Overview of Ballachulish

A locality in the Lochaber district of Highland Council Area, Ballachulish comprises the settlements of Ballachulish, South Ballachulish and North Ballachulish. The village of Ballachulish, formerly known as Laroch, lies on the south side of Loch Leven to the west of Glen Coe. Slate has been quarried near here since the 16th century. On either side of the strait where the mouth of Loch Leven narrows, stand the villages of North and South Ballachulish. The two settlements were linked by ferry until 1975 when a road bridge across the loch was completed. A monument on the south side of Loch Leven marks the spot where James Stewart was hanged for the murder in May 1752 of Colin Campbell of Glenure and a stone in the forest between South Ballachulish and Kentallen indicates the site of the famous 'Appin Murder' which featured in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Kidnapped.