Ae, Dumfries and Galloway

Ae
View of green and houses in the village of Ae
The village of Ae
Map showing Ae in the south of Scotland
Ae
Ae shown within Dumfries and Galloway
Population 200 (approx)
OS grid reference NX983891
• Edinburgh 70 mi (110 km) NE
• London 340 mi (550 km) SE
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town DUMFRIES
Postcode district DG1
Dialling code 01387
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Ae (pronounced /eɪ/) is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland.[1] The village is located on the edge of a 15,000 acres (61 km2) man-made conifer forest, and is approximately 9 miles (14 km) north of Dumfries.[1]

History

Robert Chambers wrote of the Ae area in 1826, describing it as a moor with a glen (known as Glenae),[2] whose inhabitants were "long famed for broils, battles, and feats of activity".[3] Chambers wrote that most men in the area were employed in farming and transporting goods on horseback between the village and Glasgow, as well as the cities of Carlisle and Manchester.[3] These "lads of Ae" had a reputation that preceded them, being famous for "cudgel-playing [and] boxing" at every fair and wedding the area held.[3]

The village of Ae is one of the youngest villages in Britain, having been founded in 1947 by the Forestry Commission.[1]

Geography

The village is situated between the Water of Ae and the Goukstane Burn after they have flowed out of the Forest of Ae. The population is approximately 200, with 50 dwellings. Facilities in the village include a public house (formerly the post office), a school and community hall.[1]

Experiments at Ae include successful afforestation of former peat bogs, formerly thought to be unplantable. Plantation has also been established at a height of 1,750 feet (530 m). The forest consists mainly of Sitka spruce,[4] but there are also larch, Scots pine, and Norway spruce. There is much wildlife, including deer, fox, hare, weasel, woodpigeon, yellowhammer, sparrowhawk, jay, pheasant, partridge and red squirrel.

Toponymy

In 1787, the area's name was written with the ligature Æ.[5] By 1826 the name was written as Ae which, by repute, is the shortest place name in the United Kingdom.[1] However the Scottish Gaelic name of the island of Iona comprises a single letter, Ì.

The name likely comes from the Old Norse word aa, meaning 'water, river'.[6]

Mountain biking trails

Close to the village is the local area headquarters of the Forestry Commission. The commission has been instrumental in developing a mountain biking centre, which provides access to cycle trails of various difficulty. To cater for visitors, there is a small café and a bike shop.

See also

Footnotes

Sources

  • Reader's Digest Association (1990), Book of British Villages, London: Reader's Digest, ISBN 0-276-42018-7, OCLC 35330841
  • Chambers, Robert (1826), The Popular Rhymes of Scotland, W. Hunte
  • Great Britain House of Lords (1787), Journals of the House of Lords / Great Britain, Parliament, House of Lords, 38, HMSO
  • Pye, Kenneth; Croft, Debra (2004), Forensic geoscience: principles, techniques and applications, London: Geological Society, ISBN 1-86239-161-0
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