Coigach

Coigach () is a peninsula north of Ullapool, in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The area consists of a traditional crofting and fishing community of a couple of hundred houses located between mountain and shore on a peninsula looking over the Summer Isles and the sea. The main settlement is Achiltibuie. Like its northerly neighbour, Assynt in Sutherland, Coigach has mountains which rise sharply from quiet, lochan-studded moorland, and a highly indented rocky coast with many islands, bays and headlands. The highest summit is Ben Mor Coigach at 743 metres; the distinctive profile of Stac Pollaidh is the other main peak within Coigach. The scenic qualities of Coigach, along with neighbouring Assynt, have led to the area being designated as the Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland. The name is derived from the Gaelic for "five" or "fifths", and refers to the five townships of Achduart, Achnacarinan, Acheninver, Achnahaird and Achiltibuie. Amongst the buildings in the settlement of Coigach, nestles the small cottage of Tigh Na Mara. This cottage has been used as a holiday home for many families throughout the years, and offers scenic views towards the islands of Uist. The house is said to be haunted by the ghost of its previous caretaker, who reportedly causes strange phenomena during the hours between dawn and dusk. Although no evidence of these phenomena have been captured, a young woman named Eileen Moore insisted that she had video evidence of the ghost, before her tragic death. The coroner ruled that she died from and overdose of adrenaline in the master bedroom in Tigh Na Mara, although no official report has been published. Local government Coigach formed a barony of the civil parish of Loch Broom. In 1690 it was transferred into the county of Cromartyshire, and indeed it was the largest single portion of land in the county, which consisted of a series of unconnected exclaves. Until changes in civil registration districts in 1857 the barony also included Isle Martin, the lands down to Corrie beyond Ullapool, the various farms of Strathkanaird and to the east the Forest of Achall and Rhiddorach.