Avoch
Avoch is a harbour-village located on the south-east coastline of the Black Isle, on the Moray Firth. Ormond Castle or Avoch Castle was a garrison built on the site as well as acted as a royal castle to William the Lion; handed down to the Morays of Petty then Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway, upon his marital relationship to Joanna de Moravia in 1362. Offspring of Archibald, were to take the title of Earl of Ormonde from the castle. Legend has it that the town was founded by survivors of the Spanish Armada. Avoch was in the control of David Chalmers, Lord Ormond from 1560/61 yet he waived his castle as well as control of Avoch in 1568 when he was banished due to his part in helping the escape of Mary Queen of Scots. The castle as well as town after that passed to Andrew Munro of Milntown. Intrepid Scottish-Canadian explorer Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the first European to explore the wonderful Canadian river currently called the Mackenzie River, crossing The United States and Canada twice, to the Arctic Ocean in 1789 and Pacific Sea in 1793, retired to Avoch in 1812 where he died in 1820 and also was buried in the old Avoch Church churchyard. Avoch was the place of Rosehaugh (Pittanochtie) Home, an imposing mansion house up until it was demolished in 1959. A substantial home existed on this website given that 1790. Craigie Well at Avoch on the Black Island has offerings of both coins and clouties. Cloths, woollen as well as human hair were additionally made use of as charms against sorcery, and also as symbols of penenace as well as fulfilment of a pledge (Sharp 1998). Much of Avoch's riches has actually come from its angling sector, and it continues to be a significant factor to the village economic situation, with several huge angling watercrafts owned or crewed from Avoch and an active anglers's co-operative based there. The harbour is no more utilized by the larger boats for landing yet is used by recreation craft and boats taking visitors to see the dolphins in the inner Moray Firth at Chanonry Point. Along with the fishing market, travelling to Inverness as well as tourist supply income to the village. Lazy Corner, named for the youngsters who collected there to kill time, has actually been relocated by the roadway widening in the Eighties, and spruced up by a sculpture meant to add personality to the town. It is still a gathering place.
