Golspie

Golspie
Scottish Gaelic: Goillspidh
Golspie

 Golspie shown within the Sutherland area
Population 1,650 (approx.)
Council area Highland
Lieutenancy area Sutherland
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town GOLSPIE
Postcode district KW10
Dialling code 01408
Police Northern
Fire Highlands and Islands
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK Parliament Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Scottish Parliament Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency in the Highlands and Islands electoral region
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Golspie (Scottish Gaelic: Goillspidh) is a village in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. It has a population of around 1,650. It is on the North Sea coast in the shadow of Ben Bhraggie (394m).

Golspie railway station,on the Far North Line, opened in 1874. The converted 19th century railway station is now a holiday let.[1]

Golspie has award-winning safe bathing beaches to the north and south of the tidal pier; there is a public swimming pool in the centre of the village. The Kart Race Track is a mile or two down Ferry Road. The golf course has a mix of links, parkland and heath and there are central facilities for tennis and bowling, football and playing fields. Around Golspie there are opportunities for walking, bird watching and botany study, fossil-hunting and gorges and waterfalls. There is loch and sea angling, as well as sailing and yachting in the bay. In 2006 mountain bike trails were opened on the slopes of Ben Bhraggie.[2]

Centred around Loch Fleet, three miles south of Golspie, is a National Nature Reserve with waders, wildfowl and seals basking on the sandbanks. Osprey, terns and swallows frequent the loch in summer. Rare wild flowers and plants can be seen in nearby Balblair Wood.

The village has a Choral Group, Rotary Club, and dancing classes. At the start of August Golspie Gala Week is held. Among the 100 events staged throughout the week are a car-banger derby, a fancy dress parade, a wheelbarrow race and a parade of massed pipe bands as a finale. Golspie Heritage Society has a permanent home in the former Fisherman's Welcome on Station Road. The IT-equipped public library, open for limited periods four days weekly, is in the Community Centre complex adjoining the High School.

The Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland have well-established congregations, but the Roman Catholic Church and Scottish Episcopal Church worship in nearby Brora.

There are four hotels, several guesthouses and B & Bs, as well as self-catering cottages. Dunrobin Castle, the seat of Clan Sutherland, is nearby and has falconry displays. There is a static caravan site.

Notable people from Golspie

Lewis Williamson[3] Formula Renault driver.

Jimmy Yuill (actor)

References

  1. ^ The Station Golspie: The Station Golspie website.
  2. ^ Highland Wildcat: Highland Wildcat Trails official site
  3. ^ Lewis Williamson's Biography Lewis Williamson's Website