Morar

This article is about a village on the west coast of Scotland. For other uses, see Morar (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 56°58′10″N 5°49′18″W / 56.969457°N 5.82157°W / 56.969457; -5.82157

Morar
Scottish Gaelic: Mòrar
The Sands at Morar
Morar  Morar shown within the Lochaber area
Population	257 [1]
OS grid reference	NM677929
Council area	Highland
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Dialling code	01687 462
Police	Northern
Fire	Highlands and Islands
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Morar (Scottish Gaelic: Mòrar) is a small village on the west coast of Scotland, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Mallaig. The name Morar is also applied to the wider district around the village.

Morar is a station stop on the West Highland Line and is served by the A830 Road to the Isles, between Fort William and Mallaig. It is famous for Morar Beach, known as the "White Sands of Morar", which featured prominently in the film Local Hero, as well as in Breaking the Waves. Loch Morar, the deepest loch in the British Isles, is located nearby.

Morar was also a favourite winter travel destination of the noted English composer, Sir Arnold Bax (1883–1953), during the 1930s. He worked on his Third Symphony, and each subsequent symphony during his visits to the Station Hotel.

History

The Battle of Morar was a Scottish clan battle fought in 1602, between the Clan MacDonald of Glengarry and the Clan Mackenzie.

Many houses in the area were used as training schools by the Special Operations Executive during World War II^[2]. The Land, Sea and Islands Centre^[3] in Arisaig has a display on the connection between SOE and the area and has published a book on the subject.^[4]

Notable people

• Morar is the birthplace of BBC weather forecaster Carol Kirkwood.

See also

• Loch Morar

References

1. ^ http://www.highland.gov.uk/plintra/iandr/cen/sz/morar.htm
2. ^ Commando Country, Stuart Allan, National Museums Scotland 2007, ISBN 9781905267149
3. ^ Land, Sea and Islands Centre
4. ^ Special Operations Executive: Para-Military Training in Scotland during World War 2, David M Harrison, Land Sea and Islands Centre, Arisaig

External links

• Breaking the Waves filming locations
• Local Hero filming locations
• West Highland Railway Mallaig Extension
• Beautiful video of Loch Morar, Scotland