Milngavie, Kirkcudbright and Freuchie – no, you haven’t stumbled across a blog written in a different language, as these are all names of Scottish places!
Here in Scotland, it wouldn’t be unusual for you to come across a location with a name that looks one way but is pronounced completely differently/is several syllables long/doesn’t even sound like a place in the first instance! Often these names have been given due to the association of Scotland with Gaelic – and don’t worry, even us Scots can sometimes have trouble knowing how to pronounce them, so you’re not alone!
Join us today as we explore some of the more unusual place names Scotland has to offer – you may be surprised at what you find out!
Are These Really Scottish Place Names?
How to pronounce Drumnadrochit? How to pronounce Ecclefechan? We are here to assist! Drumnadrochit is spoken aloud as “Drum-nah-drock-it”, with the pronunciation of Ecclefechan being “Eck-uhl-feh-kin”.
Some other place names that are notoriously difficult to pronounce include Milngavie (“Mill-gai”), Wemyss Bay (“Weems Bay”), Freuchie (“Froo-kay”), Kirkcudbright (“Kur-coo-bree”) and Culross (“Coo-riss”). If Culross looks familiar to you, that’s because it was the location for the filming of some of the Outlander series.
Our Outlander Experience tour is the ideal choice for fans of the Diana Gabaldon novels, whereas our The Outlander Trail Small Group Tour is another fabulous choice which includes a plethora of locations fans won’t want to miss out on. To find out more about either tour, just click on the name.
Where is Dull Scotland?
Unlike the place names that have come before, Dull is spoken exactly as it reads – it’s the name itself we are focusing on today. Dull is a village located in Perth and Kinross, and is paired with another aptly named place, Boring in Oregon in the USA.
The irony is that the name Dull actually has a rather interesting origin. It is said to have come from Gaelic (as is so often the case with Scottish location names), and specifically, from the Gaelic word for meadow. In saying this, another theory put forward is that the name Dull comes from the Gaelic word “dul”, which has some different definitions.
Regardless of where the word Dull comes from, one thing is for sure – the backstory of this Scottish village is anything but dull!
Are these really Scottish place names?
Now we move on to names that you would be forgiven for initially thinking weren’t even place names to begin with. Where else to begin than with Rest and be Thankful, a viewpoint over 800 ft above sea level in Arrochar in Argyll. This is a great place to take in some of the beautiful Scottish scenery, and you’ll find it if you’re travelling along the A83 road.
Next we have the island of Muck, part of the Inner Hebrides, the Butt of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides (also known as Butts) and Shotts which can be found in between Glasgow and Edinburgh. All places that are commonplace to us Scots, but we can recognise may be surprising to those of you not as familiar with our country.
And before we move on, we offer some tours that will take you to see the outstanding Outer Hebrides, for example the Grand Tour of the Outer Hebrides which includes highlights such as Glenfinnan, the Isle of Barra and of course, the Isle of Lewis where you’ll get to experience archaeological marvels such as Dun Carloway Broch and the Callanish Standing Stones.
What does Glamis Mean?
We do like to add a little sparkle and glam to proceedings wherever we can, and thankfully for us, Glamis Castle is more than happy to help – as the word glamis means “possessing glamour”! Pronounced as “Glamz” (as in rhyming with clams), this castle can be found in Angus here in Scotland.
The seat of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, it’s not just “Glams” by name… it’s also by nature! Not only has the legendary Mary, Queen of Scots visited this castle along with The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret (who was born there) it is also said to have been the inspiration behind none other than Macbeth. A castle you would most definitely want to visit “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…” if you ask us!
Even More Scottish Tongue‑Twisters
During the course of our research for this article, we came across more place names we felt deserved highlighting. So without further ado… The first is Auchtermuchty, which sounds quite similar to how it is written – just remember to pronounce those hard “ch” sounds, so think loch, broch rather than chair or chalice for example.
The second place name may require a little bit of warning, if just simply because it could be easy to end up saying something you didn’t mean to! Fochabers (“foek-hu-bhz) is a village not far from Elgin in Moray. Close to the River Spey, it’s an ideal place for those wanting to be out and about, with lots of gorgeous scenery to soak in and enjoy.
Finally, we come to Chatelherault, another place name that may need to come with some sort of warning! Pronounced “Chatel-her-oh” or sometimes as “Chat-le-roh” and found close to Hamilton, the Chatelherault Country Park was originally a Hunting Lodge and Summer House – built for the Dukes of Hamilton – before nowadays being used for events including weddings and conferences.
As we come to the end of our article, we have done our due diligence and counted 16 strange Scottish place names. Whilst our list can be said to be extensive, it is by no means exhaustive, and there are many more places out there just waiting to be discovered (even if we struggle to pronounce them)!
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Does Scotland appear in your travel plans? Why not spend time with us to discover our rich history, natural landscapes and colourful traditions? Most importantly, you’ll experience the warmest of welcomes.
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