Language Notes

Element Meaning

Sources

This name was gathered as part of a local research project on the place-names of Strath, Isle of Skye and was published in a booklet by SNH and AÀA. The Following quote appears in that booklet:

“West of this is Loch na Bèiste, known locally by non-Gaelic speakers as ‘the loch of the beastie’. The details of the tradition associated with a monster, or beastie, seem to have been lost locally, but one wonders if nearby Sròn an Tairbh, ‘the nose of the bull’, relates to the dreaded tarbh-uisge or ‘water bull’ which is known elsewhere in folklore. The loch was used by the navy during World War Two because of its secluded location and later for surrendered German U-boats. At the mouth of the loch, below A’ Mhaodalach, is the wreck of the minelayer HMS Port Napier, which is visible from the mainland at low tide.”

Gaelic in the Landscape: Place-names of Strath, Isle of Skye (Scottish Natural Heritage 2015): 13

Additional Information

Alternative Forms