Shiel Bridge
Shiel Bridge is a village in the west of Scotland, on the A87 which runs from Invergarry to Kyle of Lochalsh and across the bridge onto the Isle of Skye. It marks the end of Glen Shiel, where the eponymous river flows into Loch Duich (a sea loch). The name of the village derives from a bridge which crosses the river Shiel at this point and used to be part of one of General Wade’s military roads.
Shiel Bridge does not offer a lot of infrastructure but is nevertheless popular for hiking and mountaineering – immediately south of the village are the
Five Sisters of Kintail
, a mountain range containing three “Munros”, i.e., summits of more than 3000ft, namely
Sgùrr Fhuaran
(1067m),
Sgùrr na Càrnach
(1002m), and
Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe
(1027m). The other two –
Sgùrr nan Saighead
and
Sgùrr na Moraich
– aren’t quite tall enough to qualify, but climbing all five of them in turn still counts as a pleasant outing.
According to legend, the five sisters are the elder of seven (!) sisters – the two younger sisters fall in love with two Irish princes who are washed ashore after a storm, but their father will only allow them to get married once the five older sisters have also tied the knot. As a compromise, the Irish offered to send over their five brothers (convenient!) once they themselves were back in Ireland with their brides. The five brothers, however, never showed up, and the five sisters waited for them until they eventually turned to stone and now continue their vigil eternally as mountains. As a further punishment for their naïveté, they now must endure tourism, too.
From “Anselm's Notes on Dances”, by Anselm Lingnau
(Used by permission.)