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PLOCKTON
THE AREAPlockton in Ross-shire is considered to be one of the most scenic villages in Scotland. It is a paradise for painters and photographers. It is situated in a sheltered corner on the shores of Loch Carron and is so sheltered that visitors will see palm trees growing in the gardens there! Loch Carron is a sea loch which opens out into the Inner Sound of Skye.
Plockton is an 19th century “model” village. At the end of the eighteenth century, Parliament decreed that, “safe and secure anchorages should be found for coastal shipping on Scotland’s west coast”. Surveys were done around the northern coasts of Great Britain, and consequently Plockton (along with Ullapool and Tobermory) were identified as locations for planned villages. Loch Carron and the water around the spit of land, was said to provide excellent anchorage for the increasing coastal and cross-Atlantic trade. In 1801 the first plans were completed for a new village to service the anchorage, to be called Plockton (from the Gaelic Ploc = small promontory and ton = “town”). The land was acquired from the property owned by a Mr. Hugh Innes. The present day village aesthetically followed these 1801 plans very closely. Directly across what was once the “village green” you will see one of the original thatched cottages, recently re-thatched and refurbished inside. These were called “black houses”. The population of Plockton varies according to the time of year. During the winter there are around three hundred residents but during the summer months this number increases threefold.
