By Keith A. Forbes and Lois A. Forbes, Brora residents, at keithaforbes@btinternet.com.
Brora, 60 miles north of Inverness
Also see Brora by name mentioned in the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, showing its external links to this website
Latitude 58.0167 North (Lat DMS 58 degrees 1' ON); Longitude -3.8667 West (Long DMS 3 degrees 52' OW). Altitude 3 feet, 0 metres.
Brora, (Brura in Gaelic) - population about 1850 - in Highland Council jurisdiction and in the Highland parliamentary and voting constituency of Caithness Sutherland and Easter Ross - is at the mouth of the River Brora, in the Parish of Clyne, Sutherland. It is a large village on the North Sea coast. Brora weather forecast. It was originally Inverbrora and dates back to 1345 when it was chartered as a burgh of barony. Today, it is a crofting community in a large but lightly populated county (total county population about 14,100 in 2004), in the North East Highlands. Despite the latitude, the climate is mild and winter snow - not much of it in recent years, perhaps three times a year - does not last long in the salt-laden air. Wind is the climatic factor for most, usually from the west. Because it is so far north, many people assume it is far colder than it really is. In fact, it is far less cold in winter than anywhere in New England, USA, but far less warm and humid than New England in summer. Average year-round temperature is 8.2C - appreciably higher than Lairg to the west Coolness is compensated for with extreme day length in June and most of July. Golf here is possible - albeit not always practical - at midnight in those months.
Regionally, within the jurisdiction of the Highland Council (see below by name in more detail) Brora is in Ward 5, the name of which is "East Sutherland and Edderton." Ward 5 is one of 22 wards within the Highland area and is served by 3 councillors. It has a population of 7,642 with the main centres being Brora, Dornoch, Edderton, Golspie and Helmsdale. Phil Tomalin, Ward Manager, has ultimate responsibility and accountability for services within the ward and works with other agencies and community groups such as the Brora Community Council, to maximize available funds. He will also administer the local Ward Forum, which comprises the three ward councillors as well as a representative from the police and community partners.
Brora, at the mouth of the deep and fast-flowing River Brora flowing from Loch Brora, is 60 miles NORTH of Inverness on the main A9 trunk road to Wick, midway between Inverness and Wick. Although picturesque hills are not far away, Brora itself is set in a broad, undulating estuarine plain. It has a number of shops and services in the village and as both part of Brora and beyond it are some large farms and crofting settlements in Doll, Easter and Wester Clynekirkton, Strath Brora, Strathsteven and Uppat. The village has magnificent mountain, moor and coastal scenery. Sandy bays indent the rocky coast. Due south of Brora, across the Moray Firth, is Portmahomack in Ross-shire.
During the Highland Clearances, this was one of the coastal towns where many inland glen people, from more north and west parts of Sutherland, after being dispossessed, were resettled to learn fishing or go into manufacturing. The settlement was laid out in its present form in 1811 and a new harbour built in 1814. With its neighbors Golspie to the south and Helmsdale to the north, it has much in common with the English county town of Stafford and the West Midlands, when it was the most north and east parts of the huge Stafford and Sutherland Estates and the industrial heartland of Sutherland. For example, a local street is Stafford Terrace.
| Fire and Rescue | 01463 240 999 (24 hours) |
| Floodline | 0845 988 1188 |
| Gas Freephone | 0800 111 999 |
| NHS 24 (out of hours medical advise/GP service | 0854 242 424 |
| Northern Constabulary HQ | 0845 6033 388 |
| Scottish and Southern Electric Freephone | 0800 300 999 |
From Inverness, It takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes on the A9, which despite being a main road is mostly only one lane each way and with a maximum highway speed limit of 60 mph, often with speed cameras nearby. Drivers should be aware of frequent sharp bends, tractors moving slowly and laden lorries heading north or south. It is a beautiful, partially coastal drive with some superb views, especially over the Beauly Firth bridge, Cromarty Firth bridge, Dornoch Firth bridge, as you pass the northern entrance on the A9 to Tain and causeway at Loch Fleet at The Mound. Brora is not sign-posted until you approach the Mound a few miles before Golspie and is 6 miles north of Golspie.
From Edinburgh, about 260 miles, it takes about five hours.
City Link operates an infrequent (5 times a day) Inverness to Thurso and Scrabster service (Route 958), from the Inverness Bus Station. It leaves Inverness at 1145 hrs, 1400 hrs, 1525 hrs, 1645 hrs and 1800 hrs. It stops at Fountain Square in Brora at 1326, 1541, 1653, 1826 and 1941 hrs. Earlier stops are at Tore, Evanton, Invergordon, Tain, Clashmore, Dornoch and Golspie. Later stops are at Helmsdale, Berriedale, Dunbeath, Latheron, Lybster, Wick, Reiss, Killmster, Hastigrow, Castletown, Thurso, Scrabster, Stromness.
