Tyndrum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tyndrum/Tigh an Druim | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| OS grid reference: | NN330303 |
| Statistics | |
| Population: | |
| Administration | |
| Council area: | Stirling |
| Constituent country: | Scotland |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Other | |
| Police force: | |
| Lieutenancy area: | Stirling and Falkirk |
| Former county: | Stirlingshire |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | Crianlarich |
| Postal district: | FK20 |
| Dialling code: | 01838 |
| Politics | |
| Scottish Parliament: | Stirling |
| UK Parliament: | Stirling |
| European Parliament: | Scotland |
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Tyndrum is a small village in Scotland. Its name is derived from the Gaelic Tigh an Druim, meaning "the house on the ridge". It lies in Strathfillan, at the southern edge of Rannoch Moor.
The village is notable mainly for being at an important crossroads of transport routes. The West Highland Line (a railway) from Glasgow splits approximately five miles to the south at Crianlarich, with one branch heading to Fort Willam and the other to Oban. Tyndrum has a station on each: Upper Tyndrum on the Fort William route and Tyndrum Lower on the Oban route. The somewhat unusual situation exists of two stations serving the same relatively small community, separated physically by only a few hundred yards, but about ten miles apart by rail. This is to enable the Fort William line to begin the climb to Rannoch Moor well in advance. Roads mirror this division: the A82 passes through Tyndrum between Glasgow and Fort William, whilst the A85 to Oban splits off just north of the village.
Tyndrum is a popular tourist village, and is also on the West Highland Way, and has a campsite, hotel, bunkhouse and bed and breakfasts to accommodate walkers.
Overshadowed by Ben Lui, one of the Munros, Tyndrum is also built over the battlefield on which, in 1306 AD, clan MacDougall defeated Robert the Bruce and took from him the Brooch of Lorne.
Tyndrum is also a former gold mining centre. The hamlet of Clifton (the row of cottages over the A82 from the Green Welly) are the former mining cottages, and up on the hillside beyond them the tailings of a former lead mine can be seen. The actual gold mine is a couple of miles to the south and west of Tyndrum at Cononish, situated above Cononish Farm. Although the entrance is now closed off, walkers can explore the site and rangers encourage visitors to take home a souvenir from the thousands of sample cores lying on decaying wooden racks. The rivers around Tyndrum are a popular haunt for gold panners, which some of the landowners tolerate providing the panners do not use mechanical means of extraction.
[edit] External links
- Tyndrum page on Undiscovered Scotland
- The West Highland Way Another of the few towns on the West Highland Way.
- The Green Welly Stop The village's principal attraction.
- The Real Food Cafe The former Little Chef building now sets itself out as a gourmet chippy.
- By The Way A newly-built backpacker's hostel plus camping, caravans and trekker huts.
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