Cladach
Encyclopedia
Note: Cladach is a general Scottish Gaelic word for "beach" or "shore" and occurs in many Scottish placenames

Cladach is a tiny settlement on the Isle of Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. In the vicinity of the island's main village, Brodick, Cladach is the site of the Cladach Sawmill and in more recent times, the Arran Brewery. The company, Arran Aromatics is located nearby, as is Brodick Castle
Brodick Castle
Brodick Castle is a castle situated outside the port of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It was previously a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.-Early and High Mediæval:...

.

Cladach sits off the Coast Road across the Brodick Bay from Brodick. It was in the past a much larger settlement, and was in fact the site of the original village on Brodick Bay, with modern Brodick being built on the south side of the Bay later. There were in the past a series of houses on the Coast Road in Cladach, but they were demolished many years ago.

There were also a series of houses that were let to employees of the sawmill by the sawmill owners. However, in recent years Cladach has essentially been depopulated and the buildings that used to house residents either demolished or converted into small businesses. The Cladach Visitors' Centre is now the main attraction on the site of Cladach.

Cladach is the usual starting point for climbers who seek to ascend Goat Fell
Goat Fell
Goat Fell is the highest point on the Isle of Arran. At 874 metres , it is one of four Corbetts on the island...

 mountain. An entrance into Brodick Castle Gardens is also located in Cladach.

There is a hydroelectric scheme based at Cladach. Water is taken from a reservoir at around 800ft on the slopes of Goat Fell
Goat Fell
Goat Fell is the highest point on the Isle of Arran. At 874 metres , it is one of four Corbetts on the island...

 and electricity is generated at the turbines behind the Sawmill. The original electricity generation was for the Castle which was one of the first places in Scotland to receive electricity along with the Castle on the Isle of Rum.

A courthouse, which was demolished in 2004, used to post important messages about hearings and agriculture on an Ash tree outside its doors. Locals still put posters up advertising events, which echo this long held tradition.

The restaurant is called the Wineport, which is a bit of a misnomer as the real Wineport is 500 yards north, a small harbour which was where supplies for the village were landed.
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