Aultbea
Aultbea
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The Aultbea Hotel on the foreshore | |
Location within the Highland council area | |
Population | 370 |
OS grid reference | NG872890 |
Civil parish | |
Council area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ACHNASHEEN |
Postcode district | IV22 |
Dialling code | 01445 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Aultbea (
Aultbea has two churches, a shop, a masonic lodge and a craft shop. As of 2021[update], a third small church was under construction. Aultbea has a NATO refuelling base which serves large ships. There is an annual "fun day" when people from the village and surrounding area play football or other activities, or socialise over home-baked scones.
The village has two hotels. The Aultbea Hotel
The nearest airport is in Stornoway, although that is located on the Isle of Lewis and thus not convenient for onward travel to Aultbea. The nearest railway station is at Achnasheen, which has trains either to Inverness or westwards through the scenic village Plockton to Kyle of Lochalsh. There is also a ferry service to the Isle of Lewis in the relatively nearby town of Ullapool. This service was once proposed to be based in Aultbea but due to Aultbea's remote setting, Ullapool was granted the ferry port.[citation needed] In 1893, a rail track to Aultbea was planned but again the decision went against the village as demand for such a service was expected to be low.
Sport
Together with the nearby village of Gairloch, Aultbea has an amateur football team – Gairloch Aultbea United or GA United. Most of the local population support Scottish Premier League side Ross County F.C., based in Dingwall, 70 miles (110 km) away, as this is the closest league team to the Aultbea area.
Attractions
Aultbea offers sandy beaches as well as rocky shores, all of which look out at the Isle of Ewe. Scattered around the area are the remains of World War II buildings and barracks. Next to the local football pitch is a display board, which describes the role of the buildings in detail. Aultbea has views out to Cove and the Isle of Lewis, as well as the nearby Torridon Hills. There is a small, blue bar situated at the side of the Aultbea Hotel which offers great views of the shore and bird life.
Geography and climate
The coast is affected by the
Climate data for Aultbea 11m amsl | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) |
16.8 (62.2) |
18.1 (64.6) |
24.5 (76.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
30.0 (86.0) |
28.3 (82.9) |
30.2 (86.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
16.6 (61.9) |
30.2 (86.4) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) |
7.6 (45.7) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.0 (51.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
15.2 (59.4) |
12.5 (54.5) |
9.8 (49.6) |
8.0 (46.4) |
12.0 (53.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) |
2.5 (36.5) |
3.5 (38.3) |
4.6 (40.3) |
6.7 (44.1) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
11.3 (52.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
3.0 (37.4) |
6.4 (43.6) |
Record low °C (°F) | −6.5 (20.3) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
4.7 (40.5) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 170.4 (6.71) |
129.4 (5.09) |
133.8 (5.27) |
74.9 (2.95) |
70.5 (2.78) |
77.4 (3.05) |
74.8 (2.94) |
97.3 (3.83) |
141.3 (5.56) |
164.7 (6.48) |
172.3 (6.78) |
160.8 (6.33) |
1,467.6 (57.77) |
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 20.8 | 16.8 | 20.1 | 14.2 | 13.3 | 13.8 | 14.6 | 16.4 | 17.8 | 21.6 | 20.2 | 19.5 | 209.1 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 28.1 | 56.5 | 86.3 | 128.0 | 172.2 | 140.7 | 125.7 | 119.7 | 96.9 | 67.6 | 35.0 | 23.2 | 1,079.9 |
Source: Met Office,[5] voodoo skies,[6] and eldorado weather[7] |
Places to go
The main shop is known locally as Aultbea Stores. The Oran Na Mara Cafe sells homemade food, cakes, teas and coffee and has a gift shop.
The Russian Arctic Convoy Exhibition Centre commemorates the Arctic convoys of World War II.
References
- ^ Microsoft; Nokia. "Aultbea" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ "Mystery surrounds whereabouts of Wester Ross hotelier after Aultbea Hotel closes during breakfast service". 19 April 2019.
- ^ "Live Weather Top Twenty - Highs and Lows - Netweather.tv".
- ^ "Synop report summary".
- ^ "Aultbea Climate Period: 1981–2010". Met Office. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ "Aultbea Extremes". Voodoo Skies. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ "Aultbea (United Kingdom)". Eldorado. Retrieved 22 February 2019.