Cave Rock, Gruinard Bay

Cave Rock, Gruinard Bay

ID: QZP40_CARD_0601 DESCRIPTION: Cave Rock, Gruinard Bay. This precariously perched rock, on the shore below Laide, was blown over during a severe gale in 1950. Laide is a small settlement on the south side of Gruinard Bay, an inlet of the sea, in Wester Ross. It is situated at the junction of the road which climbs up steep Cabeg Hill and the single track road to the remote crofting townships of Mellon Udrigle and Opinan, where the road ends. At Laide there are the ruins of a chapel. This building dates from 1713 when George Mackenzie of Gruinard either restored or rebuilt an earlier chapel which was believed to have been built by St. Columba. In the nineteenth century the chapel fell in to disuse and services were held in a nearby cave. In the distance, on the right, is Beinn Ghobhlach, meaning horned or forked, a mountain on the Scoraig Peninsula between Little Loch Broom and Loch Broom. At 2083 (635metres) feet it may not be one of Scotland's highest peaks but its isolation makes it very impressive. PLACENAME: Gruinard Bay DISTRICT: Gairloch OLD COUNTY/PARISH: ROSS: Gairloch CREATOR (AV): J Valentine & Co. PERIOD: 1950s SOURCE: Highland Libraries COLLECTION: Highland Libraries' Postcard Collection Asset ID: 32522 KEYWORDS: