Boat of Garten

Boat of Garten (Scottish Gaelic: Coit a' Ghartain; originally: Garten) is a small village and post town in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland. In 1951, the population was less than 400; in 1971, it was almost 500; in 1981, it was almost 700, and the same in 2001.[1]

Boat of Garten
  • Scottish Gaelic: Coit a' Ghartain
Boat of Garten
Location within the Badenoch and Strathspey area
OS grid referenceNH949191
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBOAT OF GARTEN
Postcode districtPH24
Dialling code01479
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Etymology

The name of the settlement refers to the nearby site of the old ferry over the River Spey.[2] However, Pont's map of 1600 and Roy's map of 1750 named the location simply "Garten".[1]

It is also known as "Osprey village" due to its significant population of Ospreys.[3]

Geography

Boat of Garten is located between Aviemore and Grantown-on-Spey. It lies to the northeast of Aviemore, just north of Auchgourish and east of Kinveachy. Grantown is 7.5 miles (12.1 km) away.[4] Loch Garten lies to the southeast of the village.

Situated at an altitude of 220 metres (720 ft) above sea level,[1] it lies 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) from the River Spey in the Cairngorms National Park.[5] Being close to the Cairngorm Mountains.[6] it is in view of the Lairig Ghru and the northern Braeriach corries.[5]

The area between Boat of Garten and Loch Garten is within the Abernethy Forest National Nature Reserve,[7] Boat of Garten being on the forest fringe.[8]

Flora and fauna

Alyssum alyssoides, Cerastium arvense, Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Koeleria macrantha are found in the village, as are Juniperus communis, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Empetrum nigrum and Ptilium crista-castrensis. Rare fungi include Amanita virosa, Leucocortinarius bulbiger, Pholiota spumosa, Tapinella atrotomentosa, Cantharellula umbonata, Sarcodon imbricatus, Dentipellis fragilis and Hydnellum scrobiculatum.[9]

Landmarks

St Columba's Church was built in the summer of 1900 at a cost of £820, and the church hall was added in 1934.[10]

After the Disruption of 1843, the men of the area engaged in a fanaticism, erecting the "Stone of the Spey" below Boat of Garten. The stone was inscribed by one William Grant and was erected in 1865 in memory of the wife of Patrick Grant. As it was associated with scandal, the district residents destroyed it and threw it into the river.[11]

The village is also renowned for the nearby RSPB reserve at Loch Garten,[12] approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east.[13]

The village features a golf course, originally designed by James Braid. Built in 1898, it was expanded in 1931.[8] it has been ranked as one of the top 35 courses in Scotland.[5]

The Community Company created a garden in 2002 and in 2013 two sculptures and an information hub commissioned by the community were installed in the Station Square, adjacent to the Community Garden.[14]

  • St Columba's Church and War Memorial
  • Deshar Road, Boat of Garten

References
  1. Smith, Robin; Lawson, Alan (2001). The making of Scotland: a comprehensive guide to the growth of its cities, towns, and villages. Canongate U.S. pp. 104–. ISBN 978-1-84195-170-6. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  2. Gordon, Seton Paul (1951). Highlands of Scotland. R. Hale. p. 184. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  3. Else, David; Berry, Oliver (2005). Great Britain. Lonely Planet. p. 878. ISBN 978-1-74059-921-4. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. Reid, William (1895). Grantown and the adjacent country: a guide to Strathspey. pp. 45–. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  5. "Welcome to the Boat of Garten Golf Club". boatgolf.com. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  6. "Welcome to Moorfield House". moorfieldhouse.com. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  7. Castle, Alan (2010). Speyside Way. Cicerone Press Limited. pp. 108–. ISBN 978-1-85284-606-0. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  8. Campbell, Malcolm; Satterly, Glynn (1 October 1999). The Scottish Golf Book. Sports Publishing LLC. pp. 147–. ISBN 978-1-58382-053-7. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  9. Natural History Society of Glasgow (1892). Transactions of the Natural History Society of Glasgow. The Society. pp. lv, 17–. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  10. "St Columbas". Boat of Garten.com. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  11. Reid, p. 70
  12. Murphy, Alan (9 September 2001). Scotland Highlands & Islands handbook: the travel guide. Footprint Travel Guides. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-900949-94-1. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  13. Forgan, Duncan; Gonzalez, Michael; Main, Shona (6 April 2010). Fodor's Scotland. Random House Digital, Inc. pp. 364–. ISBN 978-1-4000-0432-4. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  14. "Welcome to Boat of Garten, The Osprey Village". Boat of Garten.com. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
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