The Thurso to Inverness infrequent service (5 times a day) stops in Brora at 0852, 1052, 1252, 1452 and 1822 hrs.
Exceptions are 25th December and 1st January when there are no services at all and 26th December and 2nd January when only one bus will operate in each direction.
The standard - without concession - adult return fare per person from Inverness to Brora is £11.20 and from Thurso to Brora is £13.00. Persons 60 and above, and the registered disabled, with Highland Council passes, travel free anywhere the bus service goes. Those with Companion passes travel either free or at a discount.
Northbound Brora stops are at 0934, 1258 and 2011 hrs daily Monday-Saturday until September 23, 2007 and once only on Sunday, at 1313 until September 23 and then 2019 hrs. Train stops before Brora include Beauly, Muir of Ord, Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon, Fearn, Tain, Ardgay, Culrain (for Carbisdale Castle), Invershin, Lairg, Rogart, Golspie, then Brora. After Brora, the train stops at Helmsdale, Kildonan, Kinbrace, Forsinard, Altnabreac, Scotscalder, Georgemas Junction, Thurso and Wick.
Weekday south trains are now 0818 1005 1436 1748 and Sunday 1344 until 23rd September, 1354 from September 30th and 1801 until 23rd September.
Today, on the single-track Far North Line (FNL) Inverness - Wick - Thurso railway there is a direct but very slow 2-carriage train service to Brora from Inverness. Brora is on the Inverness to Thurso/Wick line. The service is several times a day each way and once on Sundays. Trains rum at an average speed of 30 miles per hour and the 160-mile Inverness to Thurso/Wick route currently takes 4 hours, which makes it unrealistic for commuters, uncompetitive and expensive for most East Sutherland residents being "served" by the FNL. It takes 2 hours from Inverness to Brora via the scenic but convoluted S-bend system (the "Lairg loop") shown. The "Transport Vision for Sutherland" 2007 document claims the FLN could have potential as one of Europe's great railway journeys and could be marketed by North Highland Tourism Operators as a "Pleasure in the Extreme." But presently the time it takes to get from A to B because of the loop and many low-speed sections of the track and the fact that to visitors it is the most expensive railway journey by train by far anywhere not only in Europe but the entire world, makes it far more a case for "pain in the extreme."
Carriages presently are the class 158 type, of which several are refurbished; 2-car, good on short commuter line routes but bad for long-distance or the Inverness to Wick or Thurso route, with not enough luggage capacity, insufficient toilets (although improvements will be made in the future) and are not geared for tourists. More than half the seats in each carriage do not look out on to windows. What is needed instead are the later generation class 170 turbo units of the type used on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route. They are far more comfortable, have better toilets, 3 cars, better acceleration and a smoother ride. Friends of the Far North Line (FoFNL) want to see substantial improvements, including an upgrade of the rolling stock, to make it more competitive with the A9 road and help make rail travel more attractive.
Brora railway station building. Brora has a two platform First ScotRail station for local commuters and tourists, with a passing loop. The station has not been staffed since about 1987 and is not open to the public, in a deteriorating condition. It was obviously written off from Network Rail and ScotRail's books years ago as a site of no commercial, railway or strategic value. The railway lines are owned by Network Rail and the building was leased to ScotRail, now First ScotRail. Since 2004 but in vain to date after a Brora Community Council-appointed committee determined there was no local community-funded interest, inconclusive attempts have been made to sell the station and put it to good commercial use as a bookshop. The former woodshed adjacent to and just north of it is owned by the Highland Council but not used. A once-good example of 1895 railway architecture, it is a category C (s) listed building, a Class 4 station.
On Thursday and Friday, April 12 and 13, 2007 folks from Brora saw a piece of moving railway history reenacted when a 10-car steam train including Pullman railway dining cars - not seen for many decades and possibly for the last time - headed to and from Thurso and Wick on a nostalgic journey. More than 300 passengers from all over the world paid £1000 each for the railway journey including gourmet dining from Penzance in Cornwall to the North of Scotland. For this part of the journey, the locomotive used was not The Great Marquis which had pulled the train to Inverness but a former London Midland and Scottish Railway 8F class 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotive. Both are owned by former ScotRail chairman John Cameron.
The goods yard was formerly access via a loop off the northbound track (the goods loop is now disconnected at one end). Goods sidings remain. Brora formerly had a coal mine and coal was handled in the goods yard. The mine led to one of the earliest wagon ways - the Brora wagon way. The 'Brora North' and 'Brora South' signal boxes have been demolished.
The arrival of the railway in 1871 facilitated communication and trade and made possible the creation of an engineering works that boosted the local, mining, quarrying, distilling, textile manufacturing and tourism industries. It caused (in 1898), the establishment of the Brora Golf Course. The 3rd Duke of Sutherland, as a Director of the Highland Railway, personally planned the Golspie to Helmsdale section - later, known officially as the Duke of Sutherland's Railway - from 1868 and derived a great deal of satisfaction when the Brora Station was completed and initiated in 1871. He was known variously as the "Steam Duke" and "Iron Duke." Brora, as the industrial centre of the House of Sutherland empire of Scotland, was the central station both geographically and strategically. Without his interest and financial commitment, this part of the line might never have been built. But its illogical, wandering route, still followed, was dictated by the insistence of the Duke that the iron road link his shooting-boxes. At one point there was even a railway locomotive called "Brora." The coming of the railway opened up opportunities for firms such as Speirs & Co. of Glasgow to shop prefabricated corrugated iron buildings such as churches, halls, cottages, bakers shops and even a hospital. They were shipped in sections from Glasgow to Brora and beyond, then taken from the nearest station or railhead by horse and cart to be reassembled where they were intended. What gave Brora its additional importance was more than just to facilitate communication and trade for the Sutherland Estate, in particular the droving of cattle south to annual cattle fairs. It was also to export from Brora the coal that Brora alone mined in the region. All this gives significant further emphasis to the importance of preserving the station, giving it a new lease on life and accentuating its Sutherland heritage.
Disadvantages
USA, Canadian and European visitors and potential new residents should note that Brora has costs of living as follows:
Coal for domestic heating. From £11.50 per bag, depending on grade. Available locally.
Oil for domestic heating. £0.45 per litre plus VAT. Trucked in from Inverness or Wick by a number of suppliers. Compared to prices of 0.2480 per litre excluding VAT in February/March 2005; and 0.1890 per litre in February 2004.
Petrol (gasoline in USA). £1.15 per litre, unleaded equivalent to US$2.24 per litre (not gallon). There are two local service stations. Diesel - £1.29 a litre (US$2.33). With 3.785 litres to 1 US gallon of gasoline, the local price of unleaded gasoline in £ sterling is the equivalent of US$ 10.53 per US gallon. Compare this to in USA see state-by-state prices per gallon in US dollars at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/wrgp/mogas_home_page.html; In New York, see New York Gas Prices (note, priced per gallon (each gallon is 3.785 liters); In Toronto, see Toronto Gas Prices (in liters and Canadian dollars with the Canadian rate of exchange less than half - 0.4419 - that of the UK £).
Milk - £2.20 (US$4.40) per 3-litre container in May, 2008.
| The harbour - one of the smallest in Britain - was constructed from tightly wedged sandstone well over 200 years ago, when Brora was a port. Coal, bricks, fish, salt and whisky were carried by boat, when a horse and cart were the only ways of transportation on land. A variety of boats conveyed the goods. Salt production from Brora was one of the main commercial activities then. An important export, it was obtained by boiling sea water until a crystalline residue formed in specially constructed pans. The salt pans were developed in 1598, at about the same time as coal mining first began. Salt went by sea to many other parts of Scotland. Only when the Government began to tax salt and overall costs exceeded export income did the industry wither and finally die. Mining was the earliest heavy industry, first begun in 1529 as an open cast pit with Jurassic age coal. It was dug straight out of the earth, exposed at the surface. It was the only such coal mine in Britain and was also the most northerly. The coal was used for the production of salt, fueling of local saltpans, salting of locally-caught salmon for export and for trading or bartering it all around the Moray Firth coastal area. |  |
| There are still coal seams along the shoreline around Brora and Loth about 5 miles north. The mine was one of the most northerly and oldest in Europe, but it was closed in 1974, demolished and filled in. At one time, the mine also produced bricks from the overlying Oxford clay shales. Before 1870, all fish were smoked or salted. Once, all residents of Lower Brora were fishermen. A tower was built over the river and a lookout would be posted to inspect the waters for incoming salmon. Fishermen were guided from the lookout where to lay their nets. The salmon, then inexpensive, were boxed, salted and frozen in the ice house, or pickled in barrels for out-of-season use. When salmon changed into a high-value product, it was sent from Brora to London, for commercial markets and the houses of the Duke of Sutherland at Cliveden (until 1870), Stafford House (now Lancaster House) and Trentham in Staffordshire. Persons who enjoyed Brora salmon included the Shah of Persia, Khedive of Egypt, Ferdinand de Lesseps who built the Suez Canal, Garibaldi, Indian Princes and British statesmen. |  |
| The ice house - still there - a thick-walled windowless building, was built to store ice during the summer. In the winter, when their land was unproductive, crofters supplemented their income by cutting blocks from the Brora River. The ice blocks were stored in the building in winter. After the season's salmon hunt, the inside of the ice house was covered with a layer of sawdust until needed for further storage. In the 1870s, when the railway line was built, the ice house lost its importance. The first electricity in the north was generated from a plant in the former Wool Mill, to earn the nickname of "The Electric City." During the Great War, fishing was crucial, with all food rationed. In the early 1900s, Brora was a thriving industrial village. It had crofting, boat building, fishing (salmon and white fish), salt mining, fish curing, lemonade factory, distillery, wool mill, coal mining, bricks, briquettes and a stone quarry. Local quarry stone was to construct London Bridge (reconstructed in Arizona). The stone was also used for Liverpool Cathedral in England and parts of Dunrobin Castle south of Brora. |  |
| After the Great War, an
ice factory built in Wick supplied Brora with large ice blocks, shipped by rail.
