C., based in Dingwall, 70 miles (110 km) away, as this is the closest league team to the Aultbea area.
Attractions[]
Aultbea offers sandy beaches as well as rocky shores, all of which look out at the Isle of Ewe. Scattered around the area are the remains of World War II buildings and barracks. Next to the local football pitch is a display board, which describes the role of the buildings in detail. Aultbea has views out to Cove and the Isle of Lewis, as well as the nearby Torridon Hills. There is a small, blue bar situated at the side of the which offers great views of the shore and bird life.
Geography and climate[]
The coast is affected by the Gulf Stream, bringing relatively warm waters. These are ideal for jellyfish, which can swarm the local waters, as well as visiting dolphins. The Northern Lights are visible on occasion depending on the weather and time of year, around the equinox being best. The record lowest temperature is amongst the highest in the UK. The lowest temperature was recorded on 17 December 2010. On 22 February 2019, Aultbea recorded its warmest February day on record, with 16.5 °C. As of 19:11 GMT on 22 February it was the warmest place in the UK with 16.2 °C.[3] This was then beaten the next day, with a temperature of 16.8 °C.[4]
| hideClimate data for Aultbea 11m amsl | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) |
16.8 (62.2) |
18.1 (64.6) |
24.5 (76.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
30.0 (86.0) |
28.3 (82.9) |
30.2 (86.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
16.6 (61.9) |
30.2 (86.4) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) |
7.6 (45.7) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.0 (51.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
15.2 (59.4) |
12.5 (54.5) |
9.8 (49.6) |
8.0 (46.4) |
12.0 (53.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) |
2.5 (36.5) |
3.5 (38.3) |
4.6 (40.3) |
6.7 (44.1) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
11.3 (52.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
3.0 (37.4) |
6.4 (43.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.5 (20.3) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
4.7 (40.5) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 170.4 (6.71) |
129.4 (5.09) |
133.8 (5.27) |
74.9 (2.95) |
70.5 (2.78) |
77.4 (3.05) |
74.8 (2.94) |
97.3 (3.83) |
141.3 (5.56) |
164.7 (6.48) |
172.3 (6.78) |
160.8 (6.33) |
1,467.6 (57.77) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 20.8 | 16.8 | 20.1 | 14.2 | 13.3 | 13.8 | 14.6 | 16.4 | 17.8 | 21.6 | 20.2 | 19.5 | 209.1 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 28.1 | 56.5 | 86.3 | 128.0 | 172.2 | 140.7 | 125.7 | 119.7 | 96.9 | 67.6 | 35.0 | 23.2 | 1,079.9 |
| Source: Met Office,[5] voodoo skies,[6] and eldorado weather[7] | |||||||||||||
Places to go[]
There is Oran Na Mara Cafe which sells homemade food, cakes, teas & coffee and a gift shop within its cafe. Loch Ewe Distillery in Drumchork is the smallest licensed distillery of Scotland. The main shop is known locally as Aultbea Stores where essentials can be purchased. The two hotels both have restaurants and sell bar meals. Near Aultbea is a Perfume Studio and cafe, which serves as a unique attraction to the area. There are also many walks into the hills or nearby Laide Wood. The area also boasts many fishing hotspots through nearby rivers and lochs.
The butchers shop closed in 2017 and the building converted into the Russian Arctic Convoy Exhibition Centre, (Aultbea IV22 2HZ, Scotland).
References[]
- ^ Microsoft; Nokia (23 March 2017). "Aultbea" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ "Mystery surrounds whereabouts of Wester Ross hotelier after Aultbea Hotel closes during breakfast service".
- ^ https://www.netweather.tv/live-weather/top-20/maxt[bare URL]
- ^ https://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?lang=en&ind=03034&ano=2019&mes=2&day=23&hora=22&min=0&ndays=30[bare URL]
- ^ "Aultbea Climate Period: 1981–2010". Met Office. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ "Aultbea Extremes". Voodoo Skies. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ "Aultbea (United Kingdom)". Eldorado. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- Populated places in Ross and Cromarty