Mallaig (; ) is a port in Morar, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. It faces Skye from across the Sound of Sleat. The local railway station is the terminus of the West Highland Line (Fort William and Mallaig branch), and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".

Development

The village of Mallaig was founded in the 1840s when Lord Lovat, owner of North Morar Estate, divided up the farm of Mallaigvaig into 17 parcels of land and encouraged his tenants to move to the western part of the peninsula and turn to fishing as a way of life.

The Second Edition (1888-1913) Six inch Ordnance Survey Map of Mallaig shows the village at the point in time when the railway was approaching. The population and local economy expanded rapidly in the 20th century with the arrival of the railway

Local services

Mallaig has several restaurants, cafes and takeaways, also a community-run swimming pool and leisure centre. The main focus is on the summer tourist trade, although some facilities open all year round, including the swimming pool. Mallaig has three hotels, much self-catering accommodation and several guest houses.

The village has a bank and three pubs. The compact centre is close to the harbour and railway station, with residential areas beyond to the south and east of the harbour. Most of the retail premises are on the main street, or on Davies Brae, which runs south from the centre. The swimming pool is at the high point of the village on Fank Brae.

There are two minimarkets and gift shops. An art gallery sells work by local artists. There is a small bookshop. A heritage centre next to the railway station is based around old photographs of the locality, but as Mallaig has only existed during the age of photography this offers a good introduction to the history and heritage of the locality. There are Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland churches, and a Fishermen's Mission facility run by the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. There is a small petrol station with restricted opening times near the harbour.

Transport

thumb|upright|The Fisherman and Child sculpture by Mark Rogers at the entrance to Mallaig harbour

thumb|'The Jacobite' at Mallaig railway station

Completed in 1901, the West Highland Line links Mallaig railway station to Fort William, Oban and Glasgow. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of the independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the iconic Trans-Siberian and the Cuzco to Machu Picchu line in Peru. The five-hour trip to Glasgow Queen Street railway station passes through seascapes, loch sides, mountain and moorland terrain. It offers views of Loch Lomond, the Gare Loch, Rannoch Moor, Ben Nevis, Glenfinnan, Glen Shiel and Loch Eil. The line also runs along the Clyde between Helensburgh and Glasgow and offers views across the estuary. In the years before the First World War, after the opening of the line in 1901, there was a fairly steady increase in the value of fish sold, exceeding £60,000 in 1914.

In the summer the Jacobite steam train service from Fort William visits Mallaig.

Shiel Buses operates a service from Mallaig to Fort William. Buses also run south along the A861 to the villages of Acharacle and Strontian.

Mallaig is an important ferry port, with regular Caledonian MacBrayne services to Armadale on the Isle of Skye, a 30-minute sailing operated by MV Loch Fyne and MV Lord of the Isles, the latter operating the morning service from Lochboisdale on South Uist to Mallaig, before shuttling between Mallaig and Armadale, then working the evening service back to Lochboisdale. It also runs a daily service operated by the MV Lochnevis, purpose-built for the route to the Small Isles of Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck, although the timetable and itinerary differ from day to day.

A local ferry service sails daily to Inverie in Knoydart, a remote village, and also calls by arrangement at Tarbet in Morar, a location only accessible by sea. This service also offers a non-landing cruise through Loch Nevis.

thumb|right|260px|Sunset over the Sound of Sleat

Mallaig as filming location

The Mallaig railway was used during the filming of the Harry Potter series of films, and the Hogwarts Express could often be seen in the summer during periods of filming. Many other local areas were used for location filming.

The 1996 film Breaking the Waves was largely filmed in Mallaig and the surrounding area, and the beach scenes of Local Hero were filmed at Morar and Arisaig, a few miles to the south.

<gallery mode="packed" class="center">

Image:TyMallaig20030828r22f16.jpg|Mallaig harbour from the ferry to the Isle of Skye

Image:Mallaig(RLH).jpg|Mallaig viewed from the Ferry Road to the north of the village

Image:Scotland Armadale Mallaig ferry.jpg|The Mallaig to Armadale car ferry

Image:Mallaig station.jpg|Mallaig railway station

Image:Mallaig harbour.jpg|Mallaig harbour

File:(Council) Houses in Mallaig (2013).jpg|Council Houses in Mallaig

File:Mallaig moon.jpg|Mallaig from the hill above East Bay under an autumn moon

</gallery>

References

  • Photos of Mallaig
  • West Word - Community Newspaper
  • Breaking the Waves filming locations
  • Local Hero filming locations
  • West Highland Railway Mallaig Extension
  • Mallaig High School
  • Mallaig Pool & Leisure