Caol

Village in Scotland

Human settlement in Scotland

Caol

Location within the Lochaber area

Population3,310 (2020)^[1]OS grid referenceNN108762Council area

Highland

CountryScotlandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townFORT WILLIAMPostcode districtPH33Dialling code01397PoliceScotlandFire Scottish AmbulanceScottish UK Parliament

Ross, Skye and Lochaber

Scottish Parliament

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

List of places: UK; Scotland

56°50′17″N 5°06′07″W / 56.838°N 5.102°W / 56.838; -5.102

Caol (Gaelic: An Caol^[2]) is a village near Fort William, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is about 1+1⁄4 miles (2 kilometres) north of Fort William town centre, on the shore of Loch Linnhe, and is within the parish of Kilmallie.

The name "Caol" is from the Gaelic for "narrow", in this case the narrow water between Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil.

The Caledonian Canal passes by to the north-west of Caol, and the Great Glen Way long-distance footpath passes through the village before it follows the canal towpath.

The village is largely residential, and has three primary schools, Caol Primary School; St Columba's RC Primary School; and, for Scottish Gaelic-medium education, the Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Loch Abar,^[3] which has hosted the Lochaber Mòd since 2016.

The local shinty team is Kilmallie Shinty Club, which plays at Canal Park in the west of Caol.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caol.

^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
^ "Place name database - Caol". Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^ "Schools: Caol Primary School". Highland Council. Retrieved 14 March 2016.