In 1940 the
Government opened a Radio Receiving Station which brought employment and new
blood to the area. (It has since closed). Second World War fishing
supplemented local diets and eased some rationing. In 1951 the Coal Pit won the News of the World cup for
best output. It too has closed. The once-prominent Wool Mill on Victoria
Street closed many years ago. Another, originally Hunter's, relocated to the
south of Brora, were replaced for a time by a new one, but it too closed in the
year 2001 (although the road sign, as you enter Brora from the south, still says
the woolen mill is here). The local coal mine closed for good in 1974. In the past few years, a
butcher and bakery shop also closed and have not been replaced. Brora needs new industries to once again thrive.
Photos of Brora above and below by the authors. Narrow Brora Harbor accommodates local fishing boats (top). Lower photos show the Brora River going from the village to the sea. |
 |
Brora Community Centre. The area the Community Council covers as detailed in its Constitution dated 17 May 2005 is the Parish of Clyne, excluding Point, Sciberscross and Ben Armine; that part of the Parish of Loth lying west and south of Glen Loth road; and that part of the Parish of Golspie to the east of a line from Strathsteven Bridge to Ben Horn.
It is an agency of the Highland Council with the remit to "ascertain, co-ordinate and express to the local and public authorities for its area (namely, Highland Council) the views of the community which it represents in relation to matters for which those authorities are responsible and to take such action in the interests of the community as appear to be expedient and practicable." Members are unpaid volunteers, elected and appointed. Basic information from each meeting is carried in the following Friday's issue of the Northern Times newspaper. Meets monthly except for July and December. Eligibility requirements are minimal - anyone over 18 whose names are on the most recent electoral register can apply. In the most recent council election, newcomers who applied were automatically included without an election process as there were not sufficient applications to cause an election. In addition, some were co-opted by the Chairman. BCC members are John McMorran (Chairman); Kathleen Cunningham (Vice Chair); Margaret Jaffrey (Secretary): Bruce Kinnear (Treasurer); James Mackay; Bill Faassen; Morag Gibson; Ronnie Sim; Sandy MacIntosh; Shaun Ashe; Charles Gorer; Margaret Yates. Highland Councillors, invited to attend all meetings as ex officio members are Deirdre Mackay; Jim McGillivray; Ian Ross.
Members of the public may attend all BCC meetings. On April 15, 2008, at which new local GP Dr. Alan Woodall was present in his personal capacity, the BCC meeting included a presentation from Allison Meek of the Scottish Health Council on a proposed public participation group for Brora. Alan Knox of the Scottish Ambulance Service has expressed an interest in meeting with the BCC re proposed First Responders in Brora, but was not at this meeting as was suggested to him.
Organizes a huge bonfire with fireworks on the 1st day of every year. A hugely popular local community event. Crowds gather near the Brora Golf Course car park, overlooking the harbour, and on the other side of the harbour, to watch.
Gavin McLeod, Secretary. 2 Johnstone Crescent, Brora. 
01408 621821.
01408 622024. At Fascally, off the beaten track for most travelers. Near where the coal mine was once situated. 100% European Community-funded. Open the public from May to September Highland Council staffed when open May to September
each year. With a huge amount of work and research put in by the Highland
Council-run Clynelish Heritage
Society.
Gower Street, Brora KW9 6PD.
01408 621128. Fax 01408 622064. E-mail brora.library@highland.gov.uk.
Open four days a week, on Monday 1-5 and 6-8pm, Tuesday 10 am-12:30pm and 2-5pm, Thursday 2-5pm and
6-8pm, Friday 10am-12:30 pm and 1:30-4:30pm. Room for hire, exhibition area. The current Exhibition of the Clyne Heritage Society,
in a special room at the back of the Library, runs during normal library opening hours.
