Laggan, Great Glen

Laggan
Laggan Avenue reflections
Laggan is located in Lochaber
Laggan
Laggan
Location within the Lochaber area
OS grid referenceNN294971
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNEWTOWNMORE
Postcode districtPH20
Dialling code01809
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
List of places
UK
Scotland
57°01′59″N 4°48′47″W / 57.033°N 4.813°W / 57.033; -4.813

Laggan (Scottish Gaelic: An Lagan) is a small village in the Great Glen, in the Highland region of Scotland.[1] The older, longer Gaelic name is Lagan Achaidh Droma, "hollow at the field of the ridge".[2]

Geography

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Laggan is often considered to be two separate settlements, North Laggan and South Laggan, about one mile apart, both situated between Loch Lochy and Loch Oich. The Caledonian Canal passes by Laggan, linking these two lochs. Laggan Locks, a flight of two locks, connects the canal to Loch Oich.

The main A82 road between Glasgow and Inverness passes through Laggan, crossing the canal at Laggan Swing Bridge.

The Great Glen Way long-distance footpath passes by Laggan, running alongside the canal and following the old railway line.

History

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The Battle of the Shirts was fought nearby in July 1544 between the Macdonalds of Rannald and Clan Fraser of Lovat in the Great Glen, overlooking Loch Lochy.[3]

The Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway once passed by Laggan. This line opened in 1896, with Invergarry railway station situated at North Laggan. The line closed to passengers in 1933, and to freight in 1947.

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References

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  1. ^ Gittings, Bruce; Munro, David. "Laggan, Highland". The Gazetteer for Scotland. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Place name database - Laggan". Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  3. ^ Tony Jaques (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: P-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 937–. ISBN 978-0-313-33539-6.