Placename
Gaelic name: Coire Atadail
Name in Original Source: Coire Attadale
English meaning: Corrie of the (horse) fight dale
Placename feature: Corrie
Notes: According to W.J. Watson, p. 205, Place names of Ross and Cromarty, it is a very wild corrie, spelt in Gaelic as Coire Atadail. He gives the meaning of the similarly title Attadale in Lochcarron parish as fight-dale or even horse-fight dale. Kenneth Macrae, Applecross historian, regarded it as more of a personal name derivation. Applecross Estate Brochure of Sale, July 1887: The seventh beat is Corrie Attadale, which includes the mountain of Croichbein (1,618 ft.) and the half of the back Corries of Ben-y-Bhein, viz. Corrie Ghorm Beag and Corrie Ghorm Mor (the big and little Ghorm corries), and Corrie Tolbhein. This is a very good beat, and the starting ground is about three miles from the House. There is a splendid 'Sanctuary' in the centre of the forest, bounding all these beats about onemile from the House. The 'Sanctuary' is a very beautiful glen, thickly clothed on both sides with natural birch and having a picturesque stream - the Big Burn - sending a large quantity of water to swell the volume of the Applecross River. The deer not only find in the 'Sanctuary' a safe retreat, but they can luxuriate on some of the finest grazing land on the property.
W. J. Watson's notes: 195: Attaddale - ?N. At-dalr, fight dale; the Norsemen were fond of horse-fights, hesta-at, and this fine level strath would have been a suitable place for that purpose; cf. Attadale in Applecross.<br /><br />205: Coire Attadale - Corry of Attadale. Attadale seems to have been the Norse name of what is now called Srath-Maol-Chaluim. It is a very wild corry, branching off at right angles from the head of Srath-Maol-Chaluim. G. Coire Atadail; cf. Attadale, in Lochcarron.
Map name appears in: Sheet 1880 CII
Feature Co-ordinates: 57.444672,-5.685989
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