Librarians there are excellent. The free-to-the-public computers are slow, restricted hours of the
library opening times restrict those who don't
have their own computers or are on holiday and need access to a computer and the
limited number of computers often have a noisy congregation of younger
schoolchildren. In contrast, libraries in the USA and Canada
are required by law to be open 6 days a week, have full Broadband and separate
computers for serious, quiet research for multiples of 1 hour at a time
depending on circumstances. An Exhibition
Room area is reserved for the Clyne Heritage Society annual exhibition which in
2007 features Brora churches past and present.
Don Sutherland.
They are included on this particular unofficial Brora website because it is recognized and appreciated that they provide a uniquely valuable and essential community service not only on Sundays but in many other forms of spiritual advice. Plus, they are where members of the community attend, including members of the Brora Community Council (BCC) in their private or official capacities, for funerals of departed community members. This is especially relevant with the news that the Clyne Heritage Society will be featuring the Churches of Brora in its 2007 Exhibition later this year.
Church of Scotland
Fisherman's Mission
Scottish Episcopal Church, Brora. St. Columba. Victoria Road. 01408 633341. Sunday Services at 9:45 am and 11:30 am. Prefabricated Corrugated iron, possibly acquired from Speirs & Co. of Glasgow, most likely after the arrival of the railway at Brora, carried from the station in a cart and horse.
01408 621338. Sunnybrae, West Clyne, Brora. Chairman and Secretary Nick Lindsay of Highland Council. Vice
Chairman Jacqui Aitken is also employed by Highland Council. Welcomes new members. Publishes The Clyne Chronicle newsletter
annually, free to members, £1 or so to public. Not incorporated, a community
heritage group, now with its own website. Currently using rent-free from its
owner the Highland Council on a year-round basis the ground-floor Exhibition
Room of the Brora Library adjacent to the latter, for its annual
exhibitions. It declined an offer in 2005 to site itself permanently in
farm premises near the Clynelish Distillery, did not consider the Railway
Station building in Brora as suitable and instead long pinned its hopes on using
the former London House at Station Square, Brora, recently
damaged by local vandals, presently owned but not occupied by Caithness estate
owner Geoffrey Minter. In April 2008, with the departure of the Highland
Council's TEC services from Brora to Golspie, it lobbied the Brora Community
Council with its interest in the former HC-TEC building on Victoria Road next to
the garage.
Tall, distinctive, baronial and c.1920, a local Lower Brora landmark in the village. With names of all from Brora who served in the UK Armed Forces and died during the Great War, World War 2 and Gulf War, and a several-sided clock that keeps time. Repaired in 2004. A solemn annual Remembrance Day service is held here.
Photos February 2004 by authors Keith and Lois Forbes
See under Highland Council
Dangerous pavements are a major cause of falls in the UK. Brora has more than its fair share. As merely one example, see Victoria Road, from Fountain Square going north. It is horrible in places. There in particular, the pavement is unfit for use. A fall for a younger person is likely to cause severe bruising. A fall for an older person can break bones and take months to heal, leaving them physically restricted and socially isolated. Plus, with the busy A9 so near, a stumble or fall from the pavement could result in a bad road accident. In England, possibly in Scotland too, all local authorities must commit to repairing dangerous pavements in their constituencies by June 2009. But it could be too late.
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005, as amended, places a general duty on all public authorities (including the Highland Council and its agencies, plus National Health Service (NHS), etc) when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to: promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and other people; eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Act; eliminate harassment of disabled people that is related to their disabilities; promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; encourage participation by disabled people in public life; and take steps to take account of the disabilities of disabled people, even where that involves treating disabled people more favourably than other people. The overarching goal of the general duty is to promote equality of opportunity, and the other elements of the duty both support this goal and require due regard in their own right. In addition to this general duty, certain public authorities are subject to what are known as “specific” duties, which are laid down in regulations. In particular, the specific duties require public authorities, including the Highland Council, NHS 24, to produce a Disability Equality Scheme and review this on an annual basis.
Doll.
Based in Golspie. New members welcome.
New members welcome.
01408 621441. 1962. Originally designed as a secondary
school when Clyne School on Victoria Street was closed, it is a typical
1960s school with flat roof and large windows. Also houses the Community
Centre.
Local further education. With a program of courses.
01408 621719. Mobile 0790 1801566. Professional day care for children from birth to P7.There are several suppliers, the best one of which is Scottish Hydro Electric. Newcomers are urged to compare prices before buying; never to pay any bills before they arrive and if their homes or outbuildings are both two-way and three way electricity on separate meters, to quickly arrange for the most economical if their premises are not for commercial purposes. Commercial rates of electricity are far more expensive than in England and more expensive than in Scottish metropolitan areas.
