Garelochhead
| Garelochhead | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Ceann a' Gheàrr-loch | |
| Scots: Garelochheid | |
  Garelochhead Garelochhead shown within Argyll and Bute | |
| Council area | Argyll and Bute |
|---|---|
| Lieutenancy area | Dunbartonshire |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HELENSBURGH |
| Postcode district | G84 |
| Dialling code | 01436 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Argyll and Bute |
| Scottish Parliament | Dumbarton |
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Garelochhead (Scots: Garelochheid,[1][2] Scottish Gaelic: Ceann a' Gheàrr-loch)[3] is a small village on the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is the nearest village to the HMNB Clyde naval base.
Garelochhead lies at the head of the Gare Loch, 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Helensburgh. Loch Lomond is a few miles to the east, and Loch Long to the west. To some the scenic beauty of the loch is only slightly marred by the presence of the HMNB Clyde submarine base and the associated semi-permanent 'peace camp'. In addition to the few local shops, pubs and churches, it has a bowling club and a Community building at the Gibson Hall. Garelochhead's 1,265 residents are served by Garelochhead railway station on the West Highland Line and a local bus service running between Coulport and Helensburgh.
There is a community building called Centre 81, which is home to a youth club, gym, café, computer suite and meeting rooms.[4] There is also a gallery featuring work by Scottish artists.
History
Garelochhead, originally in Dunbartonshire, developed from the 1820s with the advent of steamer cruising during the Glasgow Fair holiday. Tourism was boosted with the opening of the West Highland Railway line to Fort William in 1894, and in the late 20th century its prosperity was linked to the deepwater oil tanker terminal at Finnart on Loch Long and the Faslane naval base. Garelochhead Forest lies to the south.
In 1854 there was a great dispute that became known as the Battle of Garelochhead fought between the locals, led by Sir James Colquhoun, and the passengers of the steamer Ship "Emperor". The trouble started when Colquhoun did not want trippers on the sabbath day. The battle was eventually won by the passengers, but undeterred Colquhoun took his case to the courts who subsequently banned sailings on Sundays.
Before Faslane naval base was constructed during World War II, Garelochhead was a summer destination for people from Glasgow who would arrive from the Gare Loch and spend time in one of the Garelochhead hotels. Following transport advancements, holiday makers stopped coming to Garelochhead. Faslane was built after this, and extended the town as workers settled in the area.
During the 1990s, two of the villages hotels, The Dahlandui and Garelochhead Hotel, burnt down in fires allegedly started by their owners due to the falling tourist attraction of Garelochhead but mainly due to the loss of trade due to the winding up of the construction of Faslane Naval Base.
In the last ten years, due to lack of attendance the local Roman Catholic Chapel has closed down with the Church of Scotland Kirk in the village holding a combined congregation of both Protestant and Catholic
The Gibson Hall is commonly used as headquarters for cycle races round the Coulport peninsula, such as the Scottish Cycling national road race that was organised by Lomond Roads Cycling Club.
Military
In addition to HMNB Clyde, there is also a British Army training camp situated nearby, that was originally constructed in 1940 during World War II. Some 22,000 American servicemen were accommodated and trained at the camp prior to Operation Overlord.
Consisting mostly of recently-rebuilt Nissen huts and other Modular buildings that can accommodate up to 500 personnel, it is still often used by the military who carry out residential work experience for school pupils and for training exercises by Territorial Army units and regular Army recruits from the Infantry Training Centre. The camp is also used by Strathclyde Police as an operating base during protests at the nearby HMNB Clyde.
There is an extensive Training Area in the surrounding region that extends up Glen Fruin to the west bank of Loch Lomond and along Loch Long through Glen Mallan to DM Glen Douglas. It also includes the Ardgartan Forest on the opposite bank of the Gare Loch, which is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The entire training area is some 8,200 acres (33 km2) in area, with its highest point rising to some 700m above sea level and includes two parachute Drop zones. The Range complex at Garelochhead is equipped for live firing up to platoon level, with additional grenade and mortar ranges. A satellite camp at Strone also includes a "Skills House" which is used for FIBUA training.