Boat of Garten


Boat of Garten is a small village and post town in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland. In 1951, the population was less than 400; in 1971, it was almost 500; in 1981, it was almost 700, and the same in 2001.

Etymology

The name of the settlement refers to the nearby site of the old ferry over the River Spey. However, Pont's map of 1600 and Roy's map of 1750 named the location simply "Garten".
It is also known as "Osprey village" due to its significant population of Ospreys.

Geography

Boat of Garten is located between Aviemore and Grantown-on-Spey. It lies to the northeast of Aviemore, just north of Auchgourish and east of Kinveachy. Grantown is away. Loch Garten lies to the southeast of the village.
Situated at an altitude of above sea level, it lies from the River Spey in the Cairngorms National Park. Being close to the Cairngorm Mountains. it is in view of the Lairig Ghru and the northern Braeriach corries.
The area between Boat of Garten and Loch Garten is within the Abernethy Forest National Nature Reserve, Boat of Garten being on the forest fringe.

Flora and fauna

Alyssum alyssoides, Cerastium arvense, Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Koeleria macrantha are found in the village, as are Juniperus communis, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Empetrum nigrum and Ptilium crista-castrensis. Rare fungi include Amanita virosa, Leucocortinarius bulbiger, Pholiota spumosa, Tapinella atrotomentosa, Cantharellula umbonata, Sarcodon imbricatus, Dentipellis fragilis and Hydnellum scrobiculatum.

Landmarks

St Columba's Church was built in the summer of 1900 at a cost of £820, and the church hall was added in 1934.
After the Disruption of 1843, the men of the area engaged in a fanaticism, erecting the "Stone of the Spey" below Boat of Garten. The stone was inscribed by one William Grant and was erected in 1865 in memory of the wife of Patrick Grant. As it was associated with scandal, the district residents destroyed it and threw it into the river.
The village is also renowned for the nearby RSPB reserve at Loch Garten, approximately to the east.
The village features a golf course, originally designed by James Braid. Built in 1898, it was expanded in 1931. it has been ranked as one of the top 35 courses in Scotland.
The Community Company created a garden in 2002 and in 2013 two sculptures and an information hub commissioned by the community were installed in the Station Square, adjacent to the Community Garden.