Power outages can be caused by a number or problems including high winds or gales and trees blown down; and geese or other birds flying into lines. Householders should:
The beaches are one of Brora's finest features for the able (ie not disabled or with mobility problems, sorry, no safe access for them), one north of the Brora River, the other one, Back Beach, going south, invisible from the A9. Approach the first from the Brora Golf Course to the public path or over a croft level crossing from Victoria Road, then over the golf course. The beach parallels the golf course. At Back Beach going south towards Golspie there is a car park with picnic tables nearby. On a clear day, views are superb, to Portmahomack and its lighthouse; and across the Moray Firth, the outline of Nairnshire can be seen.
Co-author Lois Forbes on Brora Beach, looking north, January 25, 2004. Photo by Keith Forbes
Brora Harbour. Very small, with fishing and other vessels registered at Wick.
Brora Harbour Users Group.
Brora River. Scenic, with fishing with appropriate permits. Find fossils about a mile up on the river bank.
River Brora District Salmon Fisheries Board. Licenses local and other fishermen/women.
Clynekirkton. Brora area. See remains of roofless former Clyne Parish Church, 1775. A rear wing was added in 1827. Once, the kirk could accommodate 1000 worshippers. It was superseded by Brora and closed in 1921. Its chief interest today is its burial ground full of tombstones, some with fine calligraphy and decoration. Also at Clynekirkton are an early 18th century bell tower and Balranald, a 1775 manse rebuilt 1830-40, once a spacious residence. Mentioned prominently at the Brora Heritage Centre as a place of special interest to persons seeking genealogical information from tombstones and a source to the Clynelish Heritage Society.
Loch Brora. Superb loch a few miles away, once a salmon breeding area, full of other interesting and historical connections.
Strath Brora. Lovely area by Loch Brora, with buildings including Gordonbush Lodge, 1871 overlooking the loch, and Balnacoil Lodge, 1880.
Brora.
The regional Authority. In 2008 to date it now regularly excludes Liberal Democrats and Labour councillors with its majority of Scottish National Party (SNP) and Independent councillors, making it a myth, not fact, that Scotland has both national and regional proportional representation. As examples of this myth at Holyrood in Edinburgh the SNP hold all the Ministries despite not having an absolute majority and in Inverness the SNP decides all Highland Council outcomes. The fourth council reorganization in 34 years is overseen exclusively by an elite list of representatives solely from the authority's ruling Independent and SNP coalition. This undemocratic group alone will focus on key committee structure, area planning and licensing, and the operation of area wards. In January 2008, around a quarter of the 80 Highland councillors made it clear they felt that the latest reforms had created an "uninformed, unfair and undemocratic system" of local government. In its 2008-2009 Budget, for which non SNP/Independent councillors were given only 6 days notice and which the others rammed through one one day, in complete contrast to what happens in foreign jurisdictions where budgets are given both far more notice and far more time for them to be debated, the Highland Council became uniquely notorious both in the UK and internationally for not reducing but eliminating entirely, in a Highland Council area the size of The Netherlands and Belgium combined, on an SNP/Ind group 47 to Lab/Lib 23 vote, all its £86,000 pa funding for Age Concern, the leading Scottish Charity for the elderly by a huge margin, the equivalent in the USA (as has been duly noted in the USA and Canada) of the American Society of Retired People (AARP), with the Highland Community Care Forum granted a 6 month reprieve from a similar budget wipe-out. Provision of support to elderly and vulnerable citizens is vital in combating health and social deprivation, and to cut this budget is incredibly short sighted, silo thinking. It will cost FAR more in the long term to pick up the pieces via the social care/health budget as a result. Yet the Highland Council, From April 2008, can afford, at a cost of nearly £5 million, its new Sutherland HQ in the heavily renovated century-old category B listed old school building, the former Sutherland Technical School, just south of the village of Golspie off the A9.
East Sutherland and Edderton Ward, with the following three elected councillors, each of whom represents the whole ward. It stretches from the Struie Hills above Edderton to Helmsdale and Kinbrace, including Dornoch, Rogart, Golspie and Brora.
Deirdre Mackay, Labour, 2 Muirfield Road, Brora, Sutherland KW9 6QY. Phone 01408 621114. Mobile 07808 169621.
Jim McGillivray, Independent, Struay Villa, 11 School Street, Embo, Dornoch, Sutherland IV25 3PZ. Phone 01862 810650.
Ian Ross, Liberal Democrat, An Crasg, West Drummuie, Golspie KW10 6TA. Phone 01408 634440.
There were 11 candidates, namely:
Out of hours emergency and other handy numbers:
| Housing | 0845 700 2005 |
| Social work | 0845 769 7284 |
| TEC Services (Roads Issues) | 0845 769 7284 |
Brora Service Point
01408 622644. It plays a key role in local taxes. Its many services include photo copying,
issue of photo ID to senior citizens to qualify for free or discounted Highland
bus and coach travel, etc. Its Council Taxes - see separate heading above - apply to
every business and home owner and tenant in the region. No longer with
Computer Public Access.
