Kenmore: Settlement History and Landscape

Kenmore can be understood through several local features: the modern settlement, traces of an extensive crofting settlement, woodland remnants on Loch Torridon and named routes. If you are planning a trip, this lets you consider two separate questions: What does the surrounding area reveal about earlier settlement, and which landscape or route connections shape the image of the place? The answers lie in details, each with its own spatial and temporal context.

Settlement Traces and Historic Map

The modern settlement of Kenmore is surrounded by the remains of an extensive crofting settlement. Traces of cultivation can be seen west of the modern settlement. These are two distinct clues to the area’s history: the first describes the relationship between the modern settlement and its wider surroundings, while the second locates traces of cultivation to the west. This distinction keeps the broader settlement context separate from the specific visible traces, rather than combining both into a single historical point.

A detailed historical depiction is provided by the first edition of the OS six-inch map, published in 1881. It shows a settlement with twenty-five roofed buildings, two unroofed buildings, two enclosures and some field walls. These details show which features were recorded together on the map: buildings alongside enclosed areas and field walls. The year 1881 refers to this map edition and the settlement as depicted. For your view of Kenmore, this provides a specific historical comparison with the crofting and cultivation traces described above.

Woodland Remnants on Loch Torridon

There are woodland remnants in the area around Kenmore, on the protected southwest shore of Loch Torridon. They are connected with the larger “North Applecross native woodland planting scheme,” established in 2000. The location of the woodland remnants and the wider planting scheme are at different scales; 2000 is the year the scheme was established. Unlike the map and settlement traces, this aspect shifts attention from the settlement area to the protected shoreline landscape.

Named Routes and Different Perspectives

The Applecross Coffin Roads route starts at Clachan Church and ends on the unclassified road at Camas an Eilgan in Kenmore. Its start and end points make its location specific; in particular, the endpoint names a place in Kenmore rather than just the settlement.

In the route description for the Applecross Duathlon, the running section follows an old route across the Applecross Peninsula to the north coast near the village of Kenmore on Loch Torridon. The cycling section follows the coastal road and offers views of Loch Torridon and, across the Inner Sound, of Raasay and Skye with the Cuillin Hills. The two sections have different points of focus: the running section emphasizes the route and its destination near Kenmore, while the cycling section highlights the coastal route and the views mentioned.

For planning your trip, the difference lies in the types of clues: the map and settlement traces offer a historical view of Kenmore, while the woodland remnants and route descriptions place the area in its wider landscape. This can help you decide whether the history of the settlement, the shoreline landscape or a route connection should be the focus of your stay.

For the broader travel overview: Highland.