Undiscovered Scotland

 

The tiny hamlet of Nedd lies some two miles south-east of Drumbeg on the single track Assynt coastal road from Lochinver to Kylesku. It is scattered above the western shore of Loch Nedd.

Nedd is, to be honest, one of those places you might miss altogether if you don't watch out for the road signs denoting its start and end. A few attractive houses and crofts, a red phone box, a roadside tractor whose rusted parts have an almost sculptural quality: then another turn in the road and it's gone. But the main reason you might overlook Nedd, literally, is that views to the east are dominated by the vast grey bulk of the western side of Quinag.

Those wanting an even closer view can follow the five mile stalkers' path that leaves the B869 a little to the east of Nedd before heading south into Gleann Leireag and over the Bealach Leireag. This leads right under the sheer western flank of Quinag before descending to meet the "A" road running inland from Lochinver on the north shore of Loch Assynt.

Nedd grew - if that is quite the right word - because of the shelter Loch Nedd afforded to the fishing craft that operated in these waters, especially when larger craft began to be used from the beginning of the 1900s.

Today, the main access to Loch Nedd is via a pier a little to the east of Nedd. This is home to a selection of small boats and fishing vessels, plus one or two that look unlikely to sail again.

And the origin of the name? The usual sources have nothing to offer, but there may well be a clue in the road signs that tell you that you've arrived. These show that the Gaelic name is An Nead, which translates as "the nest". It doesn't seem too unreasonable to suggest that this represents the safe haven offered to boats by Loch Nedd.