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Polachar [Overview]

Wester Ross.

Two caves on the shore at Sand of Udrigle, near Laide, also known as the Polachar Caves, one hardly a shelter but apparently formerly used as a dwelling, the entrance to the larger is walled and formerly gated when the cave was used as a place of worship by members of the Free Church who held services from 1843 until the end of the 19th century. The last christening there took place in 1877 under the Reverend John R. Mackay (or 1898 if you believe the sign on the beach) .

There are no interior features. A path is marked down to the caves from the road, including concrete steps.

The smaller cave was used as a place of shelter for the widow Isabella MacKenzie of Gunn from Drumchork who lived there for several years with her daughter or granddaughter. In 1862 a court order was issued to evict Isabella from the cave but in the 1871 census she is still shown as a pauper living at Sand. By the time of the 1881 census she had moved to Achgarve.

Alternative Names: Polachar Caves, Pollachar Caves

Notes: See also Uamh na Pollachar

Laide is a small settlement on the south side of Gruinard Bay, an inlet of the sea, in Wester Ross. It is situated at the junction of the road which climbs up steep Cabeg Hill and the single track road to the remote crofting townships of Mellon Udrigle and Opinan, where the road ends.