Council Taxes, current year Applied by the Highland Council. Council Taxes cost approximately the same here for a semi-detached or detached property - bungalow or house - with a market value of under £200,000 as they do for a semi-detached property with a market value of over £850,000 in London. See Scottish Council Taxes. According to the Highland Council Information Leaflet, Council Tax Bands are supposed to "reflect the Assessor's opinion of what the market value of your property would have been as at 1 April 1991." They include annual Scottish Water charges for the financial year 1st April to 31st March.
| Council Tax Band | Band A | Band B | Band C | Band D | Band E | Band F | Band G | Band H |
| Council Tax | £775.33 | £904.56 | £1033.78 | £1163.00 | £1421.44 | £1679.89 | £1938.33 | £2326.00 |
| + Water | £114.18 | £133.56 | £152.64 | £171.72 | £209.88 | £248.04 | £286.20 | £343.44 |
| + Waste Water | £129.42 | £150.99 | £172.56 | £194.13 | £237.27 | £280.41 | £323.55 | £388.26 |
| Combined water & waste water | £243.90 | £284.55 | £325.20 | £365.85 | £447.15 | £528.45 | £609.75 | £731.70 |
| Total for 2 or more occupiers of combined Council Taxes and water/waste water charges | £1019.23 | £1189.11 | £1358.98 | £1528.85 | £1868.59 | £2208.34 | £2548.08 | £3057.70 |
| Single Occupier less 25% discount | £764.42 | £891.83 | £1019.23 | £1146.64 | £1401.44 | £1656.26 | £1911.06 | £2293.27 |
| No occupiers less 50% discount with full water and sewerage | £631.56 | £736.83 | £842.09 | £947.35 | £1157.87 | £1368.39 | £1578.91 | £1894.70 |
One person alone living in the property is entitled to a Single Occupancy Discount of 25%. More than two occupiers who are not full-time students mean that the Band rate is increased by more than £500 a year, unlike in the USA, Canada and other places where one rate applies irrespective of the number of occupants. Deductions and rebates are available for those who qualify.
Newcomers who want to conserve water and would like to be able to get a water meter to their homes instead of paying the rates above - as they have in most parts of England - will be disappointed. Scottish water does not have them.
01862 812040. Fax 01862 812040.. Planning applications are
advertised in the local newspaper. Send comments, valid
objections or expressions of support to: Area Planning and Building
Standards Manager, Sutherland, Allan Todd, B.Sc, MPhil, MRTPI, Highland
Council, The Meadows, Dornoch IV25 3SG. Phone 01862 812040. Fax 01862
810979. E-mail planning.sutherland@highland.gov.uk.
Group Manager, Sutherland District Office, The Meadows, Dornoch IV25 3SF. Phone 01862 811044. Golspie Retained Station is on Seaforth Road, Golspie KW10 6TJ. An important emergency service for our local community. Offers a free home fire safety survey.
Cast iron, 1897, almost certainly designed by MacFarlane of Glasgow, it commemorates the golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria and is the central point of the village, with shops, public houses and services opposite and near it.
A Masonic Lodge based in Brora.
Westminster, MP. In the 5th May 2005 General Election in the redrawn and now extended Northern Highlands constituency of Caithness, Sutherland (which includes Brora), Easter Ross, Alness and Evanton (the latter three in Ross-shire), the winner, with over 50% of the votes, was John Thurso. E-mail thursoj@parliament.uk. Scottish Liberal Democrat. Thurso East Mains, Thurso, Caithness KW14 8HW. Title is 3rd Viscount Thurso, grandson of the first Viscount, Sir Archibald Sinclair, a one time leader of the Liberal Party and Secretary of State for Scotland. Sir Archibald Sinclair represented Caithness & Sutherland from 1922 until 1945. His grandson, the 3rd Viscount, was born in 1953 and is married with a daughter and two sons. He was schooled at Thurso and then sent to Eton. Lord Thurso first stood for parliament in 2001, inheriting the seat of Robert Maclennan, who is now a member of the House of Lords as Baron Maclennan of Rogart.
Vote if
Press & Journal (Aberdeen, Highlands and Islands edition), only daily of the region. 40p. 48 pages. E-mail pj.editor@ajl.co.uk. For letters to Editor, include full name, address, postal code and phone number for verification. By far the best newspaper for daily regional and community news.
Places of Worship
See under Churches.
For local office see Brora Business Community. Well-run, a great asset to the village.
Roads
A9 - main road - passes through the village, all the way north to Caithness and south, via Inverness, to Perth. A plan going back to at least 1995 to have the A9 by-pass the village has not yet materialized. Minor roads go west.
Weekly, on a day specified for the area, by the Highland Council, in a wheelie bin provided to each household for the purpose. Do not use the wheelie bin for dog or cat or other animal or human excrement.
