Mallaig is a small fishing community on the west coast of
Scotland, ca 1 hour west of
Fort William, 4 1/2 hours north of
Glasgow. It's situated just above the
Sound of Sleat and has a population of about 1000 souls.
It was founded around 1840 after the local laird Lord Lovat put pressure on his crofters to move westwards and leave the lands they were on. Devoid of their fertile ground, they turned to fishing, but due to the harsh conditions, many men were lost at sea.
These days it's the most westerly port in the UK, with a modest shellfish fishery fleet and a couple of ferry connections to Uist, Barra, Skye and the small isles: Muck, Rum, Eigg and Canna.
The village itsself is rather non-descript and lacks any of the flair of other 19th-century settlements on the west coast. There are the usual amenities, but tourists tend not to stay there.
The biggest turn off about the place is the road to Mallaig: If you and your passengers don't manage to be violently sick after an hour on this horrid, curvy, tiny track, you have a better stomach than me.