The Highlands of Scotland offer some of the most phenomenal natural scenery known to man. As such, it is difficult to single out one location in this vast and gorgeous area as the definitive Highlands experience but, if one were so hard pressed, one could do a lot worse than Kyle of Lochalsh.
Though Kyle of Lochalsh sounds more like an Arthurian knight than a Scottish town, it is important to remember that any town in Scotland is likely more beautiful than nearly every other location on Earth. Kyle of Lochalsh translates loosely into "the strait of the foaming lake". If this doesn't evoke pretty imagery in your mind then nothing will. As you may have guessed, the Lochalsh of the name is in fact none other than Loch Alsh. Again, Scotland is filled with some of the most visually impressive lakes on the planet and Loch Alsh, while not as big as Lochs like Ness, is a good example of the stunning imagery found all throughout the Highland. It isn't surprising, then, that a large part of the economy of Kyle of Lochalsh has to do with visitors who come and have fun on the lake. The town regularly rents pontoon boats, jetskis, and other watercrafts that allow weekenders to enjoy the blissful experience of a day out on Loch Alsh but the lake is also an important part of Scotland's transport industry. To be sure, Kyle of Lochalsh has been a significant factor in the waterway transport of Scotland's goods for centuries now.
The main economy of Kyle of Lochalsh, though, has to do with "crofting". Crofting may be unfamiliar to people not from Scotland because it is a decidedly Scottish practice that is virtually unheard of anywhere else. Essentially, crofting is a form of sharecropping in which several participants share an area of land that is largely useless but contains a fertile area that is shared by all of the people who own the area. This kind of land tenure lends itself to a close-knit community and, not surprisingly, the people of Kyle of Lochalsh stick together so that they don't fall apart. Most of the more meager land is simply handed over to grazing animals like sheep and goats and the many owners of the acreage usually share in the bounty provided by the good soil. If this makes you think of Kyle of Lochalsh as a fairly standoffish community, fear not; though the people stick together, they are in no way snobby or suspicious. They understand that the beauty of the town is phenomenal and most of these people wouldn't dare take away the visceral experience of a sunset on the Loch from a visitor simply because they didn't like said person's face. After all, most of the residents of Kyle of Lochalsh exist thanks to the local agriculture so it would be almost sacrilegious to deny an outsider a view of this pristine land. That being said, it would be wise to visit this gorgeous locale as soon as possible lest something happens to this magnificent landscape.
| 
+44 (0)1599 534430
+44 (0)1599 534315
