Altnaharra

Altnaharra (Ordnance Survey Grid reference NC567352) is a small hamlet in Sutherland in the Highland region of northern Scotland. The hamlet is on the A836 road, close to its junction with the B873. The nearest villages are Lairg and Tongue. Lochs in the area include Loch Naver and Loch Eriboll.

The name Altnaharra is derived from the Scottish gaelic Allt-na-h-Aire, meaning Stream of Watching. This is named after a stream that flows through the hamlet.

Altnaharra is famous for the Altnaharra Hotel, which opened in 1820 and quickly became a popular place for anglers to stay while visiting nearby lochs. Today the hotel is also popular with mountain climbers: Ben Hope and Ben Klibreck are two mountains in the immediate area of the hamlet.

Its other claim to fame is its met office weather station. Its northernly latitude and inland location mean that it regularly features in the daily weather extremes for the UK. On December 30, 1995 the lowest temperature on record in the United Kingdom was recorded at Altnaharra, at -27.2oC. This matched a similar recording at Braemar in the Grampians on February 11, 1895 and January 10, 1982.