Local group is chaired by Bill Faassen de Heer, of Brora.
Ann Brown, 2 Manse Road, Brora.
There are good facilities in the village or nearby for deer catching, river and sea fishing, tennis, badminton, billiards and bowling.
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Two Brora residents, Keith and Lois Forbes, are panel members. Established in 1990, it was set up to achieve greater public awareness of the needs of people with disabilities gaining access to public buildings. The Panel, which meets in Lairg every six weeks, comprises mainly people with disabilities and their carers, Statutory and Voluntary organizations and is supported by both East Sutherland Community Care Forum and North & West Sutherland Community Care Forum. Registered as a Scottish Charity, Sutherland Access Panel has its own bank account. Access needs means different things to people with differing disabilities - the needs of someone who has a sight impairment is different to a wheelchair user and those needs differ to one who has Mental Health problems. Meetings are held every 6-8 weeks throughout Sutherland to encourage participation from everyone in the county. Planning applications received by Highland Council for public use buildings, are looked over by Panel members and comments are then submitted to the Architect for their attention. The comments are for guidance only and its up to the Architect whether they act on our findings. In November 2001 Camelot funding was secured by Sutherland Access Panel to carry out an Access Audit of Sutherland - with this information the Panel produced an Access Guide in different formats i.e. book, tape, large print. The final part of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) came into force in October 2004 stating Service Providers must make "reasonable adjustments" to remove physical barriers to buildings. Since December 2006 all public authorities are now required to have and review annually a Disability Access Scheme.
Seaforth Place, Brora KW9 6PL. Phone 10408 621198. Margaret Davidson, Secretary. 01408 621198.
Since late 2002. Meets in Brora and Golspie. Welcomes new members, ages 20 to 80. Not a belly dance but a dance by women for other women. Two different kinds of dances, a baladi and a faster sha'abi.
Other parts of
Sutherland & north| Brora & Helmsdale Medical Practice |
| Brora Organizations. |
| Crofters Commission. Sutherland is heavily crofted. Inverness. E-mail info@crofterscommission.org.uk. Regional. |
| East Sutherland Community Care Forum (ESCCF) |
| Highland Community Care Forum (HCCF) |
| Highland Council. Including Brora |
| Highlands and Islands Enterprise. |
| Highland HealthVOICES Network |
| Inverness Airport. With flights to London-Gatwick, Malta, Europe, Western Islands and Orkney. |
| Lidl. Extensive German-owned food shopping. Nearest branch is in Tain. Others are in Inverness, Wick and Alness. |
| Morrison's. National supermarket chain. Alness, off A9 at Alness/Invergordon exit, 39 miles from Brora. |
| Motor Insurers Bureau. Name of agency to which motorists with insurance should claim when their vehicles are hit by illegally uninsured drivers. |
| NHS 24 |
| NHS Breast Screening Programme |
| National Health Service (NHS) Highland. |
| Network Rail |
| North Highland (Sutherland & Caithness) Community Health Partnership (CHP) |
| Northern Constabulary. Serves Brora |
| Registers of Scotland |
| Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) |
| Scottish Executive |
| Scottish Health Council (SHC) |
| Scottish Parliament |
| Scottish Hydro Electric. |
| Scottish Natural Heritage |
| ScotRail. Rail service. |
| Sutherland Access Panel |
| Sutherland Beekeepers Association |
| Sutherland Handyperson Service. ILM (Highland), Unit 1, Lairg Industrial Estate, Lairg, Sutherland IV27 4BN. Phone 01549 402798. Funded by Communities Scotland, Highland Council, Albyn Housing Society and the Housing Associations Charitable Trust. Free, for pensioners and disabled, who pay only for materials used if not supplied. For small household jobs pensioners, the disabled and carers cannot do. Applicants must be a home owner or private tenant; must have lived in the home for a minimum of 2 years; must have a registered disability or be over 60; must have household income below £16,000 a year; and should not expect more than three hours work a visit. |
| University of the Highlands and Islands |
Written by
By Keith A.
Forbes, at keithaforbes@btinternet.com.
© 2007. Revised: May 8, 2008
01408 622157. E-mail secretary@broragolf.co.uk.
Open year-round. Created in 1898, the 18-hole golf course was designed
by Scotsman James Braid (1870-1950) in 1897. It has 144 acres, extending
from
Brora north to East Brora Muir, a long way. It welcomes residents
and visitors. Excellent location by the sea, bordered by a gorgeous
beach on one side and croft lands on the other, with panoramic mountain backdrop and seascapes. Fine, challenging,
comfortable modern clubhouse, good catering. Extreme day length in June
and July means golf is available at night. There is also a
Brora
Old Boys Seniors Golf Society.