Kinlochbervie

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Kinlochbervie (Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Loch Biorbhaidh) is a harbour village in the north west of Sutherland, in the Highland region of Scotland. In 2001 the population was 480.

The majority of local industry is based upon the fishing industry. Although the fleet of ships actually based in Kinlochbervie is rather small, many ships from the East coast of Scotland land their catches in Kinlochbervie.

The dominant feature of the town is the large fish handling depot. From here catches are loaded onto large refrigerated trucks for transport by road throughout Europe. The importance of this link to the outside world to the local economy means that Kinlochbervie has surprisingly good road links, given its remote location and rugged local geography.

Inhabitants of Kinlochbervie are sometimes collectively referred to as "Greeks" by the residents of surrounding villages. The village itself is sometimes referred to as "K.L.B."

The stunning and dramatic local scenery mean that tourism is also an important part of the local economy. Many of the isolated houses are either holiday homes, or small bed and breakfast businesses.

Approximately five miles drive, and four miles walk North of Kinlochbervie itself lies Sandwood Bay, which is argued by many to be the most beautiful beach in the entire British Isles.

[edit] Sporting achievements

The village also has a rather successful amateur football team, which competes in the local amateur league along with Durness, Tongue, Bettyhill, Lochinver and Melvich. In 2005 they won the league trophy, the prestigious Stafford Cup, for the first time in many years. The team also won The Guy Cup in the same year by winning a tournament of local teams. This was the first time a team west of the Kyle of Tongue had won it. They have also won the Hugh Campbell Cup, which is played annually over two legs against their old rivals Durness. Another award was The Michael Thompson Memorial Cup which is played against Bonar Bridge in memory of Michael Thompson. The most recent cup won is the Mackay Cup, Kinlochbervie beat Bettyhill 13-1 in the semi finals and beat Melvich in Brora, adding another cup to a very good year for the team. 2005 was one of the most successful seasons in many years and has nearly reached the achievements of the legendary Kinlochbervie teams of old.