Arrochar, Argyll


Arrochar is a village at the head of Loch Long in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Arrochar Alps are named after the village. The village is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

Geography

Arrochar is overlooked by a group of mountains called the Arrochar Alps, part of the Grampian Mountain range. In particular by the distinctive rocky summit of the Cobbler.
The village enjoys good communications, located at the junction of the A83 and A814 roads and is served by Tarbet railway station. In addition the A82 road runs through Tarbet east.

Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team

The rescue team was setup in the mid 1950's. The team has around thirty voluntary members on call 365 days a year.

History

Arrochar was Historically in the Dunbartonshire area, until boundary changes in 1996.
For over five centuries this area, the feudal barony of Arrochar, was held by the chiefs of Clan MacFarlane and before them by their ancestors the barons of Arrochar.
The family is Celtic in the male line.
The settlement was a key target for Viking raiders who took their boats a further overland to Tarbet to attack the unprotected inland settlements around the shores of Loch Lomond. In 1263 the Vikings were defeated at the battle of Largs.

Royal Naval Torpedo Testing Station and Range

The photograph shows the former torpedo testing facility at the head of Loch Long. Established in 1912 and decommissioned in 1980. The site is currently part demolished. Demolition has been stalled since a fire on the site in June 2007.
Torpedoes were fired up Loch Long from tubes at the front of the facility. A boat stood by to recover the torpedoes where they were returned for analysis. The now roofless shed to the left and the main part of the building have tracks where torpedoes were stored and worked on. Hoists on the first floor lowered the torpedoes into the tubes.
The control room at the top looking straight down the loch housed a camera. Behind the control room, above the loading shed, is office accommodation. The rest of the facility included housing and workshops but these have been sold off.